The Illinois surgeon accused of fatally shooting his ex-wife and her husband in their Columbus home will be sent back to Ohio to face murder charges.
Michael David McKee, 39, waived extradition at an Illinois hearing Monday, the Rockford Register reported, meaning he will be sent back to Franklin County, Ohio, where he allegedly gunned down Monique and Spencer Tepe in the early hours of Dec. 30.
He was arrested in Illinois on Sunday for the grisly murders — which left the Tepes’ young children orphaned — and was charged with two counts of aggravated murder in Ohio.
The extradition decision came at McKee’s first hearing since his arrest. McKee remained silent in handcuffs and a yellow prison jumpsuit throughout the hearing Monday, while his public defender attorney said he intended to plead not guilty.
He is expected to be transported to Ohio this week.
McKee, a vascular surgeon, was cuffed nearly two weeks after the Tepes were found dead from gunshot wounds in their Columbus home. Neighbors called police after hearing their kids — 4 and 1 — crying inside. Both children were mercifully unharmed.
The grisly attack left Ohioans baffled, as there were no signs of forced entry and no indication that anybody would want to harm the happy couple — who were about to celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary.
But a person was seen on surveillance footage walking near the home around the time of the murders — between 2 and 5 a.m. — while a car also seen at the scene was allegedly traced to McKee in Rockford, Illinois.
McKee worked as a vascular surgeon in the Rockford area, and was briefly married to Monique for under two years before divorcing in 2017.
But the separation was apparently amicable, according to court documents, and no motivation for the alleged murder has been disclosed by police yet.
Monique married Spencer, a dentist, in 2020 and had their first child soon after.
McKee could face life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted.
