In a case that’s gripped the nation, Michael David McKee, a 39-year-old vascular surgeon, has been charged with the brutal murders of his ex-wife Monique Tepe and her husband Spencer Tepe in their Columbus, Ohio home. What makes this tragedy even more disturbing is McKee’s own admission during his arrest: he still possessed a key to the victims’ house, raising chilling questions about access, obsession, and unresolved grudges from a marriage that ended nearly a decade ago.

The nightmare unfolded in the early hours of December 30, 2025, when police discovered Spencer Tepe, a 37-year-old respected dentist, and Monique Tepe, 39, shot dead upstairs in their Weinland Park residence. Spencer suffered multiple gunshot wounds, while Monique was hit at least once in the chest. Miraculously, their two young children—a 4-year-old girl and 1-year-old boy—along with the family dog, were found unharmed but traumatized beside their parents’ bodies. There were no signs of forced entry, pointing investigators toward someone familiar with the home.

McKee, Monique’s husband from 2015 to 2017, emerged as the prime suspect. The couple’s divorce was amicable on paper, finalized quickly with no shared children. Monique moved on, remarrying Spencer in 2020 and building a loving family life. But according to family members, the past was far from buried. Monique had confided that McKee was emotionally abusive during their marriage, threatening her life on multiple occasions and leaving deep scars that lingered long after the split.

When authorities arrested McKee in Illinois on January 10, 2026, he was still carrying what he claimed was a key to Monique’s house—a detail that stunned investigators and fueled speculation about how he maintained such intimate access years later. Combined with surveillance footage showing a suspicious figure near the scene around the time of the killings, a matching vehicle timeline, and the recovery of a firearm believed to be the murder weapon in his possession, the evidence built a compelling case.

Family members weren’t shocked by the arrest. They had long suspected McKee’s lingering resentment, describing how Monique lived in fear and worked tirelessly to rebuild her life. Spencer and Monique were remembered as a devoted couple, excited about celebrating their fifth wedding anniversary before tragedy struck.

This double homicide highlights the dark side of post-relationship trauma: how abuse can fester into obsession, and how boundaries meant to protect can be violated in unimaginable ways. As McKee faces two counts of murder and possible life imprisonment or worse, the community mourns a vibrant family torn apart and grapples with the terrifying reality that some keys—literal and metaphorical—should never have been kept.