An ex-FBI agent has suggested that years of unresolved resentment may have played a role in the brutal slaying of an Ohio dentist and his wife.
Spencer Tepe, 37, and his wife Monique Tepe, 39, were found gunned down inside their Columbus home on December 30, just two weeks after celebrating their fifth wedding anniversary.
Their two young children, a 4-year-old daughter and a 1-year-old son were discovered unharmed inside the residence.
An ex-FBI agent pointed to long-term resentment as a potential factor in the case
Former FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer told NewsNation that the timing of the chilling crime stood out immediately.
“They were married for such a brief time,” she said, adding that the crime was likely not the result of a sudden emotional trigger, but rather “a deep-seated resentment and hate that just built up and finally came to this conclusion.”
Monique had previously been married to Michael McKee, a 39-year-old vascular surgeon from Chicago. Their marriage lasted two years before ending in divorce in 2017, which court records described as amicable, according to the New York Post. They have no children together.
Monique later married Spencer Tepe on December 13, 2020, according to the couple’s obituary.
Police have not publicly confirmed a motive, though Coffindaffer emphasized that cases involving former partners often involve long-simmering emotions that can resurface later.
Details of the potential crime suggest a deliberate plot that was planned out for a long time
According to authorities, the crime occurred between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. in the upstairs of the Tepe family’s home. No firearm was recovered at the scene, and there were no signs of forced entry.
Surveillance footage released by authorities showed a “person of interest” walking down an alley near the home around the time of the attack.
Coffindaffer speculated that the suspect may have carefully planned the crime, including staking out the home and learning the layout of the house.
“They had staked out the location well. It was also very clear they knew where the camera locations were because they evaded a lot of camera coverage, it would seem,” she said.
Interestingly enough, investigators later tracked a vehicle that was seen arriving shortly before the homicides and leaving for Rockford, Illinois afterward.
McKee’s vehicle trail ultimately led to his arrest after an 11-day manhunt
Charging documents stated that the vehicle in question was later traced back toward Illinois and eventually located near McKee’s workplace in Rockford, roughly 325 miles from Columbus.
Police said the car belonged to McKee, who has held medical licenses in both Illinois and California and lived in multiple states since 2020. Public records showed that he also lived in Virginia, Nevada, and Illinois.
McKee was arrested after an 11-day manhunt and is scheduled to appear in an Illinois court ahead of a potential extradition to Ohio so he could face m*rder charges.
Authorities have stated that the delay between the crime and the arrest allowed investigators to gather extensive evidence, but it has also raised questions about what may have happened in the days that followed the slayings.
Former prosecutor Matt Murphy told NewsNation that investigators are now sorting through “an avalanche of evidence,” as noted in an NY Post report.
He noted that while the suspect had time to potentially cover his tracks, that does not guarantee a flawless crime. “This guy was a vascular surgeon, right? So he’s heard of DNA before. He’s got 11 days to clean things,” Murphy said.
“But also for the vast majority of murders, it is the killer’s first rodeo. If you think about anything you’ve done for the first time, and you think about all the mistakes, especially this is what’s known as a double. Actually, it’s a domestic violence, double homicide.”
Murphy suggested that forensic evidence, including footprints outside the home and possible gunshot residue on footwear, could play a critical role in the case. He added that any items recovered would likely be examined closely for traces that could link a suspect to the scene.
Despite the arrest, police have not officially released a motive, stating that the investigation remains active.
Relatives of the Tepes, for their part, have told investigators they “all expected” McKee to be arrested. Authorities, however, have emphasized that there are no convictions in the case as of yet.
Netizens shared their thoughts about the Tepes’ slayings on social media
