Family 'quickly believed' surgeon ex was involved in Ohio dentist couple's murder as co-worker details mishaps

CHICAGO, Ill. – The ex-husband of the Ohio dentist’s wife, charged successful the couple’s murders, spent astir a decennary aft their divorcement moving from occupation to occupation crossed the country, with a erstwhile coworker saying a stint successful Nevada marked the commencement of a "downward spiral" that preceded the alleged killings.

Michael David McKee, 39, was arrested aft allegedly sidesplitting a mates successful Columbus, Ohio, according to records. Police officers responded to a location located successful Columbus' Weinland Park vicinity astir 10 a.m. Dec. 30 and recovered Spencer Tepe, 37, and Monique Tepe, 39, some dormant with gunshot wounds. 

McKee is Monique's ex-husband. Rob Misleh, Spencer's brother-in-law, told NBC News that their household "quickly believed" that McKee was someway progressive successful their deaths.

"He was an emotionally abusive idiosyncratic erstwhile they were together, that is each I know," Misleh said.

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Michael Mckee is charged with the murders of Spencer and Monique Tepe. McKee appeared successful tribunal connected Monday afternoon. (Rob Misleh and WIFR via Pool)

McKee was booked astatine the Winnebago County Sheriff's Office successful Illinois conscionable earlier noon Saturday, jailhouse records show. He's facing upgraded premeditated aggravated execution charges successful Ohio successful narration to Spencer and Monique's deaths.

Divorce records obtained by Fox News Digital amusement that McKee and Monique got joined connected Aug. 22, 2015, and separated by March 2016, with the matrimony lasting 7 months. According to the archetypal divorcement ailment filed by Monique, she and McKee were "incompatible." By March 2016, Monique and McKee were surviving separately. The mates had nary children during their abbreviated marriage.

At the time, McKee was successful the process of completing his residency astatine the Virginia Tech Carilion Clinic making $51,000 successful 2016, records show. They owned a location successful Roanoke, Virginia, which had an estimated worth of $219,500. McKee owned a 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee and a 2007 Jeep Patriot Limited, portion Monique owned a 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee and a 2008 Toyota Rav 4.

Financial records included by Monique successful her divorcement filing indicated the mates hadn't yet opened a associated slope account. Monique indicated that she didn't cognize however overmuch wealth McKee had successful his slope account. Monique wrote "unknown" arsenic the worth of respective of his fiscal accounts, stocks and status plan, indicating she didn't cognize their value.

According to the separation agreement, "Differences person arisen betwixt [the couple] and they are present surviving abstracted and isolated from each other." Monique and McKee kept astir of their idiosyncratic assets, including slope accounts, and divided idiosyncratic spot to their "mutual satisfaction," the records show. McKee kept possession of the house, which was successful his name.

Here's a timeline of McKee's enactment history, according to records and sources:

2005 to 2009: Undergraduate pupil astatine Ohio State University.

2009 to 2014: Studied to gain his aesculapian grade astatine Ohio State University.

2014 to 2015: General country internship astatine Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.

2015 to 2020: General country internship astatine Virginia Tech Carilion Clinic.

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Michael McKee appears successful tribunal astatine Winnebago County Justice Center, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, Rockford, Illinois. McKee is facing extradition to Ohio for the execution of his ex-wife Monique Tepe and her husband, Spencer Tepe. (WIFR via Pool)

2020 to 2022: Vascular country fellowship astatine University of Maryland Medical Center.

2022 to 2025: Was licensed successful respective states, including California, Nevada and Illinois. From 2023 to 2024, helium worked arsenic a vascular surgeon astatine Las Vegas Surgical Associates.

2025 to 2026: Vascular surgeon astatine OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center successful Rockford, Illinois.

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Mourners depart a visitation work for Monique and Spencer Tepe successful Upper Arlington, Ohio, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2026. The mates were recovered murdered successful their Coulumbus location connected Dec. 30. (Derek Shook for Fox News Digital)

According to a root who has worked with McKee who spoke with Fox News Digital, the vascular surgeon had "basically nary experience" earlier helium was hired astatine Las Vegas Surgical Associates. The root said McKee's "downward spiral" began aft a bid of alleged surgical mishaps, 1 of which was elaborate successful a suit filed successful Nevada.

"He was ever nice, helium was ever benignant and you know, helium wasn't ever 1 of those that has these similar affectional outbursts oregon thing similar that wrong the operating country oregon erstwhile helium gets into a stressful situation," the root said of McKee. 

The root added that it was "reckless" for those astir McKee to proceed allowing him to execute high-risk surgeries knowing his limitations.

"Why are you letting a feline that's a twelvemonth and a fractional retired of fellowship, 2 years, escaped rein to bash these brainsick cases? How travel there's cipher putting a halt saying, ‘what are you reasoning of doing?’" the root said.

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Spencer and Monique Tepe are pictured connected their wedding day. (Rob Misleh)

Charging documents bespeak constabulary were capable to place McKee by linking him to a car that arrived successful the Tepes' vicinity soon earlier the murders and near conscionable aft the homicide. The car was past located successful Rockford, Illinois, and constabulary recovered grounds it belonged to McKee.

The mates was killed 1 period abbreviated of celebrating their five-year wedding anniversary, Misleh told WSYX.