Columbus police have recovered a gun they believe was used in the deaths of a Weinland Park couple, Chief Elaine Bryant said during an update on the case Jan. 14.
Bryant, speaking to the media, said police believe they have the man responsible for the Dec. 30 deaths of Monique Tepe, 39, and Spencer Tepe, 37, in custody.
The Tepes were found dead inside their home on the 1400 block of North 4th Street after Spencer Tepe didn’t show up for work at the dentistry office in Athens where he practiced.
Bryant said police traced a vehicle seen on surveillance cameras in the area of the Tepe home shortly before the homicides and leaving shortly after to Monique’s ex-husband, Michael David McKee. That vehicle was found in Rockford, Illinois, where McKee, 39, practiced medicine.
He was arrested near a fast-food restaurant in Rockford on Jan. 10.
During the Jan. 14 briefing, Bryant confirmed McKee is believed to be the person in the Jan. 5 surveillance video released by Columbus police.
See video of ‘person if interest’ in Weinland Park, Columbus homicide
Columbus police released footage of a man, who they described as a “person of interest,” seen near the home where a Weinland Park couple was killed.
Police searched McKee’s Chicago condo and found additional evidence, including multiple firearms, Bryant said. One of those weapons has been preliminarily matched through ballistic databases with evidence from the homicide scene.
McKee invoked his rights and did not speak with detectives after his arrest, police said.
On Jan. 14, Bryant said police could not yet comment on the potential motive for the deaths but did say the killings were a “targeted attack” connected to domestic violence. Bryant would not comment about what level of contact, if any, McKee had with the Tepes. She did say police had no previous reports about concerns of stalking or threats filed by the Tepes.
McKee is charged with murder and aggravated murder in Franklin County Municipal Court in connection with the homicides. He is currently being held in Winnebago County, Illinois, awaiting extradition to Ohio.
A timeline for when McKee might first appear in Franklin County is not yet known.
Reporter Bethany Bruner can be reached at [email protected].
