Michael David McKee, doctor, was arrested and charged with premeditated murder
Years before Monique Tepe and her husband, Spencer, lived in their home in Columbus, Ohio, the mother of two had a brief marriage to a doctor named Michael David McKee.
Now, almost a decade after the divorce was finalized, McKee is being held in Illinois after being arrested on two murder charges in connection with the Tepe couple’s deaths, according to court documents. The charges in Ohio were upgraded on Monday morning to aggravated murder with premeditation, records indicate.
The charges were aggravated because “detectives believe the necessary elements are in place to charge him with aggravated homicide,” the Columbus Police Division told CNN in an email. A spokesperson did not specify what these elements were, specifically.
McKee waived his right to an extradition hearing during a court session on Monday that lasted just a few minutes. A public defender representing McKee asked for a quick return to Ohio so the defendant can plead not guilty in the case.
McKee, who entered the courtroom handcuffed and wearing a yellow prison suit, did not speak, limiting himself to identifying himself before the judge. At the end of the hearing, he spoke in a low voice with the lawyer before they both shook hands.
Monique, 39, and Spencer, 37 — who, according to family and friends, “shared a beautiful, strong and deeply happy relationship” — were honored on Sunday, in a joint celebration of life ceremony, according to a . The Tepe couple were “warm and welcoming and lived each day with great enthusiasm,” Spencer’s cousin Audrey Mackie told the CNN affiliate.
“They lived for their children. Their lives began to revolve around their children and sharing them with us, loving them deeply,” Rob Misleh, Spencer’s brother-in-law, also told WLWT.
Colleagues of Spencer, a respected dentist, called 911 on the morning of December 30 after he unusually failed to show up for work.
The couple was found later that morning in the home where they lived with their two children, ages 4 and 1, north of downtown Columbus. Police indicate that the children were found unharmed inside the home.
Here’s what we know about McKee and his marriage to Monique Tepe.
Who is Michael David McKee?
McKee, 39, is a physician and surgeon, licensed in California and Illinois, according to official medical licensing databases.
Most recently, McKee was a vascular surgeon at OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center in Rockford, Illinois.
“OSF is cooperating with authorities, who will provide any additional information,” said a spokesperson for the institution in a statement sent to CNN on Sunday.
Michael McKee was arrested on January 10 on two counts of murder in connection with the deaths of Spencer and Monique Tepe. Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office
McKee also held a medical license in the state of Nevada, which expired in June 2025. Records indicate that there is no disciplinary history in the states where he practiced medicine.
In 2005, McKee began medical school at Ohio State University and began his internship at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in 2014, records show.
In 2020, he completed his medical residency at the Carilion Clinic–Virginia Tech Carilion Residency Program. Later that year, he began a specialization in vascular surgery at the University of Maryland Medical Center, which ended in 2022.
McKee’s marriage to Monique Tepe
Monique Tepe was 28 years old when she married McKee in August 2015, according to Franklin County, Ohio, court documents, which indicate no significant conflicts throughout the divorce process.
The couple had no children. The divorce was finalized about a month after it was filed by Tepe — who, at the time, was using her maiden name, Sabaturski — in June 2017, court records show.
According to the documents, the couple was already separated when the application was filed, with McKee living in Roanoke, Virginia, coinciding with his medical residency at the Carilion Clinic.
Why is McKee suspicious?
Doubts about how the homicides occurred and what motivated the attack intensified last week, when Columbus police released video surveillance images showing “a person of interest” walking in an alley near the couple’s home, in the Weinland Park neighborhood.
The video was captured during the period in which investigators believe the couple was killed, police said at the time. Authorities did not explain why they were seeking information about this person.
Columbus police have not confirmed whether they believe McKee is the person shown in the images. CNN asked authorities for further clarification.
the video links McKee to a vehicle that investigators say arrived shortly before the shooting and left the scene moments later.
Police later located the vehicle in Rockford, Illinois, where officers confirmed that McKee was the registered owner, WBNS reported.
McKee was arrested in Rockford “” on Saturday, according to Columbus police.
Flowers along the sidewalk in front of the house where Monique and Spencer Tepe were found dead. Doral Chenoweth/Columbus Dispatch/USA Today Network/Imagn Images
What happens next?
McKee is being held in Winnebago County, Illinois, according to the sheriff’s office’s jail records.
McKee’s public defender asked for a quick return to Ohio so that the defendant can plead not guilty in the process.
*Holly Yan, Emma Tucker and Elise Hammond contributed to this article
