The Tepe Murders: The Case Against Michael McKee

If something in this episode sounds familiar—not from a case file, but from your own life—that recognition is the first step.

According to witnesses closest to Monique Tepe, her seven-month marriage to Michael McKee allegedly progressed from overwhelming devotion to death threats, strangulation, and forced sex. There is not a single police report. No restraining order. No documented complaint. From the outside, this looked like a short marriage between a surgeon and a yoga instructor that simply didn't work out.

That's coercive control working exactly as designed.

This educational series uses the...

Spencer mentored kids through Big Brothers Big Sisters. Monique was described as a devoted mother by everyone who knew her. They went to football games. They celebrated birthdays. They built a home. And Monique did all of it while carrying years of alleged fear from her previous marriage to Michael McKee.

She didn't wait for the fear to leave before she started living. She built alongside it. That's not denial. That's defiance.

The final episode of our 5-part series is about what she built — and what every survivor builds when they refuse to let the ab...

Spencer married Monique knowing she was afraid. According to family members, she talked about being terrified of her ex-husband for years. He took that on. He lived in the house that allegedly became a surveillance target. He loved someone whose nervous system never stopped scanning for danger.

This episode examines the aftermath of coercive control — the PTSD, the hypervigilance, the December 6th moment when Monique allegedly sensed McKee at her home from 200 miles away. We speak directly to the partners and families of survivors — the people who inherit the fear alongside the person they love. The ones who...

She recognized it fast. She got out fast. She filed for divorce. She moved. She did everything right. And according to prosecutors, it wasn't enough.

This episode takes on the question that every survivor dreads and every outsider asks: "Why didn't she just leave?" We dismantle each assumption behind it. The financial traps. The custody threats. The restraining orders that don't restrain. The trauma bonding that operates like addiction. The credibility gap. And the legal system that waits for the worst thing to happen before it acts.

Research consistently shows that separation is the highest-risk...

The McKee-Tepe relationship looked normal from the outside. Photos. Events. Friends. A medical student and a young professional building a life. Then, allegedly, seven months of living together revealed something the courtship had concealed.

This episode maps how coercive control escalates — from love bombing to monitoring, from charm to cage. We trace the McKee-Tepe timeline and break down why the early phase of an abusive relationship feels like the best thing that ever happened to you, and why the transition to control happens so gradually you don't feel the walls going up.

You didn't miss th...

"At least he doesn't hit me." That's what millions of people tell themselves to survive another day inside a relationship that's slowly dismantling who they are. No bruises means it's not abuse. No police report means it's not real. No one on the outside can see it — so maybe you're the problem.

You're not the problem.

According to witnesses, the abuse Monique Tepe allegedly survived during her seven-month marriage to Michael McKee left no physical evidence. It left something harder to see — and harder to escape. This episode defines coercive control through the lens of the...

Monique Tepe left her marriage to Michael McKee after approximately seven months. The divorce was finalized in June 2017. According to friends and family who spoke with investigators, the marriage allegedly involved strangulation, sexual violence, and death threats that continued after separation. An unsealed Franklin County affidavit states McKee told Monique he could kill her at any time, would find her and buy the house next to hers, and that she would always be his wife.

Monique rebuilt. She married Dr. Spencer Tepe in December 2020. They had two children and made a home in Columbus's Weinland Park neighborhood...

Everything investigators have been building is now on paper. The affidavit in the Michael McKee case has been unsealed and the Franklin County Coroner has released full autopsy reports for Spencer and Monique Tepe. The evidence spans eight years of alleged obsession and ends with sixteen gunshot wounds in a bedroom where two children slept feet away. Spencer was struck seven times. Monique was struck nine times. Both had defensive wounds on their hands and arms — evidence they were awake and fighting when the shooting started. A full magazine was discharged. Every round fired. The violence was contained to th...

Former FBI Special Agent Robin Dreeke—Chief of the Bureau's Counterintelligence Behavioral Analysis Program—delivers comprehensive behavioral analysis on the McKee/Tepe double homicide and the Nancy Guthrie abduction in this full interview.

The McKee/Tepe autopsy findings are brutal. Monique Tepe shot nine times, including once in the face at close range. Spencer Tepe shot seven times, with defensive wounds to his hand and arm suggesting he tried to shield his wife in their final moments. A full magazine emptied while two children slept feet away.

Robin analyzes what the wound patterns reveal about Kevi...

The autopsy results are in. Spencer Tepe was shot seven times—including defensive wounds to his hand and arm that suggest he may have been trying to shield his wife in their final moments. Monique Tepe was shot nine times, including once in the face at close range. Both were dead within seconds to minutes. The shooter emptied what appears to be a full magazine and walked out while two young children slept feet away.

Former FBI Special Agent Robin Dreeke—who served as Chief of the Bureau's Counterintelligence Behavioral Analysis Program—analyzes what these wound patterns reveal...

According to the unsealed affidavit, witnesses told investigators Michael McKee strangled Monique Tepe during their marriage, forced unwanted sex on her, and told her directly he could end her life whenever he wanted. She divorced him in 2017 after seven months. No police report. No protective order. She told friends and family she was afraid—then got up every morning and lived anyway.

That's the part of this case that doesn't make headlines. What does it cost to function—to work, to fall in love again, to marry Spencer, to raise two children—while carrying the knowledge that someon...

The evidence against Michael McKee looks damning. Surveillance footage allegedly linking his vehicle to the Columbus home where Spencer and Monique Tepe were found shot to death. A firearm from his Chicago condo matched through national ballistics databases. Witnesses describing years of alleged threats—that he could "kill her at any time," that Monique would "always be his wife." His phone going silent during the murder window.

Yet McKee pleaded not guilty. He waived extradition immediately. He waived his bail hearing while reserving future rights. Most people see surrender. Defense attorneys see something else.

Bob Mo...

For eight years after their divorce, witnesses say Michael McKee made threats to Monique Tepe. That he could kill her at any time. That she would always be his wife. That he'd find her wherever she went.

She didn't report them.

December 6th, 2025: Monique and Spencer Tepe are at the Big Ten Championship in Indianapolis. According to court documents, surveillance cameras captured McKee at their Columbus home that same day—walking through their yard while they were 300 miles away. Monique left the game at halftime, upset about something involving her ex-husband.

Three weeks la...

Monique Tepe told friends what Michael McKee said to her over the years. That he could kill her at any time. That she would always be his wife. That he'd find her and buy the house right next to hers.

Now Monique and Spencer Tepe are dead—sixteen gunshot wounds between them. Monique can't take the stand. But her friends can. And those three statements might be the most powerful evidence prosecutors have.

This episode examines both the investigation that caught McKee and the defense strategy that will try to keep Monique's words away from th...

The unsealed affidavit in the murders of Spencer and Monique Tepe exposes both the evidence and the alleged mindset behind the killings.

Witnesses told investigators that Michael McKee made three statements to Monique during and after their marriage: that he could "kill her at any time," that he would "find her and buy the house right next to her," and that "she will always be his wife." These words don't reflect heartbreak. They reflect ownership.

Surveillance allegedly captured McKee at the Tepes' Columbus home on December 7th, 2025—twenty-three days before the murders—while the couple was...

Defense attorney Eric Faddis provides comprehensive legal analysis on the McKee/Tepe murder case alongside coverage of the Nancy Guthrie kidnapping and Charity Beallis family deaths.

Spencer and Monique Tepe were shot to death December 30th in Liberty Township, Ohio. Michael McKee—Monique's ex-husband—is charged with aggravated murder. The unsealed affidavit documents what prosecutors describe as eight years of obsession: surveillance footage showing McKee in the Tepes' yard while they were away, stolen license plates tracked to his vehicle, witness statements describing years of threats, and a phone that went silent during the murder window. Firearm spec...

Spencer and Monique Tepe were shot to death in their Liberty Township, Ohio home on December 30th. Michael McKee—Monique's ex-husband—has been charged with aggravated murder. The unsealed affidavit documents what prosecutors describe as eight years of alleged obsession: surveillance footage, stolen plates, threats to kill, and digital silence during the murder window.

Defense attorney Eric Faddis breaks down the prosecution's case and where the defense might find vulnerabilities.

Surveillance footage is central. Cameras captured McKee walking through the Tepes' property on December 6th or 7th while Spencer and Monique were in Indianapolis for the...

Two cases. Two women who tried to survive. Two systems that failed them.

Monique Tepe allegedly carried the knowledge for eight years that her ex-husband had threatened to kill her. According to the unsealed affidavit, witnesses said Michael McKee strangled her during their seven-month marriage, forced unwanted sex, and told her he could end her life whenever he wanted. She divorced him in 2017. She never filed a public police report. She rebuilt — married Spencer, had two kids, built a life — while carrying that weight. On December 30th, she and Spencer were found dead in their Columbus home whil...

The autopsy reports are out. Spencer Tepe was shot seven times. Monique Tepe was shot nine times. Every single wound was to their upper bodies — chest, neck, face, arms, hands. Both had defensive wounds consistent with trying to protect themselves or each other. The trajectories tell a story of movement — they weren't standing still. They tried to escape. And whoever was shooting kept pulling the trigger until the gun was empty.

This is the most detailed breakdown of the Tepe autopsy findings and what they reveal about the final moments inside that Weinland Park bedroom. Three shots clus...

The evidence the state has presented is substantial: surveillance footage, a ballistics match through NIBIN, a cell phone that went dark during the murder window, and years of documented threats against Monique. Michael McKee pleaded not guilty anyway. He waived bail but reserved the right to revisit it — a calculated procedural move, not a concession.

Psychotherapist Shavaun Scott wrote "The Minds of Mass Killers" and has evaluated violent offenders for thirty years. She explains the psychology behind defendants who treat prosecution as competition. There's a profile. Bundy cross-examined witnesses about his own alleged murders. Peterson sat detached th...

The unsealed affidavit in the McKee case contains details that should have triggered intervention years before Monique and Spencer Tepe were killed. Witnesses told investigators Michael McKee strangled Monique during their marriage, forced unwanted sex, and told her he could end her life whenever he wanted. She divorced him in 2017 after just seven months. She told friends and family she was afraid. She never obtained a protective order.

Psychotherapist Shavaun Scott — a DV survivor herself whose ex-husband died by revenge suicide — explains why the question "why didn't she report" misses the point entirely. The system isn't built for...

Defense attorney Bob Motta examines the Brendan Banfield conviction in depth and analyzes the Michael McKee murder case — two cases raising serious questions about evidence, defense strategy, and what happens when juries make their decisions.

Brendan Banfield is going to prison for the rest of his life. The former IRS agent was convicted of aggravated murder after the jury believed the au pair's testimony over his. She got murder dropped to manslaughter and walked free the day she testified against him. The defense called her bought and paid for, hammered her credibility, showed the jury a witness wi...

Michael McKee has pleaded not guilty to two counts of aggravated murder in the shooting deaths of Spencer and Monique Tepe. Given what investigators have made public — surveillance footage, ballistics evidence, witness statements documenting years of alleged threats, and a cell phone that went dark during the murder window — that plea raises a critical question: What kind of mind fights when the evidence looks this strong?

Forensic psychologists have a term for defendants who treat overwhelming cases as intellectual challenges rather than moral reckonings: game players. These are individuals with narcissistic grandiosity and antisocial features who view othe...

Michael McKee has been arrested for the murders of Monique Tepe and her husband. The case against him looks strong — surveillance footage, phone records, witnesses who say Monique told them he'd threatened her for years. But defense attorney Bob Motta's job is to look at evidence the way a jury should, not the way the internet does.

Today we examine the McKee case through a defense lens. Not to argue he's innocent — that's for a courtroom to decide — but to understand what questions remain unanswered and what the prosecution still has to prove.

The surveillance footag...

Robin Dreeke, former head of the FBI's Counterintelligence Behavioral Analysis Program, delivers a comprehensive behavioral breakdown across three major cases — starting with the McKee-Tepe murders. The unsealed affidavit reveals eight years of alleged obsession: threats that he could "kill her at any time," promises to "buy the house right next to her," and surveillance of her property while she was at a football game three weeks before the December 30th killings. Robin explains the psychology of possessive violence and what the reconnaissance trip signals about premeditation. He also addresses the Ellen Greenberg case, where federal investigators have reportedly issued su...

Michael McKee allegedly thought he planned the perfect crime. The evidence tells a different story. This is a comprehensive breakdown of every step investigators say McKee took—and how each one became the thread that unraveled his alleged plan in just 11 days.

The reconnaissance: Surveillance video allegedly captured McKee entering the Tepe property on December 6th, 2025, while Spencer and Monique were at the Big Ten Championship game. He stayed for hours. He was filmed.

The vehicle: A silver SUV with a distinctive window sticker was tracked through neighborhood cameras. Stolen Ohio and Arizona plates didn't ma...

Robin Dreeke spent thirty years in the FBI, including running the Counterintelligence Behavioral Analysis Program. He's studied how obsessive individuals think, how they escalate, and what their words reveal about their intentions. Today he breaks down the Michael McKee case — the specific language in the alleged threats, the significance of the December 6th reconnaissance trip, and what the full behavioral pattern tells us about the man charged with killing Monique and Spencer Tepe. According to court documents, McKee told Monique he could "kill her at any time," that he would "find her and buy the house right next to he...

Former FBI Special Agent Jennifer Coffindaffer delivers a comprehensive analysis of two cases that expose how badly systems can fail.

First, the Michael McKee investigation — the surveillance footage, the NIBIN ballistics match, the multi-agency coordination that led to an arrest eleven days after Spencer and Monique Tepe were found dead. Then the behavioral profile: eight years of alleged death threats, strangulation, and pre-offense surveillance. Why did no one intervene?

Then the WSU lawsuit — the families of the Idaho Four have taken Washington State University to federal court, alleging 13 complaints about Bryan Kohberger were ignored. A prof...

Court documents paint a picture that extends far beyond December 30th, 2025. Michael McKee allegedly told Monique he could "kill her at any time," that he would "find her and buy the house right next to her," and that she would "always be his wife." Witnesses described strangulation and forced sex during their marriage. Surveillance footage allegedly captured him at her Columbus home three weeks before her murder — while she was 200 miles away at a football game.

The divorce was finalized in 2017. There's no record of criminal charges, restraining orders, or intervention in the eight years that followed. Th...

New court documents in the Spencer and Monique Tepe murder case reveal disturbing allegations about what Monique may have known before December 30th. According to the unsealed affidavit, witnesses told detectives that Michael McKee — Monique's ex-husband — allegedly threatened to kill her, told her she'd "always be his wife," and was captured on surveillance at her Columbus home while she was out of town. Friends say she left the Big Ten Championship game at halftime, upset about something involving McKee. Three weeks later, both she and Spencer were dead. Today we're asking the hard question: If she knew — why didn't she re...

Eleven days. That's how long it took investigators to go from discovering Spencer and Monique Tepe's bodies in their Columbus home to arresting Michael McKee 350 miles away in Rockford, Illinois. No eyewitnesses. No forced entry. A suspect who allegedly went completely dark on his cell phone during the murder window and used stolen license plates to avoid detection.

Former FBI Special Agent Jennifer Coffindaffer breaks down the investigation piece by piece. The surveillance footage analysis that identified McKee's vehicle. The NIBIN ballistics database that allegedly linked a gun found in his Chicago condo to the crime scene...

A newly unsealed affidavit reveals Michael McKee was at Spencer and Monique Tepe's Columbus home on December 6th, 2025—three weeks before prosecutors say he returned to murder them both. According to the Columbus Dispatch, video showed McKee going into the home and leaving "a few hours later" while the Tepes were 200 miles away at the Big Ten Championship game. WOSU reports he walked through the yard. Either way, Monique found out. She left the game at halftime, upset about something involving her ex-husband. Twenty-four days later, Spencer and Monique were found shot to death in their second-floor bedroom. The af...

Two children lost their parents on December 30th. Over a thousand people attended the funeral for Monique Tepe and her husband Dr. Spencer Tepe. And the man accused of making them orphans just hired Columbus's most formidable defense attorney. Michael McKee pleaded not guilty Friday to four counts of aggravated murder. His attorney, Diane Menashe, spoke for him. Menashe is the 27-year veteran who walked Dr. William Husel out of a Columbus courtroom after fourteen murder charges. Every single count. Not guilty. She called one witness. She also kept cop-killer Quentin Smith off death row. That's who McKee hired...

Michael McKee faces four counts of aggravated murder in the deaths of Monique Tepe and Dr. Spencer Tepe. The evidence prosecutors have described is substantial—ballistic analysis allegedly linking a firearm from his property to shell casings at the scene, surveillance footage reportedly tracking his movements, and a firearm suppressor. Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant called the December 30th killings a "targeted" and "domestic violence related attack." The couple was found shot to death in their Columbus home while their two young children, ages four and one, were discovered unharmed inside. McKee pleaded not guilty at his January 23rd ar...

Michael McKee faces four counts of aggravated murder in the deaths of Monique Tepe and Dr. Spencer Tepe—charges carrying life without parole. The evidence against him is reportedly overwhelming: ballistic matches linking a firearm from his property to shell casings at the scene, vehicle surveillance tracking his 300-mile drive from Chicago to Columbus, a confirmed ID as the figure in alley footage near the Tepe home, and a firearm suppressor that screams premeditation. Eleven days after the killings, investigators say they recovered the murder weapon. So what defense options does McKee actually have? Former felony prosecutor Eric Faddis sp...

Defense attorney and former prosecutor Eric Faddis delivers a complete breakdown of the Michael McKee murder case—prosecution evidence, defense strategy, and where it could all fall apart—plus analysis of the Kouri Richins trial chaos in Utah.

On McKee: The affidavit details surveillance footage allegedly placing McKee at the Monique and Spencer Tepe property three weeks before the murders. Witnesses describe years of death threats. Stolen license plates. A cell phone that went dark. Vehicle tracking. Eric examines the prosecution's strongest evidence and identifies what he'd build the case around if he were lead prosecutor.

Th...

The unsealed affidavit in the Spencer and Monique Tepe murder case reveals disturbing details about how Michael McKee allegedly planned and executed the December 30 killings. And when you compare the alleged methods to what we know about Bryan Kohberger's Idaho murders, a pattern emerges—one that tells us something important about how educated killers think and why they still get caught.

According to the affidavit, McKee's phone showed no activity for 17 hours during the murder window. It sat at St. Anthony's Hospital in Rockford, Illinois, while police say he drove 325 miles to Columbus, killed his ex-wife and he...

Michael McKee has entered his not guilty plea. Now his defense team faces the task of dismantling a prosecution case built on surveillance footage, witness statements, stolen plates, cell phone data, and vehicle tracking. Defense attorney and former prosecutor Eric Faddis provides a comprehensive analysis of the defense strategy in the murders of Monique Tepe and Spencer Tepe.

Eric explains why McKee waived his bail hearing—a calculated decision that reveals how the defense is approaching this case from day one. The real fight happens in pretrial motions, and Eric walks through what we should expect.

...

The affidavit is public. The evidence is laid out. Now it's time to understand what prosecutors actually have against Michael McKee in the murders of Monique Tepe and Spencer Tepe.

Defense attorney and former prosecutor Eric Faddis provides an in-depth analysis of the prosecution's case. We examine every major piece of evidence: the surveillance footage allegedly showing McKee at the Tepe property on December 7th while Monique and Spencer were at the Big Ten Championship game. The witness statements describing years of alleged death threats. The stolen license plates from Ohio and Arizona. The cell phone that...

The Franklin County affidavit in the Spencer and Monique Tepe murder case has been unsealed, and it contains the most detailed account yet of what investigators believe happened—and why.

According to the documents, witnesses told investigators that Michael McKee made three specific statements to Monique: that he could "kill her at any time," that he would "find her and buy the house right next to her," and that "she will always be his wife." The divorce was finalized in June 2017. The alleged murders occurred in December 2025. That's eight and a half years during which, according to wi...