A Chicago vascular surgeon has been charged with the double murder of his ex-wife and her dentist husband, who were found shot dead in their Ohio home over the festive period.
Neighbour's shock at murder charges
Michael McKee, aged 31, was arrested in Rockford, Illinois, on Saturday and charged with two counts of murder. The charges relate to the deaths of Monique Tepe, 39, and Spencer Tepe, 37, who were discovered with fatal gunshot wounds inside their Columbus, Ohio, residence on 30 December.
A neighbour from McKee's luxury Lincoln Park condominium in Chicago expressed profound shock at the arrest. Gera-Lind Kolarik told ABC 7 she had interacted with McKee at community events and he "did not seem like somebody that would do something like this."
"I sat down with this man, and talked with him at the pool, barbequing, about what a beautiful day it is, and then he turns out to be a killer. It's kind of shocking," Kolarik said. She added that the couple's children were "the real victims of this whole case."
Desperate 911 calls revealed
The tragedy unfolded after Spencer Tepe failed to arrive for work at the Athens Dental Depot on the morning of 30 December. His employer, Mark Valrose, called 911, expressing extreme concern because the dentist was always punctual and could not be reached, nor could his wife.
A second call that morning came from someone who could hear children inside the house but received no answer at the door. "I can hear kids inside, and I swear, I think I heard one yell," the caller said, debating whether to force entry.
A friend of Spencer Tepe later made a third, grim call after performing a wellness check. "There's a body," the caller reported. "He's laying next to his bed, off of his bed in this blood... I can tell he's obviously not breathing or anything."
Children found unharmed at scene
The couple's two young children, aged one and four, were home at the time of the shooting but were not physically harmed. The family's Goldendoodle dog was also unhurt. Police found no sign of forced entry and did not recover a firearm from the scene.
Court documents confirm McKee and Monique Tepe were married in August 2015 and divorced in May 2017. At the time of their separation, McKee was living in Virginia completing a surgical residency programme.
The arrest followed the release of surveillance footage by Columbus police, showing a hooded figure in black and grey near the Tepe home between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. on the night of the murders. Detectives had ruled out a murder-suicide but had not publicly named a suspect prior to McKee's arrest.
The children are now in the care of Spencer Tepe's brother-in-law, Rob Misleh. He told NewsNation he believes the children were not exposed to the murder scene, stating they "were just as happy and, unfortunately, unaware as they ever could be."
Michael McKee is currently being held at the Winnebago County Jail and is scheduled to appear in court on Monday.
