In a chilling turn of events, the man accused of the brutal slaying of his ex-wife and her new husband allegedly had a history of threatening his former spouse. Michael McKee, aged 39, was apprehended earlier this month, facing charges of aggravated murder following the tragic deaths of Monique Tepe, 39, and Spencer Tepe, 37. The couple was discovered lifeless, each suffering from gunshot wounds, within their Columbus residence on December 30, 2025. Remarkably, their two young children were present in the home but were unharmed.

The distressing details emerged from a criminal complaint recently made public, as reported by Law&Crime. After the horrifying discovery, police turned to the couple’s friends, who revealed that McKee, Monique’s former husband, had a troubling past marked by violent threats against her. Friends recounted that McKee had allegedly menaced Monique with the unsettling assertion that he could end her life whenever he chose.

Officers initiated a welfare check at the Tepes’ home after Spencer Tepe, a well-respected local dentist, failed to appear at his dental practice on the morning of December 30, 2025, without any prior notification. Upon their arrival before 10 a.m., the authorities found the Tepes tragically deceased.

Insights from Monique’s friends painted a harrowing picture of her relationship with McKee, whom she had divorced in 2017 after a mere seven months of marriage. The complaint detailed accusations of McKee’s abusive behavior, encompassing “numerous threats on her life” and alarming allegations of “forced unwanted sex and strangulation.” Friends disclosed that McKee had ominously told Monique that she would always belong to him, expressing intentions to move next door to her as a means of control.

In their quest for justice, investigators utilized neighborhood surveillance footage to pinpoint a suspect and a vehicle with distinct features. This silver SUV was observed entering the neighborhood shortly before the tragic event and departing swiftly afterward. Investigators also noted that the vehicle bore stolen license plates from Ohio and Arizona, adding another layer of complexity to the investigation.

Police said they were able to connect the SUV to McKee through his past and current addresses.

As detectives started tracking McKee’s whereabouts, they determined that the same silver SUV was seen in the Tepes’ neighborhood on Dec. 6, 2025. Police said he was reportedly not on the work schedule that day at the hospital in Chicago, where he was employed as a vascular surgeon.

On the same day, police said friends told them Monique and Spencer Tepe were at the Big Ten Championship in Indiana, along with several other couples. Friends of the Tepes said Monique Tepe went back to her hotel room early because “she was upset about something involving her ex-husband.”

Police also tracked McKee’s phone and determined that it had been left at the hospital, registering “no activity” for 17 hours from Dec. 29, 2025, until after noon on Dec. 30, 2025.

When police seized the SUV on Jan. 9, they observed “fresh scrape marks” on the window where they had previously seen a sticker in surveillance footage before the homicides.

McKee was arrested in Chicago on Jan. 10 and extradited to Ohio’s Franklin County, where he is in custody without bond. He was charged with four counts of aggravated murder and one count of aggravated burglary. His attorney entered a not guilty plea on his behalf during his court appearance on Jan. 23.