On December 30th, 37-year-old Spencer Tepe failed to show up to work at his dental office, which was very uncharacteristic of him. When his coworkers were unable to get ahold of him, they requested local police conduct a wellness check on his home.

Police arrived at the house and discovered the 37-year-old dentist and his 39-year-old wife, Monique Tepe, deceased as a result of apparent gunshot wounds. Horrifically, the couple’s two young children, a four-year-old girl and a one-year-old boy, were inside the home with their parents’ bodies for hours prior to the discovery.

Authorities believe the murder happened between 2 A.M. and 5 A.M. in the upstairs area. According to investigators, there was no sign of forced entry, but they believe this is because the suspect stalked the couple and learned their door passcode.

Another reason investigators believe the suspect stalked the couple and likely watched the house is that the suspect’s movements suggested that he knew where the home’s cameras were located.

What the suspect didn’t account for, however, was that there were other cameras in nearby areas. Authorities were able to track the suspect’s vehicle in the vicinity around the time of the killings, and they were able to obtain video surveillance footage of him walking down a nearby alleyway. Based on these facts, investigators determined that the primary suspect was 39-year-old Michael McKee. McKee was Monique Tepe’s ex-husband. The former couple had been married for two short years until they divorced in 2017. Monique remarried in 2020.

Investigators believe that years-long resentment and hatred drove the ex-husband to kill the couple right after they celebrated their 5th wedding anniversary.

On January 10th, McKee was arrested in Illinois as he sat at a table and ate at a Rockford Chick-Fil-a. He was officially charged with aggravated murder in connection with the deaths of both Spencer and Monique Tepe. As police detained McKee, the Columbus Police executed a search warrant for the suspect’s condo. They reportedly discovered multiple weapons, one of which linked him to the Tepe homicide scene.

Currently, McKee is still being detained in Winnebago County and is awaiting extradition to Ohio.

Violent Crimes in Brooklyn

In Brooklyn, murder is charged in the first or second degree depending on a multitude of factors like the suspect’s intent, the status of the victim, any previous criminal record, and other aggravating factors. Either way, this type of crime carries heavy consequences if it results in a conviction.

In Brooklyn, you can face other serious penalties for other violent crimes. If you’ve recently been charged with a crime in Brooklyn, then your best option is to quickly seek out a criminal defense attorney. Here at the Bukh Law Firm, our team has extensive experience helping clients who are facing violent criminal charges, felonies, misdemeanors, DWIs, white collar crimes, and more.

Schedule a free, no-obligation phone call with our team now by leaving your contact information on our online form to talk about your charges.