In the wake of one of Ohio’s most shocking double homicides, a former girlfriend of accused killer Michael David McKee has broken her silence, offering a chilling glimpse into the mind of the man now charged with murdering his ex-wife Monique Tepe and her husband Spencer Tepe. The exclusive revelations paint a picture of long-standing fixation, emotional manipulation, and an inability to let go that friends and family say festered for years before erupting in violence on December 30, 2025.

The woman, who dated McKee during his medical residency years after his divorce from Monique, described him as someone who never truly moved on. “He was obsessed with Monique,” she told reporters in her first public comments. “He stared at her every night — not literally in person after the divorce, but through stories, updates from mutual friends, photos he kept or asked about. It was like she was still there in the room with us.” She recounted how McKee would casually bring up Monique in conversations, often framing her departure as a sudden “disappearance” that left him bewildered and hurt. “He looked me in the eye one day and said she was gone — just vanished from his life,” she recalled. “But he never stopped talking about her, wondering what she was doing, who she was with.”

This pattern of lingering attachment, according to those who knew him, extended far beyond casual nostalgia. McKee, a 39-year-old vascular surgeon, allegedly maintained contact with mutual acquaintances to keep tabs on Monique’s life long after their 2017 divorce. Friends described him as “controlling” during the brief marriage, which lasted less than two years from their 2015 wedding. Monique reportedly confided in family members about emotional abuse and threats that left her terrified, prompting her to end the relationship decisively. “She was willing to do anything to get out of there,” her brother-in-law Rob Misleh later shared, noting the torment she endured.

After the split, Monique rebuilt her life in Columbus, marrying Spencer Tepe in 2020. The couple welcomed two children—a four-year-old and a one-year-old—and appeared to embody domestic bliss. Spencer, a 37-year-old dentist, commuted to his practice in Athens while nurturing a close-knit family. Public glimpses of their happiness, including a joyful wedding anniversary video where Monique fondly noted how Spencer “couldn’t stop looking at her,” contrasted sharply with McKee’s reported inner turmoil.

The ex-girlfriend’s account suggests that seeing Monique thrive fueled McKee’s resentment. “He couldn’t handle her being happy without him,” she said. “Every time he heard about her new life, her marriage, her kids—it destroyed something in him. His ego was fragile, and her moving on shattered it.” This obsession allegedly intensified in the months before the murders. A clerical error in court records briefly reopened the old divorce case in June 2025, potentially drawing McKee’s attention back to Monique. Combined with public displays of the Tepes’ contentment, it may have pushed him toward action.

On the night of December 29 into December 30, intruders entered the Tepe home on North Fourth Street in Weinland Park without forced entry—suggesting planning or familiarity. Between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m., Spencer and Monique were shot multiple times in a targeted attack. The couple’s young children slept undisturbed in their rooms, along with the family dogs, highlighting the precision of the assault. A firearm equipped with a suppressor was used, muffling the shots and allowing the perpetrator to escape unnoticed initially.

Surveillance footage captured a suspicious person and vehicle near the home that night. Investigators traced these leads to McKee, whose car matched descriptions and whose movements aligned with the timeline. A search of his Chicago residence yielded what authorities believe is the murder weapon. McKee was arrested on January 10, 2026, in Rockford, Illinois, near his workplace at a hospital. He waived extradition and now faces a Franklin County grand jury indictment on four counts of aggravated murder (with firearm and silencer specifications) and one count of aggravated burglary. If convicted, he could face life without parole.

Police have described the killings as a “targeted” and “domestic violence-related” attack, though no single official motive has been publicly detailed beyond the evident connection to Monique’s past. Forensic experts and those familiar with similar cases point to classic signs of obsessive rejection: prolonged fixation on an ex-partner, inability to accept the end of a relationship, and rage triggered by her new happiness. The ex-girlfriend’s insights add weight to this theory. “He never got over the divorce,” she explained. “He kept her on a pedestal in his mind, but when reality showed she had moved forward—really moved forward—it broke whatever restraint he had.”

Monique’s family has echoed these sentiments, with Misleh describing McKee’s alleged emotional abuse during the marriage and how it lingered in her life. “She wasn’t shy about talking to people about the traumatic experiences she had with her ex,” he said. Friends and relatives expressed shock but not complete surprise at his arrest, noting long-held concerns about his behavior.

McKee’s professional life appeared stable on the surface: a career spanning multiple states post-divorce, including positions in Chicago and Illinois hospitals. Yet reports emerged of job changes, a malpractice lawsuit he allegedly evaded by “disappearing” months before the murders, and a pattern of isolation. His employer cooperated with investigators, but little else about his personal circle has surfaced.

The Tepe family released statements mourning the couple as devoted parents and community members. The surviving children are now in the care of relatives, surrounded by support amid unimaginable loss. Community vigils in Columbus have honored Spencer and Monique, emphasizing their kindness and the senselessness of their deaths.

As the case heads toward trial, the ex-girlfriend’s words serve as a haunting reminder of how obsession can simmer undetected. “I never thought I’d see his name in headlines like this,” she reflected. “But looking back, the signs were there—he couldn’t let her go.” The reason he allegedly did what he did, she believes, boils down to a refusal to accept that Monique’s life had moved beyond him—into love, family, and happiness he could no longer claim.