EERIE DOOR-BANGING RIDDLE IN MURDERS OF DENTIST & WIFE @ HOME, TOT KIDS ASLEEP

Summary

Crime Stories with Nancy Grace

Episode: EERIE DOOR-BANGING RIDDLE IN MURDERS OF DENTIST & WIFE @ HOME, TOT KIDS ASLEEP
Date: January 9, 2026

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Overview

Nancy Grace and her expert panel investigate the shocking double homicide of Dr. Spencer Tepe, a dentist, and his wife, Monique, found murdered in their Columbus, Ohio home while their two young children were asleep upstairs. The episode delves into the perplexing circumstances of the crime—including an earlier, strange door-banging incident in the neighborhood, the flood of 911 calls that led to the discovery, possible motives, forensics, and the crucial evidence being examined. The team debates law enforcement response, forensic possibilities, and whether the case points to someone known to the victims.

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Key Topics, Insights & Segment Highlights

1. Timeline and Discovery of the Crime

• Repeated 911 Calls and Police Response

  • Multiple concerned colleagues and friends called 911 after Dr. Spencer Tepe did not show up at work and neither he nor Monique could be reached.
  • Initial police response was limited; officers knocked but left after receiving no answer.
  • Increasingly distressed friends and coworkers persisted, one eventually reporting hearing children inside:
    • “I can hear kids inside and I swear I think I heard one yell but we can’t get in.” (07:57)

• Critical Moments

  • The harrowing discovery:
    • “There’s a body. There’s a body inside.” (12:28)
  • Nancy criticizes the dispatchers' reportedly complacent or dismissive tone despite the situation’s urgency.

Notable Quotes

• Nancy Grace:
  • “I’m extremely put off by the 911 dispatcher...The dispatch officer just really was just too busy doing her nails.” (05:28–09:03)
• Tom Smith (Former NYPD):
  • "She seemed annoyed that she was getting more and more calls about this, which is a complete wrong thing to be doing..." (04:58)

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2. Victims, Crime Scene, and Early Theories

• Who Were the Victims?

  • Dr. Spencer Tepe: dentist, described as reliable and beloved by colleagues.
  • Monique Tepe: equally dependable, mother to two young children (ages 1 and 4).

• Crime Scene Details

  • Both adults found dead with apparent gunshot wounds; no weapon located, ruling out murder-suicide.
  • Children found physically unharmed, as was the family dog.
  • Details on wounds:
    • Spencer shot twice, Monique once. Three shell casings found (18:33).

• No Signs of Forced Entry

  • Investigators note no forced entry, suggesting either the victims knew the perpetrator or the killer had access (24:01).

Notable Quotes

• Susan Hendricks:
  • “Spencer was shot twice, Monique once. Does that mean that Spencer was the target?...Those are the key questions.” (18:33)

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3. 911 Dispatcher Performance and Community Response

• Criticism of Dispatcher Handling

  • The panel repeatedly returns to what they describe as inadequate urgency and empathy from 911 dispatchers.
  • Multiple missed opportunities: officers sent away, dismissive responses to worried callers—even when children were heard inside.

• The Trauma for Civilians

  • The emotional toll on friends and colleagues forced to discover the bodies themselves is discussed:
    • "That's a shock to see a dead body for the first time to many people..." (14:00)

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4. Forensic Focus: Casings, DNA, and Gun Evidence

• Forensic Pathology and Ballistics
  • Three spent casings left behind—a point Tom Smith flags as unusual for a professional hit (19:44).
  • DNA and fingerprints can be recovered from casings if not handled properly:
    • “You could leave a fingerprint, a very viable fingerprint on those casings while you're loading the weapon.” (20:20–21:03)
  • Unique marks from the firearm (firing pin, extractor, ejector) can tie casings to a specific weapon (21:13).

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5. Surveillance Video & The 'Eerie Door-Banging' Mystery

• Nighttime Surveillance Video

  • Police release video of a figure in light pants and a dark hoodie walking through an alley behind the Tepe home between 2–5am, aligning with the estimated window of the murders (24:01–27:12).

  • Panelists debate whether the person is the killer, with attention to body language suggesting familiarity and possible attempts to avoid cameras.

  • Quote:

    • “He intentionally gets spooked by something and makes a dramatic change in his walk. He covers his face even more and kind of leans away...So either...he realizes there’s a camera or...someone walking near him spooks him...” (29:47, Tom Smith)

• Echoes of Other Cases

  • Comparisons to the Delphi bridge murders and Missy Bevers’ case—both with video evidence but needing local knowledge and careful analysis (25:25).

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6. The Door-Banging Incident Eleven Days Prior

• Mysterious Attempted Entry

  • 11 days before the murders, a neighbor reported someone aggressively banging on multiple doors around 2:30am.

  • The dispatcher again took a passive approach, advising only to call back if things escalated (32:10, 33:08).

  • The panel believes this could be a vital lead or pattern rather than a random event.

  • Quote:

    • “You've got someone going to a female victim's home trying to get into multiple doors and it's around the same time frame...that could be probative.” (34:31, Nancy Grace)

• Is It Connected?

  • Debate over whether this incident was a failed or aborted attempt at entry by the same perpetrator (33:50–35:25).
  • Missed opportunity for police intervention, possibly preventing later violence.

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7. Domestic Dispute Call—Red Herring or Clue?

• Past 911 Call from the Residence

  • Previously, a 911 call was traced to the home, ostensibly involving a woman distressed after an argument (38:36).

  • Family members claim it was not Monique, but possibly a party guest; the incident was believed unrelated (39:47–40:11).

  • Quote:

    • “They like to have parties, people over. And it was apparently...a woman who was at that party made the call...that it wasn’t Monique and it had nothing to do with them.” (39:47, Susan Hendricks)

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8. Forensic and Investigative Next Steps

• What Can Be Learned Forensically

  • Pathology experts highlight importance of wound analysis: caliber, distance, position, and trajectory will provide key reconstruction clues (43:31).

  • The absence of forced entry points investigators toward someone the victims likely trusted—or someone with a code or key (45:17).

  • Children and dog were left unharmed, possibly suggesting the killer wasn’t a typical home invader or had a specific target.

  • Quote:

    • “This was in my mind an absolute targeted hit...and it's going to take the background check of both of their pasts, their social media accounts, their relationships...” (45:17, Tom Smith)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• First distress call & 911 response: 02:39–04:37
• Dispatchers criticized for lack of urgency: 04:37–09:03
• Civilians hear children inside: 06:56–07:56
• Body discovered & calls escalate: 12:21–13:18
• Forensic/ballistics discussion (casings & DNA): 19:44–22:15
• Surveillance video examination: 24:37–27:12, 29:47
• Eerie door-banging incident call: 32:10–33:08
• Panel debates “connection” to prior incident: 33:50–36:03
• Domestic dispute call addressed: 38:36–40:23
• Forensic analysis advice: 43:31–45:17

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• Nancy Grace (about the lack of forced entry & murder-suicide possibility):

  • “No weapon was found on the scene. No forced entry...It is not believed at this hour to be a murder suicide...” (01:03)

• Susan Hendricks (on timeline oddity):

  • “He’s what, less than an hour late to work and someone’s calling 911 for a wellness check. To me that stands out. It truly does.” (09:03)

• Tom Smith (casings as clue):

  • “A professional is going to take the casings with him. The fact that they’re left there is just someone who did what they wanted to do...” (19:44)

• Nancy Grace (on the crucial clue):

  • “No forced entry...that is concerning. So they either let themselves in because they knew the passcode because they've been at that residence before...” (45:17)

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Summary & Open Questions

• The murders appear targeted, not random or a murder-suicide, with clues pointing toward someone with access or familiarity.
• Critical evidence includes ballistic forensics and DNA/fingerprints on shell casings.
• The prior door-banging incident and the absence of forced entry are highlighted as potentially crucial.
• The case is unresolved, with Nancy and her panel appealing for public tips and forensically driven breakthroughs.

If you have any information, please contact Columbus Police at 614-645-2286.

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Transcript

[911 Dispatcher]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Nancy Grace]

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[Susan Hendricks]

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[Nancy Grace]

Crime stories with Nancy Grace. The mystery deepens with an eerie door banging riddle. Is it connected to the murders of a young dentist and his wife in their own home? They're taught children asleep upstairs. It is not believed at this hour to be a murder suicide. No weapon was found on the scene. No forced entry. Who would murder a husband and wife in their own home around Christmas, leaving their children, their tots upstairs to come down the next morning and find mommy and daddy dead? I'm Nancy Grace. This is Crime Stories. I want to thank you for being with us.

[Dave Mack]

An Ohio couple known for loving life, making memories, and constantly laughing with their family and friends. A home once filled with joy becomes the scene of an early morning tragedy.

[Nancy Grace]

What happened to a young dentist and his wife, both found dead in their home? Joining me, an all star panel. But what is really baffling on top of that, another layer is this eerie door banging riddle that occurred before the murders at a neighbor's house. Now, you've got to stick with these 911 calls because everybody and their brother was calling 911 about the dentist not showing up to work and the wife not picking up the phone. Police go to the scene but see nothing.

[911 Dispatcher]

Listen, I guess I would like to ask for a wellness check on an individual at their home. This individual, Spencer, works with me and he did not show up to work this morning and we cannot get a hold of him or his family. He is always on time and he would contact us if there was any issues whatsoever. And he. I just don't know how to say this like we're very, very concerned because this is very out of character and we can't get in touch with his wife, which is probably the more concerning thing.

[Dave Mack]

When Dr. Spencer Tepe doesn't show up for work at Athens Dental Depot in Columbus, Ohio, coworkers are so shocked, they call their boss, the owner of Athens Dental, Dr. Mark Valrose. Valrose is on vacation in Florida. But Spencer not showing up is so unusual, co workers felt the need to let Valrose know. Valrose tries to contact Spencer and failing at that, Tepe's wife, Monique, as she is even more predictable than her husband. Unable to reach either tempe, Valrose calls 911 in Columbus, Ohio at 9:03am requesting a wellness check.

[Nancy Grace]

So immediately the 911 calls start pouring in where co workers are asking for a welfare check. And let me tell you, I'm extremely put off by the 911 dispatcher. You're going to hear that in a moment. So the calls pouring in. Here's another one.

[911 Dispatcher]

What's the emergency there? Our boss did not report to work. We haven't been able to get a hold of him for three hours. We are on site and we can hear. Okay, I just talked to somebody there. Okay, I'm just making sure somebody called.

[Dave Mack]

Live at the tepe residence at 9:22am Officers knock on the front door multiple times but get no response. Checking the door and windows, officers see no sign of disturbance at the back door, Officers again knock multiple times. No response. Repeating the process, officers fail to get a response and file the report in their logbook. No response.

[Nancy Grace]

Straight out to Tom Smith. Joining me, former NYPD detective, 30 years, narcotics robbery, gang homicide, anti terrorism task force, now costar of the Gold Shield podcast. What is wrong with the 911 operator? I mean that just stopped me in my tracks when I hear that.

[Tom Smith]

Yeah, it's very disturbing because she's not taking it seriously. And you should take every call seriously, especially when you have numerous calls about the same thing from different people. That means they're on alert and they're concerned and she should show that and be getting the proper response to that location quickly and as she possibly can. And she seemed annoyed that she was getting more and more calls about this, which is a complete wrong thing to be doing in a situation like this. Nance?

[Nancy Grace]

Yeah, you've got someone calling in upset. The woman sounds like she's on the verge of tears and dispatch says, well, I just talked to somebody about that. Like what's the woman supposed to do about that? I just find it very off putting and reminds me of the dispatch officer who needs to be fired in The CO Burger case. Listen to this.

[911 Dispatcher]

Tell me exactly what's going on. One of our. One of the roommates has passed out and she was drunk last night and she don't wake me up. Okay. Oh and they saw some man in their house last night. Yikes. Hi, this is and are you with the patient? Okay, I need someone to keep the phone, stop passing it around. Can I just tell you what happened? Pretty much what is going on currently? Is someone passed out right now? I don't really know but pretty much at 4am Okay I need to know what's going on right now. If someone has passed out, can you find that out?

[Nancy Grace]

She cut off Dylan Mortensen. No they're not passed out woman. They're all dead. Brian Kohberger murdered them. And that's just the tip of the iceberg with that dispatch officer right there that we were just playing in the Coburger case. I've heard it over and over and over again but that's a whole nother can of worms. Okay, so all these 911 calls are coming in. The dentist hasn't shown up. The dentist hasn't shown up. Why are they that upset about a teeth cleaning or a cavity being filled? Lets listen to more.

[Dave Mack]

A co worker of Spencer goes to the Tepe Residence and calls 911 explaining Tepe is her boss and they haven't been able to get a hold of him. The caller tries to tell dispatch they can hear kids inside but the dispatcher talks over the caller telling her I just talked to somebody there. The distraught co worker apologizes saying she was just making sure someone called.

[911 Dispatcher]

Okay, we do have officers responding their do know if he's been ill or anything like that? No, no, I was just yesterday guys.

[Nancy Grace]

It gets worse. I haven't even gotten to the two dead bodies and the children screaming because the 911 dispatch is not taking this seriously with all these calls coming in. Keep listening.

[911 Dispatcher]

What's the emergency there? Police or medical? Maybe both I guess. I don't know. I'm kind of doing the. Well they had a call out there. They knocked on the front door and back door multiple times and there was no answer. Yeah, no answer. I can hear kids inside and I swear I think I heard one yell but we can't get in.

[Dave Mack]

One of Spencer's friends goes to the Tepe home and calls 911 at 9:57am Dispatch tells the friend officers have already been to the location and knocked on doors and got no answer. The friend says yeah, no answer. I can hear kids Inside. And I think I heard one yell explaining how he hasn't been able to get inside the house.

[Nancy Grace]

Straight out to investigative reporter, journalist, author of down the My Descent into the Double Murder in Delphi. You know her well, Susan Hendricks. Susan, thank you for being with us. So I'm not sure. I'm just playing a selection of 911 calls to dispatch who's getting more and more PO'd. That's a Latin phrase from law school. And they're like, we sent somebody, they. And they left, nobody answered. But then you've got neighbors and co workers now all walking around the house and they hear a child screaming inside. And the dispatch officer just really was just too busy doing her nails.

[Susan Hendricks]

Absolutely, Nancy. You could hear it in her voice and her pauses. Even. I was listening to all the 911 calls and she's thinking, he's just late for work. She has a preconceived notion about what's going on here. But the first call is what is a bit odd to me. It came in around 8:58. The office opens at 8:00am Spencer lives about 73 miles from work. So if you put the timeline together, he's what, less than an hour late to work and someone's calling 911 for a wellness check. To me that stands out. It truly does.

[Nancy Grace]

Well, wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute. Susan Hendricks. It would be like me going to court. Yeah, court starts at 9 o'.

[Dave Mack]

Clock.

[Nancy Grace]

But I've got to get together 150 brand new files for arraignment, plea deals, you name it. Have everything ready before I walk in that courtroom. So I wouldn't expect him to just run in the door wearing a cape and having a drill in his hand. I would imagine that that is based on him typically getting there before the first appointment. What do you think about that?

[Susan Hendricks]

Absolutely. But during that first call, it's the boss in Florida. Why didn't he think, I don't know, maybe it's a car accident. The roads were icy. He just went straight to wellness check because the 911 officer said, have you heard about anything about an accident? Is there any sort of illness here? Again, an attitude with the 911 operator, no doubt, but also strange to me. And that's based on my experiences. If my sister called and said, you're not here, we called for a wellness check, I'd say, well, calling around to friends instead of the accident, he didn't say, oh, maybe he did get in a car accident. And he also mentioned the wife he found it quote unquote, even more strange that she wasn't answering. Something seems off to me. Maybe not, but obviously it's something they're looking into.

[Nancy Grace]

I see what you're saying, but I'm wondering if he tried the male victim, the dentist on the phone. No answer. He's, let's just say an hour late. If he gets there early and has coffee and gets ready for the first appointment. And I'm guessing the mom would typically have been at home with the children in this scenario. Yeah, I see what you're saying. And it cannot be discounted. It can't. Right now my mind is stuck on the neighbors and the co workers walking all. They finally go to the home. Now remember, dispatch, while she's doing her nails, has just stated we sent somebody out there. They knocked on the door, nothing happened. Okay, listen to this.

[Dave Mack]

Another friend calls 911 and tells the dispatcher they haven't been able to get into the house and he thought he heard one of the children yelling. Other friends arrive at the tepe home as well as co workers who are walking around the house, some in the front, some in the back. 911 dispatch is receiving calls back to from the same address, each trying to get help for their friends, not knowing others were calling at the same time.

[Nancy Grace]

So when the calls are made, you hear dispatch again, I guess still doing her nails. State we sent somebody, they knocked, there was no answer. There's nothing to see. And then another call comes in.

[911 Dispatcher]

Listen, what's changed since the last person I talked to? There's a body. There's a body. There's a body inside. Yeah. Okay, hold on one second. Let me get you on the line with the medic. Okay, stay on the line. He appears dead.

[Nancy Grace]

So now the dispatch operator that was too busy doing her nails says, hello, what's changed since the last time somebody called that is so discourteous? And the guy says there's a body. Let's hear that one more time, please.

[911 Dispatcher]

What's changed since the last person I talked to? There's a body. There's a body. There's a body inside. Yeah. Okay, hold on one second. Let me get you on the line with the medic. Okay, stay on the line. He appears dead.

[Nancy Grace]

There's a body inside. Wow, talk about egg on her face. Let's hear the rest of that 911.

[911 Dispatcher]

There's a body. Our friend wasn't answering his phone. We just took a wellness check. We just came here and he appears dead. Okay, his blood, he's laying next to his bed, off of his bedroom. There's blood. I can get closer to more than that. Okay. You can tell he's obviously not breathing or anything. Yeah, yeah. Is it like kind of like, like, like, you know, does he look like. It doesn't. I can't look.

[Dave Mack]

Okay.

[911 Dispatcher]

All right. Understand.

[Nancy Grace]

Yeah. Dispatch just quietly goes away. You know, I'm just thinking about what these friends and co workers go through after they discover a body. I don't know about you, Tom Smith, but I remember the first time I went to a homicide scene. For some reason it did not affect me, but I've seen rookie cops actually vomit the first time they go to a scene. And here's a civilian, they've been calling and calling and calling, trying to get help, getting pooh poohed by dispatch until she asked, well, what's different this time, yo? And the guy says, there's a dead body, my friend is dead. And then she quietly just disappears off the call. That's a shock. That is a shock to see a dead body for the first time to many people, much less someone you work with.

[Tom Smith]

Oh, absolutely. It's as traumatic as you can get, especially when they're already stressed out about what might be going on with these two. Now you add on actually finding, you know, him initially and him being dead, not only it is a traumatic scene to see a dead body, but like you said, Nancy, it is their friend that they were worried about. So all their just nightmares just came true in one instance.

[Nancy Grace]

To Dr. Priya Banerjee joining us, special guest, board certified forensic pathologist, anatomic pathologist at Anchor forensic pathology consulting. Dr. Priya, thank you for being with us. We why does the medic ask a civilian friend, is it like puddles? You know, does he look like. Why is he asking a civilian that?

[Susan Hendricks]

I think just to try to get some sense of what's going on. You know, it's such a shock. And I just want to address your point. You and I have both seen deceased people, but when you are a layperson and then it's your friend, I think it's abhorrent to say, oh, what's different now? I mean, that's just shocking. And I think from a first responder.

[Nancy Grace]

Perspective, it's just trying to assess the situation.

[Susan Hendricks]

Like, you know, is he breathing? Is it, how much blood is there? How much, you know, how long have they been dead?

[Nancy Grace]

Basically?

[Susan Hendricks]

How much blood is it clotted? I think. Anything to give them some information.

[Nancy Grace]

Joining us now, Derek Smith, veteran criminal defense attorney. You can find [e-mail] Derek I have found that playing a 911 call is more probative, more convincing than any argument a prosecutor or a defense attorney can make. Of course, now I don't know why we're even talking about a jury. We don't even have the idea of the perp. Although I'm about to show you video of a male figure walking in the area at that time. And then there's that eerie door banging mystery. What do you make of the 911 call? How hard is it to get that into evidence?

[Derek Smith]

Oh, 911 calls are typical in the majority of criminal defense cases. You know, unless it's a traffic stop, generally there's an emergency situation, a victim's calling out for help or a bystander or witness. And it's very important to the defense of a client, especially a client that has not done anything. You can get a lot of value out of a 911 call. Those are people in the moment. An emergency is either ongoing or has just happened. A crime has just occurred. What they're saying is in evidentiary terms is an excited utterance. So in, in evidentiary terms, those are allowed into evidence because it's, it's something that's happening right, right now in the heat of the moment. And we get that into evidence to either prove or disprove any kind of an allegation. And in this situation, there, there's multiple 911 calls. There's a lot of probative value in these calls, Nancy.

[Nancy Grace]

Guys, we're showing you video of the wedding of the two victims. They were just about to celebrate their first five year anniversary. Listen.

[Dave Mack]

At 10:11am Police officers are back at the Tepe residence, securing the crime scene. Two adult victims suffering apparent gunshot wounds are located. And medic personnel pronounced Spencer and Monique Tepe dead minutes after arriving on scene. Three bullet casings are found, but no gun is immediately located. The couple has two children, ages 4 and 1, who are found unharmed.

[Nancy Grace]

That video is from Rob Misla on YouTube. Straight back out to Susan Hendricks, investigative reporter and author. Tell me about the wounds to the bodies. It's going to tell me a lot, Nancy.

[Susan Hendricks]

The murder weapon was a gun. Spencer was shot twice, Monique once. Does that mean that Spencer was the target? I'm sure investigators are looking into that. Was someone after Spencer? Was anyone in his life angry at him? And why? Those are the key questions.

[Nancy Grace]

You know, I need to know more though, Susan Hendricks. And you're right. Normally the victim with the most gunshot wounds is the Victim. Although Tom Smith, veteran nypd, now star of Gold Shields podcast, Tom, it could have been equally likely a scenario of they shoot her, she's the target, and then he comes running in and they shoot him twice because he's the bigger threat. I need to know where the bodies are and I need to know, is it point blank, is it at a distance? But the casings were found on the scene. I believe three casings. What does that tell you, Tom? No weapon. And that's why they're saying it's not a murder suicide, because how can you shoot the spouse and shoot yourself and the weapon, what, walk out the front door? So it's not murder suicide. What do you make of the casings?

[Tom Smith]

Yeah, the casings are interesting because I don't think, you know, it's been speculated a couple of times that it's a professional hit. A professional is going to take the casings with him. The fact that they're left there is just someone who did what they wanted to do. And I do believe this was a targeted hit and then just got out of there when they could and didn't, weren't concerned about the casings. But the casings are so vitally important in this because of the DNA evidence from it.

[Nancy Grace]

Now, when you say DNA evidence, explain to everyone how we can get DNA off of a casing.

[Tom Smith]

Well, because in order to load a 9 millimeter, you need to push down on that round to put it into a magazine. So unless you're a real pro, looking at this, wearing latex gloves, and you just do it by hand, you could leave a fingerprint, a very viable fingerprint on those casings while you're loading the weapon.

[Nancy Grace]

Joining me right now is a military vet, sharpshooter Koa Lorimar. Koa, thanks for being with us. Very quickly, I want to follow up on what Tom Smith just said. Explain to me how. Show me how DNA can be be left on a casing when loading a gun, preferably a nine, but any gun.

[Tom Smith]

Well, Nancy, this right here is a 9 millimeter round. The top part is the bullet and the back part is the casing.

[Dave Mack]

Now, you can get DNA off this.

[Tom Smith]

Casing by fingerprints and sweat and whatever else they have on their hands when loading the weapon. So this is how you load magazine right here.

[Dave Mack]

And also there are certain marks that are left on the casing after the round is fired. Now, this is a pistol. A pistol that this round can be fired from. The bullet goes out the front and.

[Tom Smith]

The casing is ejected out of the side.

[Dave Mack]

Now, the Firing pin leaves a mark on the back of the casing which is unique to the weapon. Then the extractor leaves scratches on the.

[Tom Smith]

Casing which is also unique to the weapon.

[Dave Mack]

And the ejector leaves dents on the casing. Now, all these marks can be traced straight back to the weapon it's fired from. And that could link the suspect to.

[Tom Smith]

The gun, can also link the suspect to the casing based on the fingerprints they get off the casing itself.

[Nancy Grace]

Okay, I see what you're saying, Tom. Thank you.

[Susan Hendricks]

KOA.

[Nancy Grace]

Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. Back to this scenario. Also to Dr. Joni Johnston joining us, forensic psychologist, private investigator. She performs threat and risk assessments on violent offenders. And she's the author of Serial Killers 101 questions true crime fans ask, plus more. Dr. Joni I heard Susan Hendricks and she may be right, hypothesize that the male, the dentist, was the target because he had more gunshots, gunshot wounds. What do you make of that? I would agree with what Susan said.

[Susan Hendricks]

I mean, obviously we don't know many.

[Nancy Grace]

Facts about this case, but certainly the.

[Susan Hendricks]

Different level of violence that was inflicted upon the wife versus the dentist, I.

[Nancy Grace]

Think it's probably the most likely possibility at this point. Guys, two children in the home, which leads me to who, who would shoot these two dead? Doesn't sound like a pro to me. In the home in a very congested neighborhood, the houses are like this up and down, like two and three story, not wide but tall. And they're one after one after one after one after the next. So there's got to be ring doorbell cam. And I'm going to show you the video of who may be the perp. But listen to this.

[Dave Mack]

As investigators begin the search for a killer, they first discover there are no signs of forced entry. No weapon is recovered. Building a timeline of activity. They believe the murders happened between 2am and 5am with this information, law enforcement releases surveillance footage taken during the hours in question showing a person wearing light colored pants and a dark hoodie pulled over their head. Spencer and Monique Tepe are just days away from celebrating their fifth wedding anniversary when violence erupts inside the Columbus, Ohio home. Their children just feet away in the other room.

[Nancy Grace]

I mentioned earlier an eerie door banging incident. A real riddle is that the killer banging on a neighbor's door before the murders. But first, I want to show you the video that we have obtained. This could be the killer. Susan Hendricks, describe what are we seeing here? Why is this significant?

[Susan Hendricks]

I have to say, Nancy, that what appears to be a back Alley of sorts. And this is at, of course at odd time, 2 to 5am so is that the killer? And I thought back to Delphi when I heard people asking, do you know that gate? Do you know that walk? It appears he knows the area because you see him kind of ducking or maybe knowing there's a camera in the vicinity. Is that the guy? If it is, it looks like he knows where he's going.

[Nancy Grace]

Guys, you just heard Susan Hendricks bring up the Delphi double murders of Libby and Abby. Kidnapped off a trestle bridge and a little known area. You'd have to be a local to know it. It was. It's a big walking area for locals, densely forested. And he, the killer, Richard Allen, is caught on camp by one of the two little girls walking toward them. And you actually hear him on video saying, down the hill, down the hill. His gait was identifiable. He was identifiable to me. But there's also another case, the Missy Beavers murder case, which is still unsolved. She was at the Midlothian Church. Look at her killer. I fully believe it's her killer. A very odd gate. Slew footed in the left foot, left foot slew footed. And when you slow it down, you can see it even more. Very unusual gate. Could the killer be identified by the gate? Let's go back to the case in chief. The dentist and his wife gunned down children upstairs. Let's look at the guy again. Dave Mack joining me, Crime Stories, investigative reporter. Let's talk about the video. Susan's already told us it was between 2 and 5am and how does that jive with the time we believe the killings went down based on the timeline.

[Dave Mack]

That police have already created.

[911 Dispatcher]

Nancy, they say that they're talking about 2am to 5am as the time that this action took place inside the home.

[Dave Mack]

And that timetable we're looking at for.

[911 Dispatcher]

The guy walking in the alley is.

[Dave Mack]

During that time period.

[Nancy Grace]

I'm curious about the neighborhood. I don't see anybody else walking around between 2 and 5am See the person walking? It looks like people park their cars as you like. You pull in in front of the house, see on both sides of the street, I see cars parked in front of the homes. Like where you put your trash out right there on the street. They look to be condos or two, three story narrow homes. So why is he walking up and down in a residential area at 5 o', clock, 2 o' clock a.m. susan, what can you tell me about the neighborhood?

[Susan Hendricks]

I do know that there's only one bar in the Area that's open because Spencer's brother in law came out to say like hey, let's not jump to any conclusions. Maybe it is the murder, maybe it's not. And there is just one bar that's open at that time. So what was he there? I'm sure the investigators are going there to decide. It just seems odd, right? This street looks very different by the way, Nancy, as you stated, during the day, during normal hours, it appears he knew this, this route, knew what to do and planned it in my opinion.

[Nancy Grace]

So this is a residential area. Who is this guy walking up and down right near the home? It's obviously caught on ring cam. Looks to me like that's what that is. Dave Mack what, what can you tell me?

[911 Dispatcher]

Actually Nancy, the NEST video is captured behind the home. There's an alley. You mentioned how these homes are very close together and going straight up. Right? Well, this is actually behind the home.

[Dave Mack]

It's in an alleyway.

[911 Dispatcher]

And to what Ms. Hendrix just said a minute ago, somebody walking down that alley between 2am and 5am is going.

[Dave Mack]

To be very familiar with the neighborhood.

[911 Dispatcher]

To know where they are and where.

[Dave Mack]

They'Re going in that alleyway.

[Nancy Grace]

That neighborhood. Video from wsy xabc6. I'm so glad you told me that Dave Mack. I was trying to orient what am I seeing because it doesn't look like the daytime street view. And I lived on an alley like that in midtown Atlanta while I was a prosecutor. I never went in on the street side. I would always go in on the alley side. And you'd have to know that alley was there. So let me look at that video one more time. To Tom Smith joining me, former nypd, now starved gold shields. What can you glean from this?

[Tom Smith]

Yeah, Nancy, there's a couple of things that are very telling in this video. One, I truly believe he knows the area and here's why. If you look at the last frame of this video, he intentionally gets spooked by something and makes a dramatic change in his walk. He covers his face even more and kind of leans away towards the camera. So either one of two things happened at that moment. Either he realizes there's a camera in that area and who would know that, but someone familiar with that area, or there's someone walking near him that spooks him and he covers himself up a little more. So what investigators need to do is timestamp that video and put it out to the public to see if anyone else was in that area during that time and noticed this.

[Nancy Grace]

Right. Derek Smith Joining me, veteran trial lawyer, defense attorney Derek. It does look like he's trying to hide his face, much like Richard Allen did with the hoodie on. But you on cross exam with this would have a field day. Why, according to you, does it prove nothing?

[Derek Smith]

Because all we have is a video of a person walking in a public area. You know, he like, like the former or. I'm sorry, the prosecutor said earlier, the investigator, he may know where things are because he's looking down or he's just maybe coming from that local bar, he's just maybe got a little bit of a headache, a little bit of a buzz. Maybe he's tired. We're all jumping to conclusions here on this one video. And we could be just grasping at straws because I understand you have to have every little piece of evidence to move the investigation forward. But now we have this person who could be minding their own business. Now they're going to be harassed by media and law enforcement over something like this.

[Tom Smith]

All right, come on.

[Nancy Grace]

He actually wins cases like that, guys.

[Dave Mack]

Police find the couple shot on the second floor of the home. The children are physically unharmed, but Spencer Monique Tepe suffer multiple, multiple gunshot wounds. Both are pronounced dead. Turning into a double homicide investigation.

[Nancy Grace]

Tonight, new evidence of an eerie door banging riddle near the scene of the murder. How can that help me prove who committed the murder? First of all, let's hear that 911 call.

[911 Dispatcher]

That's the emergency. I'm always knocking on my door. Okay? Someone's saying in a knock in. Do you know who this is? No. Do you have a description of them? No, I can't see anything. Have you told them? Have you asked them what they want or if they need something? Okay, what's your name? I'm sorry, say it again. Does your phone number end in okay? All right, I've got to send up for someone banging and knocking on the door. If anything escalates or changes, give us a call back and let us know. We'll get officers there as soon as we can. All right, bye.

[Nancy Grace]

Does it never end with these dispatch officers? What does she want the victim to do? Go out and say, hi, come on in. By the way, what's your name and can I get a good ID on you right now? Completely. Completely not helpful. Let's take a listen to what she said very carefully. The woman says, they're smashing on my door. I think they're trying to get in. They're banging on my doors. Doors. More than one door. So to you, Susan Hendricks, investigative reporter, what does that tell you they're going from door to door trying to get in.

[Susan Hendricks]

I have so many questions about these 911 calls. Was that commonplace? Does that play into the attitude? No excuse though on that, but is it connected at all? Did the person who was banging on the door think it was Spencer's house? We don't know right now. You can explain away a lot of things. Can you explain everything away? So the banging on the door is concerning for me, Nancy. It's in that area and it happened just 11 days before the murders. To me that is frightening. But how many 911 calls come in of that of someone trying to break and enter? She said she didn't know the person. To me it feels like how could it not be connected? But maybe it's not.

[Nancy Grace]

Well, Also it's several 11 days before the dentist and his wife are murdered. It's right down the street from the murder scene. And Also it's around 2:30am so the comparisons are starting to add up. Two things coincident, three things. There's a pattern. Tom Smith. You've got the same neighborhood just a few houses down. You've got a little over a week ahead of time. You've got someone going to a female victim's home trying to get into multiple doors and it's around the same time frame between 2 and 5am that could be probative. What can it tell me? Does that mean that the killer is random, just trying to get into doors or is it nothing?

[Tom Smith]

But the problem, Nancy, is we'll never know. Because why wasn't a car or an officer dispatched to that job to identify that person, to find out who they are, why they're there, why you're banging on this door and might have prevented, if it is the same person and it is linked, prevented a double homicide. I don't understand why the dispatcher just blew it off and said, well, if they come back, call me again. Well, by that time, first of all, it could be too late and she can be dead. So I don't understand the whole dispatcher world in that area of just blowing these, these 911 calls off the way they did.

[Nancy Grace]

Straight back to Derek Smith, veteran trial lawyers. So Derek Smith, you've heard the caller dialing 911. I guess you don't think there's any connection between the eerie door banging riddle and the murders.

[Derek Smith]

You're telling me some people come to this house unexpectedly, there's 911 calls and now we have a noise next door and we're going to think that's somehow related to the actual murder that took place. Do we even have any idea when the murder took place? We're talking about a flood of calls that we heard from the 911 dispatch because, hey, you know, people have already called on this. Then we have people actually going to the residence. Well, yeah, of course neighbors are going to look out, say, why are all these people here? This is a regular morning what's going on. And you somehow think there's a connection between that and the murder? Yeah, I'm sorry, that's a stretch there, Nancy.

[Nancy Grace]

Okay, Derek, I see where you're coming from, but I can't rule it out as being connected yet. Let's take another listen to it.

[911 Dispatcher]

What's the emergency? Somebody's knocking on my door. Good time to get in the bathing on my door. Okay, someone's saying in a knock in. Do you know who this is? No. Do you have a description of them? Have you told them? Have you asked them what they want or if they need something? Okay, what's your name? I'm sorry, say it again. Does your phone number end in okay? All right, I've got it sent up for someone banging and knocking on the door. If anything escalates or changes, give us a call back and let us know. We'll get officers there as soon as we can. All right, bye.

[Dave Mack]

Columbus police respond to a domestic dispute call at the Tepe residence a few months prior. Officers later report the couple tells them no physical violence occurred and that police assistance is no longer needed.

[Nancy Grace]

Much has been made about a prior, we think domestic call. What does that mean? That means typically a man and a woman are arguing within a residence and it's coming to blows. Is it connected? It's from this home. It's from the home of the victims. Let's listen to it.

[911 Dispatcher]

Hi, this is 91 1. We just got a hang up call. Is everything okay? Yeah, I'm sorry. I'm okay. Are you sure? Yeah, yeah, I'm okay. Sorry. Okay. Well, it sounds like you're crying. Do you need police, paramedics or anything? No, no, no, I'm okay. I probably. I'm just emotional. Okay. I don't need. Can I ask why had you called 911 in the first place? Were you having an argument with somebody? Got into it. But I'm okay, I promise. Did anything ever get physical? No. You guys were just arguing? Nobody hit each other. Yeah. All right, man. Well, I have the information here. I can go ahead and tell the officers to cancel. Heading over to your address there yes. If anything changes, call us back. Okay.

[Nancy Grace]

Finally, a 911 dispatch officer that sounds interested and like they care about what happens now. Susan Hendricks. There has been some discussion that that is not the murder victim Monique.

[Susan Hendricks]

Absolutely. Spencer's brother in law, married to Spencer's sister, came out right away and said if you know Monique, you know it's not her voice. They like to have parties, people over. And it was apparently he said a woman who was at that party made the call. I believe he said right outside of that home, but that it wasn't Monique and it had nothing to do with them and that they had a great marriage. So saying that that had nothing to.

[Nancy Grace]

Do with them, what could be the motive? Is there a person of interest? Is this domestic relations call connected? Let's hear the call one more time, please.

[911 Dispatcher]

Can I ask what had you called 911 in the first place? Like, were you having an argument with somebody? Got into it, but I'm okay, I promise. Did anything ever get physical? No. You guys were just arguing? Nobody hit each other? Yeah. Okay. All right, man. Well, I have the information here. I can go ahead and tell the officers to cancel. Heading over to your address there? Yes. If anything changes, call us back. Okay. I'm sorry.

[Nancy Grace]

Crime stories with Nancy Grace. And we have a ear witness insisting that is not the murder victim. Monique calling about a Domrell Domestic relationship. 911 call. Okay. To you, trial lawyer Derek Smith joining us. What of it?

[Derek Smith]

So you're telling me that there was a call for domestic violence prior to this murder and nobody showed up to investigate that? I mean, couples get in arguments. I mean, no marriage is perfect and if it is, then good for them. But yeah, sometimes arguments happen. Maybe a phone call or two to the police out of fear, out of necessity. But why has there been no follow up? How come there's no police reports about this? If they actually came to the house and investigated this call? Well, we're going to have testimony from the alleged perpetrator and the alleged victim about what happened and why police were called. Is that even here? Or again, is it just a phone call? Because maybe there was some confusion. Maybe something was going on. Maybe the victim was setting somebody up. We don't know. We're still in the very early parts of this, Nancy. Just because there's domestic violence, we're going to point at a murder suicide or possibly point the finger at one of these two victims again. Come on, what are we doing here?

[Nancy Grace]

Well, you know what? I would really blast you on everything you just said. Except for the overarching fact that this was not a murder suicide. So whether there had or had not been domestic violence in the past, it's irrelevant as to the murder because neither one of them did it. See, so maybe there was, maybe there wasn't. But it's irrelevant here because neither one of them, either the aggressor or the victim in that prior is the killer. So it's mute.

[Derek Smith]

They're not alive, right? They're both gone.

[Nancy Grace]

Out to Dr. Priya Banerjee joining us, renowned board certified forensic pathologist, anatomic pathologist and at anchor forensic pathology consulting, Dr. Priya. We're getting nothing. All right. It's going to have to be a ring doorbell. Cam. The children, very young, I believe they're one and four years old. They find their parents dead. The neighbors and co workers hear them screaming from the outside. It's going to have to be forensically solved. Okay, let's talk about what we can learn from the bodies.

[Susan Hendricks]

Well, I think it's, you know, going to be the distance determination, how close they were shot. We know that the casings are at the scene. That's really important, right? If it's up close and personal, we get an idea of the caliber of gun that was used and then of course, where they're shot and how long it took them to die. The casings are also important at the scene because they're usually ejected back into the right relative to where the gun was shot from. So that'll give a positioning of the shooter versus the decedents and this, you know, lovely couple that we're seeing. So I think just understanding the dynamic at this scene and then, you know, really the distance, what was injured and how long it took for them to die is what the autopsy and scene examination are gonna together answer for you.

[Nancy Grace]

You know, another issue. Tom Smith joining me, former nypd now star of Gold Shields podcast. Where in the home were they found? And if anybody on the panel knows, please pipe in. Were they in their beds? Were they up front? You know, we saw the front door. Why would they be up there between 2 and 5am did someone try to come in the home like they did with the neighbor and they both went to the door and ended up getting shot? They what would have been the motivation at 2 o' clock in the morning at best to bam on a door just to shoot somebody that's unconnected to you? That seems far fetched to me. This seems like it was more targeted. Were they asleep like Rob and Michelle Reiner were? What would you be looking for at the scene, Tom?

[Tom Smith]

Yeah, well, we know there's no forced entry, so that is concerning. So they either let themselves in because they knew the passcode because they've been at that residence before at the numerous parties that this couple had and it's somebody they know, or they knocked on the door, one of them answered it and they were forced back into their bedroom. So one of those two things happened. The, the entry of just getting in is still unknown and that's what, you know, part of this investigation is going to be. Another telling sign is the children not being harmed and actually the dog who's in the residence not being harmed as well. So I agree with you. This was in my mind an absolute targeted hit of one of these two individuals. And it's going to take the background check of both of their pasts, their social media accounts, their relationships, interviews that were done with others, of of where their relationship stood or past ones is going to be very important with this.

[Nancy Grace]

And again, that domestic relations call many believe is not connected to this couple. They're practically newlyweds that only been together five years. A one year old and a four year old left without either a mother or a father. Spencer and Monique Tepe, now dead. Their children, orphans. Who did this. If you know or think you know anything, please call Columbus Police. 6146-4522-2861-4645-2228. And now we remember an American hero, Deputy Sheriff Justin Mowry, Blount County Sheriff's Tennessee. Killed in the line of duty, leaving behind a grieving mother. Can you imagine? And his brothers. American hero Deputy Sheriff Justin Mowry, Nancy Grace signing off. Goodbye, friend. This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.