The Illinois surgeon charged with murdering an Ohio dentist and his wife earlier this month faces an extradition hearing Monday afternoon and is now charged with aggravated murder.
Michael McKee, the 39-year-old ex-husband of Monique Tepe, 39, was arrested Saturday in Winnebago County, Illinois, two weeks after the murders of Tepe and her husband, Columbus dentist Spencer Tepe, at their home, as CrimeOnline reported.
He was initially charged with two counts of murder, but those charges were quickly upgraded to premeditated aggravated murder, WSYX reported.
The Tepes were found dead in their home — with the children not physically harmed — on December 30 when Spencer Tepe, 37, failed to show up for work. An officer who went to the home at about 9 a.m., got no answer at the door, and left.
Police received two more calls around 10 a.m., with one man reporting that he was at the home and could hear children inside. A second co-worker called around that time as well, saying she was concerned and was on her way to the home. A third call came in minutes later from a friend who said he had gone to the home when Tepe didn’t answer the phone and could see his body inside.
The Tepes’ 1-year-old son and 4-year-old daughter are now with family, according to the Columbus Dispatch.
Police released video showing a man they called a “person of interest” in the murders walking near the scene early in the morning of December 30.
Police got a warrant for McKee’s arrest and took him into custody on Saturday. Court documents say police had identified a vehicle in the Tepes’ neighbor that left shortly after the murders and later found that vehicle in Rockford, Illinois. McKee had access to the vehicle, the documents say.
Monique Tepe and McKee were married in 2015 and divorced in 2017. They had no children. The Tepes were married in 2021.
McKee was a vascular surgeon at OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center in Rockford at the time of his arrest. He has active medical licenses in Illinois and California; a license in Nevada has lapsed.
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[Featured image: Spencer and Monique Tepe/GoFundMe]
