COLUMBUS, Ohio — The ex-husband of an Ohio woman charged in the shootings of her and her husband waived his right to an extradition hearing Monday in Illinois, moving the case toward an Ohio trial as a judge scheduled a hearing to confirm the transfer.
Michael David McKee, 39, a doctor from Chicago, was charged with premeditated aggravated murder in the killings of 39-year-old Monique Tepe, whom he divorced in 2017, and dentist Dr. Spencer Tepe, 37, who were shot in their Columbus home on Dec. 30, according to the charging information described in court.
McKee appeared in court in Winnebago County, Illinois, where he has been jailed since his arrest on Saturday. He walked into the courtroom wearing a yellow jumpsuit and shackles around his wrists, appearing expressionless as he was brought before Judge Donald Shriver.
Shriver did not state when McKee would be returned to Ohio. Instead, the judge scheduled a Jan. 19 hearing to confirm the status of the transfer, with Tom Jakeway, the trial court administrator for the 17th Judicial Circuit Court of Illinois, saying the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office will coordinate McKee’s return to Franklin County, where the trial will take place.
The arrest followed nearly two weeks of speculation after investigators said they found no obvious signs of forced entry at the Tepes’ home and that no weapon was found there. Police also said murder-suicide was not suspected, nothing was stolen, and the couple’s two young children and their dog were left unharmed in the home.
In a statement, the Tepes’ family said the arrest was “an important step toward justice” and that they trusted the justice system to hold the person accountable. The family said, “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,” adding that they will “continue to honor their lives and the light they brought into this world.”
Dispatchers received calls of concern on Dec. 30 after Spencer Tepe did not show up at the dental practice where he worked in Athens, a college town about 75 miles (120.70 kilometers) southeast of Columbus. Spencer Tepe’s manager told police his tardiness was “out of character,” and Columbus police later conducted a wellness check at the couple’s home, where they discovered the bullet-stricken bodies on the second floor.
The Franklin County Coroner’s Office said officials would finish formal reports in coming weeks. In the meantime, a spokesperson said last week that the deaths were an “apparent homicide by gunshot wounds.”
Police released security footage on Tuesday showing a person of interest dressed in a dark hoodie and light colored pants walking in an alley near the Tepes’ home between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m., the window in which investigators believed the couple was attacked. Investigators said the footage generated dozens of tips and helped carry a manhunt across multiple state lines to McKee’s apartment.
McKee and Monique Tepe—then Monique Sabaturski—married in 2015 and filed for divorce two years later, according to Franklin County court records. The couple later married in 2020, according to the Tepes’ obituaries, which described Monique Tepe as a “loving, patient, and joyful mother,” an avid baker, and a “thoughtful planner,” and said Spencer Tepe was a graduate of Ohio State University and involved with the American Dental Association and Big Brothers Big Sisters.