A Chicago man who is accused of killing his ex-wife and her dentist husband in Ohio is facing upgraded murder charges.
Michael David McKee, 39, is now facing two charges of premeditated aggravated murder following his Saturday arrest in Illinois in connection to the slayings of his ex-wife, Monique Tepe, 39, and her husband, Spencer Tepe, 37, in Columbus, Ohio.
McKee had initially been charged with two counts of murder.
The couple were found shot to death at their home around 10 a.m. on Dec. 30 after Spencer failed to show up to his dental practice. Investigators believe they were killed hours earlier. Their two children, ages 1 and 4, and pet dog were also in the home but were unharmed.
Tepe and McKee had divorced in 2017 following two years of marriage, but investigators have not publicly released a motive.
Ohio police had released a video of a person of interest in an alley near the Tepe’s home the night of the slayings.
Detectives eventually tracked McKee “to a vehicle which arrived just prior to the homicides and left shortly after,” the Columbus Dispatch reported, citing court documents.
McKee, a vascular surgeon, is currently being held in a jail in Rockford, Illinois and is awaiting transfer into custody of authorities in Ohio, however it is unclear when he’ll be extradited.
During a court appearance on Monday, McKee pleaded not guilty through his attorney and otherwise stayed silent during the proceedings.
The aggravated murder charges means McKee could now face a maximum sentence of life in prison with no possibility of parole. The death penalty is also a possibility, though Ohio has not executed a prisoner since 2018.
“Monique and Spencer remain at the center of our hearts, and we carry forward their love as we surround and protect the two children they leave behind,” the Tepe family said in a statement. “We will continue to honor their lives and the light they brought into this world.”
