Tepe Murders: Defense Attorney Explains How Michael McKee Could Create Reasonable Doubt
True Crime Today | Daily True Crime News & Interviews
Tony Brueski
4.2 • 612 Ratings
🗓️ 23 January 2026
⏱️ 13 minutes
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Summary
The prosecution's case against Michael McKee looks overwhelming—until you examine it from the defense table. Yes, police say they found the murder weapon in his apartment. Yes, his alibi reportedly failed. Yes, family members describe an obsession with his ex-wife Monique Tepe that lasted eight years after their divorce. But McKee's defense team sees opportunities prosecutors don't want to acknowledge. Today on True Crime Today, criminal defense attorney Eric Faddis breaks down exactly how McKee's attorneys might attack the state's case in the Tepe double murder.
Faddis is a former felony prosecutor who switched sides and has tried 45+ jury trials—he knows how to find the cracks that create reasonable doubt. We examine the chain of custody issues with a weapon recovered 300 miles from the crime scene, the search warrant challenges that could suppress key evidence, and the difficulty of securing a conviction when no eyewitness places the defendant at the scene. McKee reportedly talked to police before invoking his right to remain silent—can those statements be suppressed or recontextualized? How does defense counter the prosecution's "cold, calculating killer" narrative? Could diminished capacity reframe the entire case? And what happens if prosecutors seek the death penalty in Ohio? Eric Faddis maps out the defense playbook.
#TepeMurders #MichaelMcKee #MoniqueTepe #RichardTepe #TrueCrimeToday #DefenseStrategy #EricFaddis #ReasonableDoubt #CriminalDefense #MurderTrial
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is Hidden Killers Live with Tony Bruske, Stacey Cole, and Todd Michaels. |
| 0:09.1 | Michael McKee has hired a defense attorney and is expected to plead not guilty to two counts of aggravated murder. |
| 0:15.3 | On paper, the case against him, it looks strong. |
| 0:18.5 | Alleged murder weapon in his apartment, shell casing match, a false failed |
| 0:23.0 | alibi, an eight-year obsession with his ex-wife. These are the allegations, but trials aren't |
| 0:28.3 | won on paper. McKee is highly educated, is highly educated, professional has resources, and his defense |
| 0:36.4 | team will be looking for every crack in the prosecution's case. |
| 0:40.5 | Former prosecutor Eric Fattis is with us to continue breaking this down. |
| 0:45.9 | So from a defense standpoint when you look at this thing, if you're presented with this |
| 0:51.7 | and you're retained to defend Michael McKee, what's the first thing you'd attack in the prosecution's case? |
| 0:56.3 | And where do you see the most exploitable weaknesses here? |
| 1:00.8 | You know, at least at this juncture with the information that's publicly available, I haven't seen a ton of evidence regarding motive. |
| 1:10.6 | I've heard reports that there may have been ongoing contact between McKee and Monique, |
| 1:15.2 | but I just haven't seen the content of those alleged interactions. |
| 1:19.3 | You got to look at Motive. |
| 1:20.4 | Did he have a reason to do this? |
| 1:22.1 | There was a divorce nearly a decade ago. |
| 1:24.9 | Most people don't hold on to that so tightly such that they're willing to kill somebody 10 years later. |
| 1:31.6 | On top of that, you got to look at the ballistics, you got to look at the crime scene information. |
| 1:35.3 | There was no signs of forced entry. |
| 1:38.0 | And so does that give rise to a possible alternative suspect? |
| 1:41.4 | Someone the family may have known who had access to the house. |
... |
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