An Illinois surgeon, Michael David McKee, pleaded not guilty in Franklin County to charges accusing him of fatally shooting his ex‑wife, Monique Tepe, and her husband, Dr. Spencer Tepe, at their Columbus home on Dec. 30. Prosecutors say video shows a person leaving the scene via a dark alley, a gun recovered from McKee’s Chicago apartment matched ballistics evidence, and his vehicle was tracked back to Illinois. McKee was arrested near his Rockford workplace 11 days after the killings and faces four aggravated murder counts and an aggravated burglary charge. The couple’s two young children were home during the incident and were unharmed.
Illinois Surgeon Michael McKee Pleads Not Guilty in Columbus Double Homicide
At left, defense attorney Diane Menashe, representing Michael McKee, a suspect in the killings of Monique and Spencer Tepe, and assistant Franklin County prosecutor Steve Schott appear in front of Franklin County Common Pleas Court Magistrate Mark Petrucci as McKee makes an appearance over closed-circuit TV from the Franklin County jail on Friday, January 23. - Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch/AP
An Illinois physician, Michael David McKee, 39, pleaded not guilty Friday in Franklin County to charges alleging he fatally shot his ex‑wife and her husband at their Columbus, Ohio, home on Dec. 30.
McKee appeared remotely from jail for a brief arraignment where he was formally charged with four counts of aggravated murder and one count of aggravated burglary while using a firearm suppressor in the deaths of Monique Tepe, 39, and Dr. Spencer Tepe, 37. He wore prison attire and did not speak during the hearing. Defense attorney Diane Menashe waived a bond request for the time being.
Allegations and Evidence
Prosecutors say McKee illegally entered the Tepes’ home carrying a firearm fitted with a suppressor, shot both victims in a second‑floor bedroom, and left via a dark alley alongside the house. Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant said video footage from the night shows a person walking down that alley and that investigators identified McKee as the person in the video. Officials also said a gun recovered in McKee’s Chicago apartment was a ballistic match to evidence from the scene and that investigators tracked his vehicle’s movements from Columbus back to Illinois.
McKee, who was arrested near his workplace in Rockford, Illinois, 11 days after the killings, was returned to Ohio on Tuesday to face the indictment handed down by an Ohio grand jury.
Background
Records show McKee grew up in Ohio, attending a Catholic high school in Zanesville and enrolling at Ohio State University in 2005, the same semester Monique Sabaturski (later Monique Tepe) began at OSU. Both graduated with bachelor’s degrees in 2009. Sabaturski went on to earn a master’s in education in 2011, and McKee earned his medical degree from Ohio State in 2014.
McKee and Monique married in Columbus in August 2015 but were living apart when Monique filed for divorce in May 2017; the divorce was finalized in June 2017. McKee completed a two‑year vascular surgery fellowship at the University of Maryland Medical Center in October 2022. He has held medical licenses in California and Nevada and began an active Illinois license in October 2024 while working at OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center in Rockford, the hospital said.
Victims And Family
The Franklin County Coroner’s Office ruled the deaths an “apparent homicide by gunshot wounds.” Family members described Monique and Spencer Tepe as “extraordinary people whose lives were filled with love, joy and deep connection to others.” In joint obituaries the couple — married in 2020 — were remembered for their devotion to family: Monique as a joyful mother and avid baker, and Spencer as a committed dentist and community volunteer.
The Tepes had two young children who were at home during the killings; both children and the family dog were unharmed.
Charges And Potential Penalties
McKee faces two aggravated murder counts for each death — one alleging prior calculation and design and another for committing the crime — plus the aggravated burglary count. If convicted, he faces a sentencing range that includes life in prison with parole eligibility after 32 years at minimum, up to life without the possibility of parole.
A message seeking comment was left with McKee’s attorney. The case remains under investigation as it moves through the Ohio court system.
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