Hidden True Crime - He Had Been There Before - Unsealed Affidavit Reveals Horrifying Details | Monique and Spencer Tepe

Episode Date: January 29, 2026

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from the very beginning. This is big. Here at Hidden True Crime, we've obtained a newly unsealed affidavit in the murders of Monique and Spencer Teppi. And what's laid out in this sworn court document doesn't just confirm some of the most disturbing rumors that have been circulating for weeks. It goes much further than anyone expected. Today, we're going to walk through this affidavit line by line because inside it, our allegations, of prior abuse, explicit threats, surveillance that places Michael at the home weeks before the murders, and evidence that investigators are arguing points to significant planning, significant prep leading up to the night Monique and Spencer were killed.

So first, I want to read directly from the affidavit, and then we will break it down. It says, quote, complainant being duly sworn states that the the above-named defendant Michael McKee at Franklin County, Columbus, Ohio, on or about the 30th day of December 2025, did purposely, with prior calculation and design, caused the death of another, Monique and Spencer Tepe, by means of shooting the victims multiple times with a firearm. Summary statement of facts in support of probable cause on December 30th, 2025 at 9.57 a.m., Columbus Police Patrol officers were dispatched to 1411 North 4th Street on a check on the well-being of Dr. Spencer Tepey who had not shown up to work. Well, officers arrived and found

Dr. Tepe and his wife, Monique Tepe, deceased inside suffering from gunshot wounds. Two minor children were found inside the home unharmed. And I want to add, physically unharmed there, but I'll continue. Columbus Fire Medic 7 responded and pronounced both victims deceased at 10.11. AM. Columbus Police Homicide Unit Team, too, was advised, responded and initiated an investigation, and early on in the investigation detectives were advised by identifiable family and friends of Monique Tepey that Monique told them her ex-husband, Dr. Michael D. McKee, had been abusive and had made numerous threats on her life during and after their marriage. Monique Tepe had shared allegations against Michael McKee of forced unwanted sex and strangulation. Another identifiable

witness told detectives that Michael D. McKee had told Monique that he could kill her at any time and that he would find her and by the house right next door to her and that she would always be his wife. Chilling. During the investigation, detectives were able to identify a suspect through neighborhood video surveillance. And this suspect was tracked to a vehicle that arrived just prior to the homicides and left shortly after. Video of this vehicle and its very distinct features allow detectives to identify both a stolen Ohio license plate and an Arizona license plate being displayed at different times. Further searches show this vehicle was associated with a past address of Michael McKee,

as well as his current work address in Rockford, Illinois. Additional video showed McKee in possession of the vehicle prior to and after the homicides. Detective has also recovered video of the same suspect entering the curtilage of 1411 North 4th Street on December 6, 2025. Kurtage. Put a pin in that. We're going to talk about that word. And they then saw this same suspect exiting a few hours later while the TEPI's were. away. On January 9th, 2026, detectives seized the silver SUV

bearing the Arizona temporary tag from the lot at St. Anthony's Hospital in Rockford, Illinois, where Michael McKee works. Detectives noticed fresh scrape marks on the window where a sticker, which had been on the vehicle prior to the homicides, had been

hastily removed. And during the time of the homicide, Michael McKee's phone had been left at his job in Rockford, Illinois, and showed no activity for approximately 17 hours on December 29th, 2025, until afternoon on December 30th, 2025. Someone may have left their phone behind. And more recently, while Monique and Spencer Tepe were at the Big Ten championship game in Indiana on December 6th, 2025. So just a few weeks before the murders, they were with several other couples.

Monique went back to her hotel room early in the second half. And when identifiable friends asked Spencer why Monique had left the game, he told them that she was upset about something involving her ex-husband and was going back to the hotel, end quote. Okay, let's pause here because that is a lot to unpack. First, let's go back to that term curtilage really quickly here, because it matters a lot here, and it's not. a word that's used in everyday lingo oftentimes.

Curlidge is the area immediately surrounding a home. So in other words, the yard, the driveway, the porch, basically anywhere the residents have a reasonable expectation of privacy. And the affidavit says Michael allegedly entered the curtilage on December 6th while the tepies were out of state. He didn't just drive past. He didn't just glance at the house and drive by it. He was there for hours. That is terrifying. Imagine someone standing on your property inside your yard

when you're hundreds of miles away. And if this is true, it suggests absolute planning. Michael may have most likely been studying the layout of the home, checking entrances and exits, noting security cameras, and figuring out how to move through the property without being seen. I mean, that's not random. That's premeditation. That's someone that didn't just like break one night. That's someone plotting. That's someone laying the ground work for something terrible. And then there's a history of abuse and threats that we just heard about straight from an affidavit. Monique had confided two friends and family that Michael was indeed abusive and that he had forced unwanted sex and, even strangled her. And then add in the explicit threats that he could kill her at any time and that he would buy the house next door and that she would always be his wife. That's not obsessive. We can see clearly a pattern of obsession, control, and escalating danger, someone that wasn't letting go. These weren't vague offhand comments and they didn't end in divorce clearly. They were specific,

targeted threats meant to intimidate and terrify Monique. And now the phone evidence makes this even creepier. Michael allegedly left his phone at his workplace in Illinois for 17 hours, including during the estimated time of the murders. That's not an accident. That's not an oops, left my phone at home for 17 hours. Prosecutors likely see this as a deliberate attempt to create an alibi to make it seem like you could not have been in Columbus, right? Because there's my phone sitting still for 17

hours. And then there's Monique leaving the Big Ten championship game early at that time on December 6th. It might have seemed like a small detail. Just one of those things people notice and move on from. But in light of this affidavit, it's chilling because Spencer reportedly told friends that she was upset about what? Something involving her ex-husband. But we still don't know if Michael actually reached out that day or if something else triggered her decision. I'm very curious as to what that could have been on December 6th. The Teppies had, though, at least one camera near their front door, and it's easy to imagine Monique may be catching a glimpse of someone she didn't expect to see. Did she notice Michael near their home? And if she had, my thing she would call the police,

but given the history of threats and abuse, coercive control, we don't know how she and Spencer may have planned to handle it, if they even felt safe-clined the police at that moment. Maybe she was being warned from afar. Maybe he was sending messages. Or maybe she didn't even realize how close he actually was. Was she feeling unsafe? Did she see something on a security camera?

Did she receive a text? We don't know yet. What we do know, though, is that this was, was a moment that hints at the fear and the unease that Monique was living with just weeks before that tragic night and years after her divorce. She was still stressed out about her ex-husband. Let's be honest. Buying cannabis shouldn't be complicated, sketchy, or low quality. That's why I want to tell you about mood.com. That's M-O-O-O-D-com. Mood ships federally legal cannabis straight to your door. No medical card, no hassle. And here's the kicker. The quality is better

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multiple plates switching between a stolen Ohio plate and an Arizona plate at different times, almost like he was taking a page out of Ashley Buzzard's playbook, another case we've covered here. And then on top of that, he scraped off a sticker that had been on the car, leaving fresh marks like he was trying to erase, trying to erase almost any trace of it, right? You can almost picture him thinking through every little step, trying to cover his tracks and throw anyone off his trail. Every detail, though, screams premeditation. It doesn't really take us off his trail. It kind of makes a see, oh, there's his trail. Let's put a spotlight on his trail.

screams premeditation, a conscious effort to plan this sick crime while minimizing any chance of being caught. And all of this, let's talk about this, all of this, the surveillance, the curtilage entry, the phone inactivity, the threats, it builds this sort of solid narrative of forethought and preparation that reinforces the prosecution's argument. This wasn't a random or impulsive act, but a calculated plan carried out with chilling precision. So next, let's circle back to what happened in court last week, the arraignment, the not guilty plea, and why the judge now assigned to this case matters more than people might realize. So Michael appeared briefly in Franklin County Common Pleas Court via Zoom.

He entered a not guilty plea through his attorney, Diane Manashy, who also waived bond, which means Michael agreed to remain in jail for now, without even asking the judge to consider releasing him. Nashy did say that they reserved the right to request bond at a later date, but for this hearing, they didn't even try. And that tells us two things. The defense knows how serious and heavy the evidence is, and there was likely no realistic argument for release at this stage.

So as of right now, Michael McKee remains locked up in the Franklin County Jail. No bond at this time. The hearing itself was incredibly short. No arguments, no emotion. Just a not guilty plea, which, hey, that's more than what's happened in the Nick Reiner case so far. So we do have a plea, not guilty. And then there was paperwork and actually a lot of silence.

Let's take a look. Thank you. Your parents call your first case, please. Good afternoon, Your Honor, Stephen Chott, Dan Lender, Shale of favor for the state. First case before the court, state of Ohio versus Michael McKee. It's 26 CR 253.

There are five counts. Four counts of aggravated murder, unclassified felonies, one count of aggravated burglary, felony one. Each of these counts come with a three and a six-year firearm specification. Thank you, Cassel, please make your parents. Thank you, Your Honor. Diane Manash, on behalf of

Michael McKee. Thank you. Your Honor, with respect to the allegations, we would acknowledge receipt, waive reading, enter not guilty pleas to all counts contain their end. We would also waive bond at this time, although we certainly reserve the right to raise that at a later date. The plea of not guilty form has been executed and signed on behalf of my client. Nothing further. Thank you. I've signed the not guilty plea. I'm signing the bond form indicating that bond has been waived. Anything further? Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Case, please.

And only hours later, another huge decision was made behind the scenes. After Michael's arraignment paperwork was filed, the case was sent through a random judicial assignment process, and Judge Kim Brown was selected to preside over the trial. This is not a rookie judge, not even close. Judge Brown has been on the bench since 2013 is currently the presiding judge of Franklin County Common Pleas Court. and has a reputation for being no nonsense, for being highly prepared, for being efficient. She's a U.S. Naval Reserve veteran and served during Operation Desert Storm.

Before becoming a judge, she worked primarily in civil litigation. She's been reelected multiple times, most recently in 2024, and so she won't be up again until 2030. Local attorneys rate her extremely high. In a Columbus Bar Association survey, she scored above four out of five in every category. And those categories are objectivity, temperament, legal knowledge, sentencing, and timeliness. And this part, to me, is important. Judge Brown has handled multiple homicide cases and is in the top third of judges when it comes to how quickly cases move through her courtroom. She's known for not letting things drag on unnecessarily.

Just last year, she sentenced a man who admitted to killing a complete stranger to life in prison without parole. So this is a judge who understands complex cases, homicide cases, and doesn't seem to be too rattled by graphic evidence, doesn't seem to be swayed by theatrics, given the volume of forensic, digital, and surveillance evidence that's already been described in this case, that will likely make a difference here. And next, I just, again, I want to talk about something just as important as court proceedings, actually more important than the court proceedings.

The voices of the family and the heartbreaking reminder of who Spencer and Monique were beyond this horrific tragedy. As overwhelming as the legal updates are, the families of Spencer and Monique are living this in real time. And now another loved one has chosen to speak out publicly. Gina Spinali, who identified herself as Rob Mesla's sister, posted in one of the Spencer and Monique Tepe Facebook groups. She said she normally stays quiet but felt compelled to say something, especially as the case moves into a much darker phase. She wrote, and I'm going to quote this here, Rob's sister here, cheering only because

this group has been particularly kind. I unfollowed all the rest. That being said, just wanted to pass along. The next few weeks, months, years are going to get very ugly, end quote. That line alone says so much. The family, they know what's coming. They know that motions are on their way. Evidence, they're going to have to see it. The public scrutiny, that the they're going to have to deal with, they're clearly preparing to brace themselves. But then she shifts, Gina shifts, the focus. She said she wanted to share the Uncle Spencer she knew, not the victim in a court case, but the person who brought light into their lives.

She talked about his warmth, his kindness, and she shared a photo of him holding her daughter on her first birthday. And then she ended with this powerful reminder. She said, quote, when we talk about how disgusting Lego head, fuck boy, piece of shit Michael McKee is, please, please never forget how good are Spencer and Moe were, end quote. That's it. That's the heart of this case because it's easy, honestly, to almost unavoidably get consumed. by the details, the dark threats, the surveillance footage, the gruesome details, the timelines,

the nitty-grittiness of this case. But at the center of all of this are two people who were deeply loved, who are building a life together, a beautiful life, I might add, and whose children now have to grow up without them. And as this case moves forward, things are going to get uglier. Even the family clearly knows that. And the evidence will get more detailed. The courtroom battles, they will certainly get louder and they will receive more publicity on the headlines will continue coming. But Spencer and Monique were always more than Michael McKee's victims. They were parents, siblings, and friends, and they mattered. And so I just want to end with this. and in all sincerity, may justice be served.

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