In a heartbreaking revelation that has added profound emotional weight to an already tragic case, Columbus police have disclosed details from Michael David McKee’s initial interrogation following his January 10, 2026, arrest. According to authorities, evidence and statements indicate that Monique Tepe, 39, uttered a desperate “Please” to her ex-husband McKee in the final moments before she was fatally shot, a plea believed to have been a direct appeal for him to spare the lives of their two young children, ages 1 and 4. Police sources described this act as Monique literally “saving the children,” highlighting her maternal instinct amid unimaginable terror as she and her husband, Spencer Tepe, 37, faced their killer in their own home.

The double homicide occurred in the early morning hours of December 30, 2025, in the family’s Weinland Park residence on the 1400 block of North 4th Street in Columbus, Ohio. Spencer, a respected dentist specializing in comprehensive care and implant therapy at his Athens practice, and Monique, a devoted stay-at-home mother known for her warmth, love of baking, soccer, running, horses, and books, were found shot to death upstairs. Their children were discovered physically unharmed elsewhere in the house, along with the family dog, which did not alert to any forced entry. Three 9mm shell casings were recovered, but no firearm was present, and the home showed no signs of ransacking or burglary—details that immediately pointed to a targeted, personal attack.

The couple had been together since meeting online, marrying in early 2021, and were just weeks shy of celebrating their fifth wedding anniversary. Friends and family described them as soulmates who had built a loving blended family, with Monique’s vows referencing overcoming past “wrong relationships” and a “waterfall of tears”—words now seen by many as poignant references to her brief, troubled marriage to McKee from 2015 to 2017.

McKee, a 39-year-old vascular surgeon practicing in the Chicago area (with previous licenses and training in California and Virginia), was Monique’s ex-husband. Their union ended in divorce without children, amid family reports of emotional abuse during the marriage. Despite nearly nine years having passed, and Monique thriving in her new life, authorities believe lingering resentment and jealousy fueled the premeditated crime. Charges were upgraded to two counts of aggravated murder with premeditation, reflecting prior calculation and design.

The breakthrough came through neighborhood surveillance footage released by police, showing a hooded figure walking deliberately through an alley near the home between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m.—the estimated time of the killings. The figure’s movements were traced to a vehicle that arrived shortly before and departed soon after. That car was linked to McKee and located in Rockford, Illinois, about 79 miles northwest of Chicago, leading to his arrest without incident.

During McKee’s first questioning after being taken into custody, investigators confronted him with the accumulating evidence, including vehicle possession, timeline matches, and forensic links. In the course of the interrogation, details emerged about the sequence inside the home. Police have stated that Monique, in her final moments, managed to speak directly to McKee, saying “Please”—a single word interpreted as a mother’s last-ditch effort to protect her children from harm. This plea, delivered as she faced the man she once married, appears to have been heeded in one tragic respect: the children were left unharmed, spared while their parents were killed.

The decision to leave the young ones alive amid such violence has been described by law enforcement as deliberate and telling. Behavioral experts note that in cases of intimate partner or ex-partner violence driven by revenge, perpetrators sometimes target only the perceived “obstacles” to their fixation—here, Monique and the husband who represented her new happiness—while avoiding harm to innocents like children, perhaps out of a distorted sense of boundaries or to avoid escalating the crime’s severity.

Following the interrogation, police emphasized Monique’s courage. “She saved those children,” one official reportedly stated, underscoring how her plea may have influenced McKee’s actions in that critical instant. The children, now under the care of close family members, represent the enduring legacy of their parents’ love, as the Tepe family has repeatedly affirmed in statements. “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,” Spencer’s brother-in-law Rob Misleh said after the arrest.

McKee waived extradition in a brief Winnebago County, Illinois, court appearance on January 12, 2026, appearing composed in a yellow jail jumpsuit and shackles. Represented by a public defender, he has signaled an intent to plead not guilty. He is expected to be transferred to Franklin County, Ohio, for trial.

The case has gripped central Ohio, with memorials of flowers and tributes outside the home, and a community mourning two vibrant lives cut short. Colleagues remembered Spencer as passionate and compassionate, while Monique was celebrated for her joy and dedication to family. The revelation of her final “Please” has humanized the horror, transforming the story from one of cold premeditation to a mother’s ultimate act of protection in the face of betrayal.

As the investigation continues and McKee prepares to face justice, this detail stands as a poignant testament to Monique Tepe’s strength and love—even in her last moments, she fought to ensure her children’s survival.