At a Glance
- Spencer Tepe, 37, and wife Monique Tepe, 39, were found slain in their Columbus home on Dec. 30
- Their children, ages 3 and 1, were in a nearby room and physically unharmed
- Michael David McKee, 39, Monique’s ex-husband from a brief marriage 10 years ago, has been indicted on aggravated murder and burglary charges
- Why it matters: The targeted domestic-violence related attack has devastated the family, leaving Madeleine Tepe Misleh, Spencer’s sister, to cherish their final Christmas together playing Mario Kart, a callback to their Nintendo 64 childhood
Madeleine Tepe Misleh’s last memory of her older brother Spencer Tepe is a quiet Christmas moment: he beamed at the princess dresses she had sewn for his 3-year-old daughter, Emilia. Less than a week later, Spencer and his wife Monique were found dead in their Columbus, Ohio home. Their two young children were discovered physically unharmed in an adjacent room.
The Final Christmas
On Christmas day, the siblings revisited one of their favorite childhood traditions.
“We grew up playing Nintendo 64, and we were playing Mario Kart, and Spencer and Monique got a Nintendo Switch for Christmas,” Misleh, 35, told News Of Los Angeles. “So the last night I was with them, we were all playing Mario Kart. It was a full circle moment.”
The evening ended with an exchange of gifts: controllers swapped for electric toothbrushes, a detail that still makes her laugh.
“My brother has always been one of my biggest fans,” she said, “[and] one of the biggest fans of my art, so he was always proud.”
The Arrest
On Jan. 10, police arrested Michael David McKee, 39, in Rockford, Illinois, near his workplace. He is being held at the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office while awaiting extradition to Ohio.
Court records show McKee was briefly married to Monique more than a decade ago. A Franklin County grand jury has indicted him on two counts of aggravated murder and one count of burglary.
Through a public defender, McKee told an Illinois judge he plans to plead not guilty to the murder charges.
Columbus police have not released a motive but describe the killings as both “domestic-violence related” and “targeted.”
A Brother Remembered
Misleh, two years younger than Spencer, describes her brother as perpetually in motion.
“Spencer was always involved, he was always in a club,” she said. “Always pushing the limits – everywhere.”
During dental school at Ohio State University, Spencer practiced on his sister, fitting her for Invisalign aligners. She made the two-hour trip to Columbus regularly so he could hone his skills.
His decade-long mentorship of a local boy became another cornerstone of his life. The mentee, whom Spencer guided from first grade through high-school graduation, attended Spencer’s 2017 dental school graduation.
Friends and family struggle to reconcile the vivacious couple they knew with the violence that ended their lives. Neighbors recalled the Tepes as “madly in love,” often walking their dog together through their Clintonville neighborhood.
Timeline of Events
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Dec. 25, 2024 | Spencer and Monique celebrate Christmas with Madeleine, play Mario Kart, and receive handmade princess dresses for Emilia |
| Dec. 30, 2024 | Couple found slain in their home; their 3-year-old and 1-year-old found unharmed in nearby room |
| Jan. 10, 2025 | Michael David McKee arrested in Rockford, Illinois; charged with aggravated murder and burglary |
Holding On to Memories
Nearly three weeks after the killings, Misleh clings to the small moments: Spencer’s pride in her sewing, the sound of his laugh during a heated Mario Kart race, the easy rhythm of siblings who have known each other since childhood.
She replays their last night together, how the new Nintendo Switch bridged decades of memories, from the Nintendo 64 they shared as kids to the gift they unwrapped together on Christmas morning.
“It was a full circle moment,” she repeated, a phrase that now carries the weight of finality.
Key Takeaways
- Spencer and Monique Tepe were killed in a targeted attack on Dec. 30, leaving their two toddlers physically unharmed
- Michael David McKee, Monique’s ex-husband from a marriage that ended over 10 years ago, faces two counts of aggravated murder
- Madeleine Tepe Misleh treasures her final Christmas with her brother, replaying their shared love of Mario Kart and his enthusiasm for her handmade gifts
- Columbus police continue to investigate the domestic-violence related homicides while McKee awaits extradition from Illinois
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
