Madeleine Tepe Misleh recalls the last night she spent with her brother, dentist Spencer Tepe, and his wife Monique — a Christmas evening spent playing Mario Kart with their young children. Spencer, 37, and Monique, 39, were found slain in their Columbus home on Dec. 30; their children, ages 3 and 1, were discovered unharmed. Authorities arrested 39-year-old Michael David McKee on Jan. 10; he has been indicted on aggravated murder and burglary charges and plans to plead not guilty. Police describe the attack as "domestic-violence related" and targeted.
Sister Remembers Final Christmas Night With Ohio Dentist Spencer Tepe Before He and His Wife Were Killed (Exclusive)
Rob MislehMadeleine Tepe Misleh, at age 1, and Spencer Tepe, at age 3, (left); and Spencer Tepe.
Madeleine Tepe Misleh is sharing a final, tender memory of her older brother, dentist Spencer Tepe, days before he and his wife, Monique Tepe, were found slain in their Columbus, Ohio, home on Dec. 30.
Nearly three weeks after the couple's deaths, Misleh — 35, two years younger than Spencer — spoke with PEOPLE about the last evening she spent with them: a full-circle family moment of video games and laughter.
"My brother has always been one of my biggest fans," Misleh says. "One of the biggest fans of my art, so he was always proud."
Misleh recalls that on Christmas Day she gifted princess dresses she had made for Spencer and Monique's 3-year-old daughter, Emilia. That night the family gathered to play Mario Kart: "We grew up playing Nintendo 64, and we were playing Mario Kart, and Spencer and Monique got a Nintendo Switch for Christmas. So the last night I was with them, we were all playing Mario Kart. It was a full circle moment," she said.
She remembers a lighter exchange from the visit: "We gave them controllers and Spencer and Monique gave us electric toothbrushes," she laughs.
Investigation and Arrest
Columbus police discovered Spencer, 37, and Monique, 39, dead at their home on Dec. 30. Their two children, ages 3 and 1, were found in a nearby room and were physically unharmed. Authorities have described the killings as "domestic-violence related" and "targeted," though they have not released a public motive.
Rob MislehMadeleine Tepe Misleh at age 15, and Spencer Tepe at age 17.
On Jan. 10, police arrested 39-year-old Michael David McKee, who had been briefly married to Monique more than a decade ago. McKee was arrested near his workplace in Rockford, Illinois, and was booked into the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office. He has been indicted on aggravated murder and burglary charges and is expected to be extradited to Ohio to face prosecution. Prior to his indictment he told an Illinois judge, through a public defender, that he intends to plead not guilty.
Remembering Spencer
Misleh describes Spencer as a supportive brother and proud father who loved his family. She also served as his practice patient during his dental training: "I was Spencer’s practice patient for Invisalign, so I was always going up to Columbus while he was in dental school," she says with a laugh.
Beyond his career as a dentist, Spencer was active in his community. He spent roughly a decade mentoring a child from first grade through high school; that mentee even attended Spencer’s dental school graduation in 2017. "Spencer was always involved, he was always in a club. Always pushing the limits — everywhere," Misleh says.
Friends and relatives say the couple were "madly in love," and the slayings have left the community stunned and searching for answers.
Resources
If you are experiencing domestic violence, help is available. Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or visit thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential; the hotline operates 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
Read the original reporting on PEOPLE for more details.
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