Ohio double murder suspect Michael David McKee allegedly threatened to kill to his ex-wife multiple times during their two-year marriage, roughly a decade before police say he murdered her and her current husband.
Monique Tepe, 39, and Spencer Tepe, 37, were found fatally shot in the upstairs of their home in Columbus on the morning of Dec. 30, according to local police. Their two young children, ages 1 and 4, were also in the house at the time, but were not physically harmed.
McKee, who lives more than five hours away in Chicago, was arrested in Illinois on Saturday and is now facing two charges of premeditated aggravated murder.
News of his arrest didn’t come as a shock to family members of the slain couple, who said Monique was “terrified” of McKee after he threatened her life “many times” during their marriage.
“He was very emotionally abusive to her, to the point that it changed her as a person,” Spencer’s brother-in-law, Rob Misleh, told People this week.
Misleh said Monique spoke to him and other family members about the alleged abuse, and was “very vocal” about her fear of McKee, even eight years after they divorced in 2017.
The slayings took place just one month before the Tepes would have celebrated their fifth wedding anniversary, family members told ABC affiliate WSYX. They tied the knot at the very residence were they were ultimately killed.
McKee, who’s reported to be a vascular surgeon with a practice in Rockford, Ill., was initially facing two charges of murder, though they were quickly upgraded to premeditated aggravated murder. He pleaded not guilty through his attorney during a court appearance on Monday.
If convicted, McKee could face a life sentence without the possibility of parole. The death penalty could also be on the table, though Ohio has not executed a prisoner since 2018.
