A surgeon accused of murdering his ex-wife and her new husband allegedly tormented his former spouse with emotional abuse and death threats before executing what police call a targeted domestic violence attack.
Story Overview
- Michael McKee, 39, charged with murdering ex-wife Monique Tepe and her husband Dr. Spencer Tepe in Columbus
- Police found ballistic evidence linking McKee’s firearms to the December 30 shootings
- McKee evaded malpractice lawsuits by using fake addresses and disappearing from professional networks
- Family members reveal McKee’s history of emotional abuse and threats against Monique during their marriage
Surgeon’s Pattern of Abuse and Evasion
Michael McKee’s deteriorating behavior extended far beyond his failed marriage to Monique Tepe. Family members revealed that McKee was “an emotionally abusive person” during their relationship and had threatened Monique’s life while they were married. This pattern of controlling and threatening behavior provides crucial context for what Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant characterized as a “targeted, domestic violence-related attack” that claimed two innocent lives.
McKee’s professional life was simultaneously crumbling as mounting legal troubles consumed his career. The vascular surgeon faced multiple malpractice lawsuits, including a federal civil rights case alleging he delayed medical care for an incarcerated patient, resulting in permanent injury. His Nevada medical license expired in summer 2025, and colleagues reported he had mysteriously vanished from professional circles.
Deliberate Deception to Avoid Legal Accountability
Las Vegas attorney Dan Laird spent months attempting to serve McKee with legal papers, only to discover the surgeon had provided fake addresses to evade accountability. Laird’s investigation revealed McKee had given his former employer, Las Vegas Surgical Associates, false contact information. When investigators tracked McKee’s medical license to Rockford, Illinois, repeated phone calls went unanswered, suggesting a calculated effort to disappear.
This deceptive behavior shocked legal experts familiar with medical professionals. Laird noted that surgeons are typically “highly responsible people” who “are not the kind of people who just disappeared suddenly.” The attorney found it particularly suspicious that no malpractice insurance attorney contacted him on McKee’s behalf, suggesting McKee may have deliberately failed to maintain professional insurance coverage to avoid legal responsibilities.
Ballistic Evidence Links Surgeon to Double Murder
Columbus police discovered Dr. Spencer Tepe, 37, and Monique Tepe, 39, shot to death in their Weinland Park home on December 30, 2025. Their two children were found unharmed at the scene. Investigators recovered multiple firearms from McKee’s property, with preliminary ballistic evidence from the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network linking one weapon to the homicides.
McKee has been charged with two counts of murder and waived his right to an extradition hearing. The case demonstrates how professional credentials and education provide no guarantee of moral character or peaceful behavior. Monique’s family members stated they “quickly believed” McKee was responsible, given their knowledge of his abusive history and threatening behavior during the marriage that ended in 2017.
