NEIGHBOR TALKS ABOUT DR. MICHAEL MCKEE- “HE DID NOT SEEM LIKE SOMEBODY THAT WOULD DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS.”
NEIGHBOR TALKS ABOUT DR. MICHAEL MCKEE- “HE DID NOT SEEM LIKE SOMEBODY THAT WOULD DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS.”
Michael David McKee, a vascular surgeon, was arrested Saturday in Rockford, Illinois, and is accused of fatally shooting his ex-wife, Monique Tepe, and her husband, Dr. Spencer Tepe. The couple was found dead inside their four-bedroom Columbus, Ohio, home on Dec. 30. Their two young children were left unharmed.
One neighbor, Gera-Lind Kolarik, said McKee never raised any red flags during their time living in the same upscale Lincoln Park apartment building.
“He did not seem like somebody that would do something like this,” Kolarik told ABC 7 Chicago. “You never know. You meet people everywhere, and you don’t know if they’re a serial killer.”
Kolarik described their interactions as casual and friendly, often limited to small talk around the building. She recalled chatting with McKee during social moments, including conversations by the pool and while barbecuing.
“I sat down with this man and talked with him at the pool, barbecuing, about what a beautiful day it is, and then he turns out to be a killer,” she said. “It’s kind of shocking.”
BACKSTORY:
Spencer Tepe, 37, and his wife, Monique Tepe, 39, were discovered dead Tuesday inside their home near Weiland Park after Columbus police conducted a welfare check requested by a family friend. Their two young children were found inside the home unharmed but crying.
Police said Spencer Tepe, who worked at Athens Dental Depot, suffered multiple gunshot wounds, while Monique Tepe was shot at least once in the chest. Investigators reported no signs of forced entry and said no firearm was recovered at the scene.
The welfare check was initiated after Tepe failed to show up for work, which raised immediate concern among his colleagues. His boss, Dr. Mark Valrose, told dispatchers that Tepe’s absence was highly unusual.
“He is always on time and he would contact us if there was any issues,” Valrose said. “This is very, very concerning. This is very out of character for him.”
Several coworkers went to Tepe’s home Tuesday morning and urged police to conduct a welfare check after hearing children crying inside. Around 10 a.m., one of Tepe’s friends reported seeing his body inside the residence near a bed.
“There is a body inside,” the caller told dispatchers. “Our friend wasn’t answering his phone. We just did a wellness check. We just came here, and he appears dead.”
Officers arrived shortly after and confirmed the deaths as a double homicide. The children were not injured and were removed from the home, police said.
On January 10, Monique Tepe’s ex-husband, Dr. Michael David McKee, was arrested and charged with two counts of murder. He and Monique had been briefly married from 2015-2017. Police were able to identify him through a vehicle they spotted on surveillance footage.
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