Crime Stories with Nancy Grace

Episode Title: HELLFIRE: MONIQUE TEPE, HUSBAND, SHOT 16 TIMES, HIT FACE, CHEEK & THROAT
Date: February 5, 2026
Host: Nancy Grace
Guests: Jim Elliott (Trial Lawyer), Dr. Kendall Crowns (Chief Medical Examiner), Yelena Mandenberg (Investigative Reporter), Dr. Bethany Marshall (Psychoanalyst), Dan Murphy (Former NYPD Detective Sergeant), Ariana Turner (Friend of Monique Tepe), Dave Mack (Investigative Reporter)

Episode Overview

In this harrowing episode, Nancy Grace explores the brutal murders of Monique Tepe and her husband, Spencer Tepe—both shot in their bed, their bodies riddled with bullets while their children slept mere feet away. The alleged shooter: Monique's ex-husband of ten years, Dr. Michael McKee, a prominent vascular surgeon. Grace examines the forensic evidence, psychological motives, ballistics, and the devastating impact on the family and community. The episode delves into chilling details from autopsy reports, explores the legal implications of intent, and features a moving tribute to Monique from her friend.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Crime: Details of the Shooting

• Crime Overview:
  Monique and Spencer Tepe were shot a total of 16 times while sleeping in their bed (Monique: 9 times, Spencer: 7 times).
  • Nancy Grace: "Hell fire. Monique Tepe and husband shot 16 times. Monique hit in the face, the cheek, the throat and more apparently... their children on the other side of the wall." (02:54)
• Autopsy Findings:
  Yelena Mandenberg reads coroner’s reports with graphic detail, highlighting bullets to the face, chest, extremities, and the organs damaged (lungs, liver, bones).
  • Yelena: "Gunshot wounds of head, trunk and extremities with visceral skeletal and soft tissue injuries, says the report... bullets cut through the organs, liver, lungs, skeletal damage when bones broke when the bullets hit them." (05:23)

2. Forensics & Ballistics

• Bullet Recovery:
  The medical examiner found and matched bullets to the shells found at the scene.
• Magazine and Weapon Discussion:
  Dan Murphy provides a detailed breakdown of how a magazine is loaded and the intentionality it requires.
  • Dan: "Magazines are what semi-automatic weapons hold the rounds in... It is spring-loaded... you can fill magazines up as much as 30, 35." (11:11)
  • Nancy Grace: "You have to load that thing bullet by bullet, one at a time... more intent, you have to load that mag, and then unload it on them as they slept." (16:49)

Notable Quotes:

• On Intent:
  Nancy Grace: "He had to pull the trigger 16 times. That's time to form intent, not a blind rage. He did it, Elliot, 16 times. That's time to form intent, not a blind rage..." (18:31)
• On Ballistics Match:
  Jim Elliott: "You have to also make sure that they are all from the same gun, too, because it's always alleged that it could be multiple shooters, too..." (41:33)

3. Psychological Analysis

• Why the Face?
  Dr. Bethany Marshall explains the significance of facial targeting in domestic homicide.
  • Dr. Bethany: "In the face. He wants to destroy her beauty. So nobody else will be attracted to her... It's because the perpetrator doesn't want anybody else to have them. If I can't have you, nobody else will." (09:28, 10:22, 37:28)
• Obsession and Stalking:
  Discussion of McKee's obsession with Monique’s happiness, repeatedly watching her wedding videos.
  • Dr. Bethany: "Stalkers feel they're still in a relationship with the victim. He still felt she was his... every little moment of fun was an insult to monster surgeon because he felt that she was cheating on him even though she was marrying a new person." (36:19-37:20)

4. Premeditation & Surveillance

• Surveillance Footage:
  McKee is caught on a neighbor’s camera entering the property before the murders, potentially surveilling the house or staking out his attack point.
  • Yelena Mandenberg: "He was caught on surveillance camera going in through the curtilage and being there for hours..." (29:04)
  • Dave Mack recounts Monique’s discomfort after receiving a message from McKee—she leaves a game early, upset. (31:09)
• Close-Range Shooting:
  Expert consensus is that all bullets struck the victims at close range—no stray bullets or shots in the wall, all designed for maximum lethality.

5. Medical Examiner’s Process

• Autopsy Procedure:
  Dr. Kendall Crowns describes how forensic pathologists document and retrieve bullets.
  • "You do an external examination, you chart all the wounds, try and get an idea of which wound goes to what wounds and exits. And then you do X-rays... Sometimes they're wedged in bones, sometimes stuck in organs..." (38:41-39:43)

6. The Family and Emotional Impact

• Monique as a Mother and Friend:
  Tribute by Ariana Turner, Monique’s friend.
  • Ariana: "Monique was a person that, like... you don't really meet people who are just genuine... She was just an amazing mother, so loving, very bright, positive all the time. Somebody you always want to talk to if you're having a sad day." (43:24)
  • She describes Monique’s patience, engagement with her children, and uplifting presence.
• Impact on Children:
  Nancy Grace and Ariana mourn the fact that Monique and Spencer’s children are now orphans, left to remember (and be scarred by) the events.
  • Ariana: "Their babies were there. That hits so close to home... I just got so sick to my stomach because how could you do that to my friend? How could you do that to her husband? These were amazing people." (52:34)

Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• On the Carnage:
  Nancy Grace: "He shot her in the face. He shot her in the face. To Dr. Bethany Marshall... I can barely even formulate a question to encompass what I'm feeling right now, 16 rounds he basically unloaded standing over their bed in the wee morning hours and they're laying there asleep in their wedding bands." (08:40)
• On Stippling and Range:
  Dave Mack: "On the autopsy report there is an indication of no stippling. So it's, you're talking about an intermediate range... I think he walked up to their bed, held out the gun like the antagonist in a movie and unloaded on sleeping people. So they are close range." (22:34)
• On Intent and Loading:
  Nancy Grace: "You have to do that bullet by bullet to load your mag, correct?... more intent, you have to load that thing bullet by bullet, one at a time." (16:32-16:49)
  • Dan Murphy: "This is a very intentional act to fill this up and then it's an even more intentional act to then take the slide, chamber a live round, eject this magazine, top it off with the 15th round so it's full again..." (17:19)
• On Premeditation and Planning:
  Yelena Mandenberg: "If, as he is charged with, you know, intent and premeditation, I mean, going there, I don't know if that's where he hatched the plan, allegedly, because that might have been hatched, and that was the reason why he was there already looking into it." (29:04)
• On the Aftermath:
  Nancy Grace: "The children are orphans. They probably will remember the murders of their parents. Two children left orphaned. And tonight we are learning 16 bullets, an empty mag, unloaded into Monique and Spencer Tepe..." (42:47)
• Friend's Tribute:
  Ariana Turner: "She was just... an amazing mother. Like, she was just so, like, very loving, very bright, like, just positive all the time. Like, just a bubbly person. Like, just somebody you always want to talk to, like, if you're having a sad day." (43:24)

Timestamps for Critical Segments

| Time | Segment | |-----------|----------------------------------------------------------| | 02:54 | Nancy introduces details of the crime: 16 shots, children next room | | 05:23 | Yelena Mandenberg details autopsy findings | | 09:28 | Dr. Bethany Marshall: Psychological analysis of facial targeting | | 11:11 | Dan Murphy explains magazines, ballistics | | 16:49 | Nancy and Dan on loading intent (each bullet deliberate) | | 18:31 | Nancy on intent and legal ramifications | | 22:34 | Dave Mack on ballistics, absence of missed shots | | 29:04 | Yelena on surveillance footage and premeditation | | 31:09 | Dave Mack on McKee’s prior approach to the house | | 36:19 | Dr. Bethany Marshall on obsession and the wedding videos | | 38:41 | Dr. Kendall Crowns describes autopsy process | | 43:24 | Ariana Turner’s tribute to Monique | | 52:34 | Ariana on learning of Monique’s murder, emotional reaction|

Conclusion & Reflection

Nancy Grace closes the episode by honoring Monique and Spencer’s legacy—the love they shared, the family they built, and the hole left in their community. The cruel, calculated nature of the crime is deeply examined from every angle: legal, forensic, psychological, and personal. Ultimately, the episode underscores the importance of intent in the law, the devastation of domestic violence, and the enduring pain for those left behind.

If you have any information about the case, Nancy urges you to contact authorities at 614-645-2228.