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True Crime Today | Daily True Crime News & Interviews

Tepe Double Murder: How Prosecutors Plan to Prove Dr. Michael McKee Committed Premeditated Execution

True Crime Today | Daily True Crime News & Interviews

Tony Brueski

True Crime, News, News Commentary

4.2612 Ratings

🗓️ 23 January 2026

⏱️ 18 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Monique Tepe and Richard Tepe were shot to death in their Columbus home while their children slept nearby. Eleven days later, police say they found the murder weapon in the Chicago apartment of Monique's ex-husband—Dr. Michael McKee. Now McKee faces two counts of aggravated murder, and prosecutors appear to be building a case for premeditated execution. But how do you prove premeditation when the divorce happened eight years before the killings? When there are no eyewitnesses? When the defendant is a board-certified surgeon with no criminal history who presents well in front of a jury? 

Today on True Crime Today, former felony prosecutor Eric Faddis breaks down exactly what the state needs to establish to convict Michael McKee. Faddis worked first-degree murder cases in the Special Victims Unit and has tried over 45 jury trials—he knows how prosecutors think and what evidence they prioritize. We're examining the forensic ballistics, McKee's alleged false alibi, the reported stalking behavior days before the murders, and the family testimony describing a pattern of emotional abuse with no police reports to back it up. The prosecution's theory is coming into focus. Eric Faddis shows us how they'll present it to a jury and what could make or break this case.

#TepeMurders #MichaelMcKee #MoniqueTepe #RichardTepe #TrueCrimeToday #EricFaddis #Premeditation #AggravatedMurder #OhioMurder #TrueCrime

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Transcript

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0:00.0

This is Hidden Killers Live with Tony Brewski, Stacey Cole, and Todd Michaels.

0:10.4

Michael McKee was a vascular surgeon with no criminal record, who allegedly drove 300 miles from Chicago to Columbus to execute his ex-wife and her husband while their two children slept nearby.

0:24.3

The merits lasted seven months. The divorce was finalized in 2017. Police say they found the

0:29.0

murder weapon in McKee's penthouse about 11 days after the killings. He's now facing two counts

0:34.7

of aggravated murder. Charges that could put him away for life without parole.

0:39.9

So what does the prosecution need to prove?

0:43.3

And how do they do it when there are no eyewitnesses?

0:45.5

And the defendant is a smart, successful doctor who's never been in trouble.

0:49.8

Joining us, Eric Fattis, defense attorney, former prosecutor to help us break all this down.

0:57.0

From a legal perspective, let's start looking at all this from the prosecution standpoint.

1:03.4

McKee was initially charged with the murder. Then it was upgraded to aggravated murder.

1:08.7

What are we talking about here? What kind of specific elements are going into place when prosecutors upgrade the verbiage there?

1:15.6

And obviously the severity of the crime to aggravated.

1:19.6

What is that signal on how they're framing this case, Eric?

1:22.6

Sure.

1:23.6

So the original murder charge required the prosecution prove that this was an intentional

1:28.6

killing, that he caused the deaths of two people, and that he did that willfully. The aggravation

1:34.6

comes with this added element of prior calculation and design. Some jurisdictions call it premeditation.

1:42.2

It's essentially that he planned this out, that he took measures to build up to this,

1:49.2

and he knew what he was doing and it happened over a period of time.

1:53.2

And on top of that, there's also kind of a firearm enhancer because a firearm was used in the deaths.

1:58.4

And so that's what really ups the ante in terms of the aggravated murder is the prior calculation

...

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