TORPEDO HITS MONSTER-SURGEON: FAKE ALIBI BUSTED, WIFE & NEW HUBBY MURDERED IN BED

Summary

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Crime Stories with Nancy Grace

Episode: "Torpedo Hits Monster-Surgeon: Fake Alibi Busted, Wife & New Hubby Murdered in Bed"
Release Date: January 27, 2026

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Overview

In this gripping episode, Nancy Grace investigates the chilling case of Dr. Michael McKee, a renowned "monster surgeon" now accused of murdering his ex-wife, Monique Tepe, and her new husband in their bed. The episode delves into McKee's unraveling alibi, the psychology behind his actions, digital evidence, and the aftermath for the victims and suspect alike. Featuring interviews with crime reporters, forensic experts, psychologists, a defense attorney, and an ex-girlfriend of the accused, the episode offers a multi-perspective breakdown of the investigation and looming trial.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Fake Alibi and How Police Caught On

[01:36–04:55]

• Dr. McKee claimed to be sleeping at his hospital for the entire night of the murders (December 30th) and left his phone there as evidence.
• Investigators quickly suspected the alibi, as McKee’s phone was stationary in a hospital cot for 14 hours, while video surveillance indicated otherwise.
• Yelena Mandenberg (investigative reporter): “He left his phone, which we assume…was so it doesn’t ping off the cell phone towers, and so everything looks legit. However, all investigators had to do was probably check the video feed…” [04:21]
• Nancy Grace sharply criticized the “idiotically obvious” staged alibi, mocking McKee’s intelligence as “an honor student … an honor student in med school, becomes a vascular surgeon … and he blurts out a fake alibi. Idiot.” [03:18]

2. Expert Analysis on Outsmarting the System

[05:44–06:54]

• Defense attorney Randy Kessler noted that intellect alone doesn’t equal criminal cunning: “There’s nothing that replaces years of experience…there’s something about experience, and … he hasn’t lived it and he hasn’t been in it. And looks like that’s going to be his downfall.” [06:16]
• Joseph Scott Morgan (forensics professor): Speculated premeditation, emphasizing deliberate action in leaving his phone and driving a familiar route without GPS. “If there is a stalker element, he’s going to know this like the back of his hand…he might leave this [the phone] alone…” [11:32]
• Psychologist Dr. John de la Torre discussed the behavioral chain, stating, “There’s an inherent behavioral chain that … it’s instinctive for us to just grab [our phone]. So what that tells me is that he felt more inclined to engage in the behaviors that he wanted to engage in, such as making this drive…” [14:26]

3. Video Evidence & Surveillance

[15:33–17:39]

• Surveillance and doorbell cams captured a figure believed to be McKee skulking in an alley behind the victims’ house around 3–4am.
• Nancy Grace stressed the importance of local knowledge: “Now who would know about that [private alley] other than somebody that lived there, other than somebody that knew that route?” [15:33]
• Dave Mack (crime reporter): Police traced the person on video directly to a car belonging to Dr. McKee, compounding evidence against him [20:45].

4. Physical Changes & Steroid Use Allegations

[21:42–23:25, 52:16–53:42]

• Discussion of McKee’s changed appearance: dating app photo versus in-court look – suspicions of steroid use for rapid muscle gain.
• Joseph Scott Morgan explained that steroid abuse can cause psychological effects including paranoia and aggression: “…over long term use…you’re talking about things that make people a bit delusional. They can be highly reactive. They can actually have a certain level of paranoia...” [52:26]
• Randy Kessler dismissed steroid use as a viable defense: “If his defense is, I did it but I was on steroids, I think his defense is, I didn’t do it, so make steroids irrelevant.” [53:21]

5. Personal Relationships & Red Flags

[25:14–37:10]

• Play of Monique Tepe’s wedding vows highlights the deep loss: “Throughout all of this, I knew that God was guiding me to my person… I finally found my lobster, and it honestly couldn’t be... a person with a more beautiful heart." [23:53–24:27]
• McKee’s ex-girlfriend (a doctor herself) describes him as emotionally distant, with a story of being “abandoned” by Monique that contradicts the divorce records, implying manipulative behavior.
• On parents: "He did tell me he was adopted by an older couple … but he just never talked about them. He never talked to them.” [31:28]
• Dr. John de la Torre (psychologist) flags this as a sign of deeper personality issues: “Relationships that you have with your parents are … the prototypes for the relationships that you have with other people… that’s a red flag.” [32:28]
• Shallow affect and inability to connect may reflect psychopathy: “One of the biggest things that we look at when it comes to the psychopathy checklist is shallow affect … you can mimic emotions … but you can’t connect with them, one human being to the next.” [37:38]

6. The Jailhouse – Luxury for a Killer?

[39:23–50:15]

• Yelena Mandenberg describes the new, luxurious corrections center (James A. Carnes Corrections Center) where McKee is held: “brand new, billion dollars… mostly looks like a rehab center” with natural lighting, Gatorade stations, and a biophilic design.
• Nancy Grace expresses outrage at the facility’s comfort: “…he’s got more space than Spencer and Monique have. They’re in a coffin now.” [49:37]
• Dr. Duane Hendricks (former warden) explains the facility is designed to reduce violence and aid rehabilitation, not necessarily to reward inmates: “you’re trying to reduce the amount of mental… toll that it takes on those individuals…” [46:17]

7. Clerical Error as Possible Murder Catalyst

[53:42–54:46]

• Dave Mack reveals a clerical error in the divorce docket may have reignited Dr. McKee’s rage, placing an old divorce case erroneously back on the calendar for a 2025 hearing – possibly triggering the murder spree.
• “Court officials have confirmed that this error … resulted in the McKee divorce case getting a hearing… This brought everything back to the forefront for McKee because this was settled in 2017, and here it is in 2025 being brought up.” [53:51]

8. Legal Outlook & Next Steps

[54:46–55:37]

• McKee pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial; prosecutors and defense are preparing their cases, but a trial date is not yet set.
• Yelena Mandenberg: “The prosecutor is going to have a tough time filling in the little holes… there’s no trial date set so far. He just entered the not guilty plea and we’re going to wait to find when there is a trial date.” [54:46]

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• Nancy Grace on the absurdity of the fake alibi:
  “He left his cell phone in his cot, his overnight cot, at the hospital for 14 hours. Wakey, wakey, McKees. Time to get up. 14 hours.” [07:29]
• Dave Mack on the critical evidence:
  “His phone being left in a cot for 14 hours kind of fits into the rest of the premeditation of this case.” [09:39]
• Dr. John de la Torre on McKee’s compulsive behavior:
  “This is a singular goal. That’s the only thing that’s driving this individual…so he can complete one particular goal…and in this instance it’s making that drive to his ex wife’s place.” [14:26]
• Dr. John de la Torre on emotional shallowness:
  “There is no real ability to connect to other people because he views them as just simple broken things that he knows how to fix or things that he knows how to break…” [36:12]
• Ex-girlfriend's chilling relief:
  “The reason why it ended was I honestly wasn’t feeling it…he was just kind of boring and he was very much like surface level. There was no…deep connection…he had a wall up where he just like could not go deep…” [35:04]
• Nancy Grace's reminder of the victims:
  “The reason you are here. The reason I am here. It’s about Monique and Spencer Tepe. That’s what it’s about.” [51:12]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [01:36] – Introduction to the case; fake alibi and police doubts.
• [03:29] – Dave Mack outlines the timeline of events and McKee's hospital story.
• [04:21] – Yelena Mandenberg explains how the alibi failed.
• [06:16] – Defense attorney Kessler’s perspective on "outsmarting" the system.
• [11:32] – Joseph Scott Morgan on phone evidence and premeditation.
• [14:26] – Psychologist Dr. de la Torre on behavioral observations.
• [15:33] – Surveillance footage and knowledge of the crime scene.
• [23:53] – Monique Tepe’s wedding vows (audio).
• [25:14] – McKee’s ex-girlfriend recounts her relationship with him.
• [31:28] – Ex-girlfriend describes his lack of family contact.
• [36:12] – Dr. de la Torre analyzes McKee’s interpersonal limitations.
• [39:23] – McKee’s life in the new Franklin County jail.
• [46:17] – Dr. Hendricks discusses jail design and rehabilitation.
• [53:42] – Clerical court error as catalyst for violence.
• [54:46] – Next legal steps; trial preview.

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Tone & Language

Throughout the episode, Nancy Grace maintains her trademark sharp, inquisitive, and at times sarcastic tone, directly questioning guests and holding the audience’s focus on the cruelty and senselessness of the crime. The panelists present a mix of clinical analysis, legal realism, and investigative rigor, mirroring the high-intensity style of true crime commentary.

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Conclusion

Nancy Grace and her expert panel dissect the disturbing story of Dr. Michael McKee, whose calculated efforts to fabricate an alibi and evade justice ultimately unraveled under basic police work, digital evidence, and a pattern of manipulative relationships. Emotional testimonies from those who knew the victims, deep psychological analysis, and speculation regarding the triggers and aftermath immerse listeners in the tragic consequences of interpersonal violence and the meticulous path to legal reckoning ahead. The episode closes with a stark remembrance of Monique and Spencer Tepe, ensuring the victims remain front and center.

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Transcript

[Nancy Grace]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human. This February, Aldous Hodge returns as Alex Cross, your favorite detective on television for season two of the hit show Cross, premiering February 11, exclusively on Prime Video. Fresh off his capture of the infamous serial killer, the fanboy, Cross teams up with the FBI to hunt down a vigilante serial killer targeting corrupt billionaires.

[McKee's Ex-Girlfriend]

As.

[Nancy Grace]

As the case unfolds, Cross navigates a moral crossroads where the lines between justice and vengeance are blurred. Catch season two of Cross, with new episodes dropping weekly starting February 11, only on Prime Video.

[Tony Robbins]

Hey, everybody, it's Tony Robbins. Look, the time is here. It's 2026, and everybody talks about having a new year and a new life. But what do most people do? They create a few resolutions and in the end, they don't really do anything. If you want this to be the best year you've ever had in your life, it's going to take a new tool, a new strategy, a new momentum, and maybe a new community of people to hang out with. So come join me for the Time to Rise summit. I do it only once a year. It's coming up January 29th through the 31st. There's absolutely no charge for it, but it'll be an experience I promise you. You will not forget. It'll give you momentum, a plan and a strategy to make 2026 the best ever. If you're up for that, you're hungry for more, come join me. There's no cost for it whatsoever. Just go to time to risesummit.com time to riseummit.com I'll see you then.

[Nancy Grace]

Crime stories with nancy grace. A torpedo hits the defense as a monster surgeon ex hubby and gives a fake alibi to police. And it's busted wide open. This after the murder of his ex wife and her new husband in their own bed. And tonight, the monster surgeon's ex girlfriend speaking out and did a clerical error spark a murder spree. I'm Nancy Grace. This is Crime Stories. I want to thank you for being with us. He's talking about on the dating apps, how he wants children, how he wants to settle down, yet he's all alone. I wonder why they were married and murdered in the same home. How many nights did he hunch over his computer screen watching Monique? Does nobody watch True Crime? Reportedly, the monster surgeon blurts out an alibi before he immediately invokes his right to the fifth Amendment. But it's too late. He's busted in a lie. Joining us, an all star panel. But first, straight out to Crime Stories. Investigative reporter Dave Mack. What in the hey, you think this is a guy who is an honor student? First of all, he performs at a very high level on the football field. Okay. Then he is dean's list honor student through undergrad. Then he gets to med school. Then he is an honor student in med school, becomes a vascular surgeon who is licensed to practice medicine in multiple states. And he blurts out a fake alibi. Idiot. What happened, Nancy?

[Dave Mack]

It seems as though before his arrest, police actually got up with Dr. McKee and asked, hey, where were you on this particular night on December 30th? Not an uncommon thing to do with an ex spouse. And his story, Nancy, is that he had booked a room at his hospital where he's a surgeon, OSF, St. Anthony Medical center in Rockford, Illinois. And that that's where he was the entire night. Investigators are able to bust that wide open.

[Nancy Grace]

Joining me now, the investigative reporter for the Mirror and the Irish star, Yelena Mandenberg. Ruh Ro. Oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive. Busted. What happened, Yelena?

[Yelena Mandenberg]

Well, he left his phone at the hospital, and he booked a sleep room at the hospital where he's a surgeon, which would be a normal, believable thing many, many doctors do. He left his phone, which we assume is allegedly, if he went out there, was so it doesn't ping off the cell phone dowers, and so everything looks legit. However, all investigators had to do was probably check the video feed and the surveillance videos from the hospital where he works. It's really easy to overcome that alibi, even though it seems very legitimate for a doctor like him.

[Nancy Grace]

Yelena Mandenberg, joining us from the Mirror and the Irish star. You're absolutely correct. Randy Kessler, veteran trial lawyer, defense attorney out of the Atlanta jurisdiction, and professor, Emory Law School and former chairman of the ABA Family Law Section. That's the American Bar Association. Author of Divorce, Protect yourself, your kids, and your future. You better write another book. Shut your pie hole. That's just a suggestion for a title. Don't you just hate it when you get a medical doctor, criminal defendant, because you do know. They know more than everybody else. But the way I see it, having a medical doctor as a criminal defendant client is like asking me to go perform heart surgery. Now ask me to go try a serial killer.

[Dr. John de la Torre]

Sure.

[Nancy Grace]

You're on. You've got a medical doctor trying to outsmart the justice system. Or maybe he just took his cues from Brian Kohberger. Oops. He got convicted for quadruple murder. So does the doctor, in all of his wisdom, try to outsmart law enforcement by planting a phony alibi, leaving his cell phone to ping at an overnight cot at the hospital?

[Randy Kessler]

You know, I don't think it's limited to just doctors. A lot of people try to outsmart the legal system. And it's just. It's a system that we've been in, you and I. You know, maybe harder for me to represent lawyers or former prosecutors because they know the system and they're smart. But, yeah, someone who's smart but hasn't done this, like you said, someone who's a doctor asking you, and you try to do surgery, you might be smart enough to figure it out. But there's nothing that replaces years of experience, years of understanding the system. And that may be his downfall. Trying to outsmart the system, even if he's smarter than everybody, there's something about experience and living it and being in it, and he hasn't lived it and he hasn't been in it. And looks like that's going to be his downfall.

[Nancy Grace]

Okay, reminder. Randy Kessler, you're the defense attorney. You're supposed to be trying to fight your way out of this paper bag he's put himself into. Hey, Dave Mack, I understand that you have uncovered an estimation as to how long that cell phone stayed in the hospital cot.

[Dave Mack]

You know, Nancy, in this particular case, police were able to find out that his. That Dr. McKee's cell phone was left in a cot at the hospital for 14 hours. Again, based on our normal. Of what we do with our phones.

[Nancy Grace]

Okay, wait a minute. Wait a minute. Okay, Kessler, did you hear that? Outsmarting law enforcement. He left his cell phone in his cot, his overnight cot, at the hospital for 14 hours. Wakey, wakey, McKees. Time to get up. 14 hours.

[Randy Kessler]

Doctors work very hard, Nancy.

[Tony Robbins]

Doctors.

[Randy Kessler]

You know, we all know the stories about residency, and you're spending three days of wide awake. Mistakes happen. You know what? Sometimes there are things more important than retrieving your cell phone. He might have had other things to do. There are a lot of explanations. The phone might have been broken or he might have thought it was broken. There are a thousand reasons. But you leave your cell phone at the hospital and ask him.

[Nancy Grace]

Put him up. Did you just say his cell phone may have been broken?

[Dr. John de la Torre]

Who knows?

[Nancy Grace]

Did you just say his cell phone may have been broken?

[Randy Kessler]

It could have glitched. He could have thought it didn't work. He could have had other things to do. Nancy, you're not guilty of Murder. Because you leave your cell phone behind for half a day.

[Nancy Grace]

Half a day. I like the way you said that. I'm gonna use that. An opening statement. Half a day. I hadn't thought about it like that, Kessler. A whole half a day as he is arranging his alibi. Busted. Okay, let me go back to Dave Mack and Yelena Mandenberg. Dave Mack, you first. Now, how did this happen? Because I know he immediately blanketed himself in the Fifth Amendment, which is, of course, the right to remain silent. You know, I've seen Dave Mack, and I think we saw some of these at CrimeCon last year. Defense attorneys, business cards. And it's got their name and their address and their email address and their phone number on the front. And on the back it says, don't say a word. Number one, use your phone call, number two, to call your lawyer. Not your mommy, your lawyer. Three, don't say a word. Four, don't say a word. So how is it that McKee said a word, yet also evoked his Fifth Amendment privilege?

[Dave Mack]

Any questions that were asked of McKee happened before they put the cuffs on him, before he's getting his chicken sandwich. So think about it, Nancy. See, as police begin an investigation, the first call is, hey, where were you? You know, your ex wife is dead, and we need to know where were you during this time? We know you didn't do it, but, you know, we gotta have it. And so that's where he immediately blurted, apparently. And that's where it starts, Nancy. He already locked himself in. And again, his phone being left in a cot for 14 hours kind of fits into the rest of the premeditation of this case.

[Nancy Grace]

You know, speaking of premeditation, I want to throw this to Joseph Scott Morgan, not only blood spatter expert, but forensics professor at Jacksonville State University, which has an incredible criminal procedure program. Author of Blood Beneath My Feet on Amazon, and star of a hit series, Body Bags with Jo Scott Morgan. Jo Scott, you have investigated, I believe, 10,000 or so death scenes of all sorts of deaths. It could be natural causes, heart attack. It could be accident. It could be suicide. It could be unexplained. And of course, homicide, my specialty. So let's talk just for a moment, jumping off what Dave Mack and Yolanda Mandenberg have told us. Premeditation. Jackie had a great idea. He didn't need his GPS on the phone because he had driven that route so many times between his home, his expensive high rise in Lincoln park, to his ex wife, Monique Tepe's home. Can you Imagine he didn't need directions. He knew exactly how to get there.

[Joseph Scott Morgan]

Yeah, he did. And here's one interesting thing, Nancy. You know, this. This whole scenario is kind of flipped on its head compared to some of the other cases that, that we, that we cover. You think about electronic breadcrumbs, right? How many cases have we covered where you have a phone that's traveling in tandem with an alleged perpetrator going to one location. If you think about this, was he attempting to leave this phone behind to put people off the scent? Because, you know, you're talking about premeditation, right? I'm just feeding right back into what you're saying. Had he seen you talked about true crime, had he seen enough to know, okay, I probably ought not take the phone with me so that it puts me immediately outside the home. But, yeah, if. If there had been. If there is a stalker element into this, he's going to know this like the back of his hand, Nancy. He's going to know maybe all the nuances of that home will certainly know the location, points of entry. He's going to know about the surrounding windows, low windows, how do I get into a particular area in the house? How many people are there? And then you can drive down the road without your phone. I think that we're under the impression nowadays that we have to have. Have it with us, that we have to be tethered to it, and that ain't the case. So I find this fascinating, this aspect. I hadn't thought about it until you'd mentioned it. It is fascinating that he might leave this alone or leave it back at the sleep room there. You know, where most doctors take call from, if you're on call, you have a room that's set aside for you in the hospital, and you'll sleep there. But, you know, the. The damning part to this, Nancy, is that as a vascular surgeon, let that sink in. That's a critical job. If you are absent your phone, you can wind up putting patients at risk, Nancy.

[Nancy Grace]

You know, another thing just got Morgan, is even when I know the route, many times I will put on waves just to see is there traffic, is there slowdown? Has there been an accident? Should I go a different way? But he didn't need that. Of course, according to police, he was driving, you know, through the night to get there. But what you're saying, very, very probative. And I want to go to John. Dr. John de la Torre joining us, licensed psychologist, mediator, specializing in physical forensic, psychology. I got a question for you, Dr. De la Torre. I've just been thinking about this theory. He didn't need his phone because he had driven the route to his ex wife's home with her husband and two children many, many times before. This was about a four hour drive. Ish. Why would he not take his phone? Clearly he left it there in the overnight cot to create an alibi.

[Dr. John de la Torre]

No, absolutely. I mean, when you think about it, and I know Joseph Scott Morgan just talked about, you know, we don't need to be tethered to the phone, but there's an inherent behavioral chain that it, that nowadays we're so used to just having it on us that it's instinctive for us to just grab it. We may not need it, but we certainly just have it on us and we feel kind of naked when we don't. So what that tells me is that he felt more inclined to engage in the behaviors that he wanted to engage in, such as making this drive. That it was so overwhelming, it was so compulsive that any other behavior chain, which includes grabbing your phone and having everything else that you need to make the drive, having any of that stuff kind of was pushed to the side. So this is a singular goal. That's the only thing that's driving this individual to include not being, not having his phone. Just in case he gets on call, just in case he needs to perform surgery. All of that stuff is pushed to the side so he can complete one particular goal. And in this instance it's making that drive to his ex wife's place and.

[Nancy Grace]

Corroborating this, which would be a great thing for the state to argue in opening statements. Let's see the video of who we believe to be the monster surgeon, Dr. Michael McKee, skulking along in that private alley. There you go, right there. See, that's a private alley. Just got Morgan. For people that live on that street, see it's the back of the Cheppy's home and they park there and walk into a back door. And then across that alley are the, the next street over their backyard where they park. This is a private alley. Now who would know about that other than somebody that lived there, Other than somebody that knew that route. Joe Scott Morgan.

[Joseph Scott Morgan]

Yeah, an alleyway is very specific to the geography of a location. And you know, this is kind of a, I don't want to say personal space, but it's. You would have to have some kind of knowledge of a thoroughfare because you're trying to get from point A to point B. And also this goes to Another point, Nancy, when you think about it, uh, is he attempting to mask his movement relative to this? Not, you know, for whatever reason, not thinking that people. There might be CCTV on the alley as well. As a matter of fact, I got to tell you something. If you're trying to. If you're trying to keep yourself safe and this is a blind area, I would want CCTV back there all the much more so because that's where a perpetrator might come in to burglarize your home or do any other kind of nasty business to you and your family. I can't imagine that he would not be aware of this or at least have some inkling he could be on videotape because he's just there.

[Nancy Grace]

Did you see that? Joe Scott?

[Tony Robbins]

Yep.

[Nancy Grace]

Did you see that last photo? This is the photo where you see allegedly McKee walking along around 3, 4am in the morning when he's supposed to be sleeping overnight back at his hospital. But then there was the other shot. Look at that. That there's nobody there but trash cans. That's the back side where we believe he was walking.

[Randy Kessler]

Yeah.

[Joseph Scott Morgan]

And being a native New Orleanian in our homes down there because the spaces are so tight and the truck will drive back there, this is not an area you're going to go hang out in. Okay. Because it's generally populated.

[Nancy Grace]

Well, it's not the main thoroughfare. I lived on an alley near the courthouse forever when I was prosecuting. Guys. Another issue has reared its ugly head. Other than the defendant, the surgeon, vascular surgeon Michael McKee blurting out an alibi before invoking his right to remain silent. Hey, Kessler, I don't know if you know this or not, but he has been put in a billion B as in brother, Billion dollar facility that is focused on healing with comfy mattresses, natural light and a Gatorade on demand station. I'll let you digest that. I don't have any of that, but. Oh, there you go. I want to live there. Are they selling condos there? But Kessler, I've just been corrected. It wasn't a four hour drive. It was nearly a seven hour drive that he departed upon without any directions. Kessler, seven hours. Clearly he left the phone behind to create an alibi. Just like Brian Coburger turned off his phone while he committed the murders which he pled to people online. Quit telling me he's innocent. He pled guilty. Brian Kohberger did it. Accept it. So same thing here. Just like Morphew. Barry Morphew allegedly turned off his cell phone at one juncture, then turned it back on. It's. It's when you have your cell phone on constantly, then you turn it off at the time of the murders, then you turn it back on. Really? That makes that looks even worse. So it's seven hours, seven hour drive. Kessler, how long was his phone broken? Did he call t mobile and ask for help?

[Randy Kessler]

So he turned his cell phone off. Maybe he didn't want anyone to bother. Maybe he knew he was going to do something and he's going to surveil them. And then you got an individual walking through an alley that you are sure is him, and you're guilty of murder because you walked in an alley in the middle of the night. And even if it's him, there's so many questions here, so many ways for the defense to pick this apart. Oh, that's. That's him. I can identify the mole on his cheek. Yeah, you see every little detail about him. I'm sure that's him right there walking. Couldn't be anybody else. Of the 300 million Americans in this country that walk around and are in the streets, you know, I think he got a whole lot of nothing so far. The fact that they got him, you know, lying about stuff. There could be a hundred reasons why he left his cell phone. There could be a hundred reasons why he didn't use gps. You know what? I need more than that. And he's got a good lawyer now, so I'm looking forward to seeing this defense.

[Nancy Grace]

Okay, Kelsey, it's not just. It's not just identifying him walking along with his pool to the right every time he takes a step.

[Dave Mack]

That's conclusive.

[Nancy Grace]

That person walking. That person walking down the alley was followed from doorbell cams and other surveillance straight to a car belonging to Dr. McKee. So it's not just the right mole, the mole on his right cheek that you brought up. It's everything. Hey, I want you to look at a photo. This is more food for thought. I want you to look at Dr. McKee's before shot. This is him on his dating app compared to him in court. There he is on the dating app. Now look at this shot of him in court. Kessler, there has been rampant allegations that he's totally steroided up. Do you see the back and forth, the before and after, what happened?

[Randy Kessler]

So if he took steroids, if he worked out, if he ate a lot of food, if he grew his beard out, if he didn't shave, you know, most people don't really Manicure themselves for their mug shot, for the jailhouse photo, for when they're getting. You know, he's had a lot going on in his life. I don't know why he looks different. He's older.

[Nancy Grace]

Can I see Castle Place?

[Tony Robbins]

This is not.

[Nancy Grace]

I think I can hear that. But did you actually say, he's got a lot going on? Did you just say that?

[Randy Kessler]

Obviously, he's got a lot going on. You know, he's a busy surgeon. He's being accused of a crime. I mean, you're gonna convict somebody because they look different, because they are now bigger, because they've got more muscle or more fat or more hair on their face? I mean, what is the basis for you saying, I don't know how you.

[Nancy Grace]

Get muscles in your head, in your face.

[Tony Robbins]

Hey, everybody, it's Tony Robbins. Look, the time is here. It's 2026, and everybody talks about having a new year and a new life. But what do most people do? They create a few resolutions, and in the end, they don't really do anything. If you want this to be the best year you've ever had in your life, it's going to take a new tool, a new strategy, a new momentum, and maybe a new community of people to hang out with. So come join me for the Time to Rise summit. I do it only once a year. It's coming up January 29th through the 31st. There's absolutely no charge for it, but it'll be an experience I promise you, you will not forget. It'll give you momentum, a plan, and a strategy to make 2026 the best ever. If you're up for that, you're hungry for more, come join me. There's no cost for it whatsoever. Just go to time to riseummit.com time to riseummit.com I'll see you then.

[Nancy Grace]

Crime stories with nancy grace. I want you, Kessler, as you're trying to bail him out, I want you to hear Monique Tepe's wedding vows. And I think I know who she's talking about when she describes a waterfall of tears. From day one, I knew you were something special.

[Yelena Mandenberg]

I had quite a journey to get to you.

[Nancy Grace]

Countless bad bumble dates, wrong relationships, and. And waterfalls of tears. But it was worth every cringing second because it led me to you. Throughout all of this, I knew that God was guiding me to my person and that when I met him, it would be the most magical thing ever. And, boy, is that an understatement. I finally found my lobster, and it honestly couldn't Be.

[Yelena Mandenberg]

Be a person with a more beautiful heart.

[Nancy Grace]

I will love you forever. And I'm so lucky to be Mrs. Tep the firearm. It appears he planned more of what.

[Yelena Mandenberg]

To do rather than the aftermath of it.

[Joseph Scott Morgan]

When you purchase a suppressor, you have to be registered with the ATF unless purchased on the black market or something that he built.

[Nancy Grace]

I can't wait to get a hold of his digital footprint, and I stand by that. I cannot wait to get a hold of his digital footprint and find out what websites he was on. What was he saying about himself? How did this guy get women? And speaking of getting women, guess what? His ex girlfriend, who I believe is a doctor herself, is speaking out. Dr. Michael McKee turned murder defendant, ex girlfriend speaks. Let's listen.

[McKee's Ex-Girlfriend]

He did tell me a little bit about his divorce at the time, so. And again, I want to preface this with this is his side of the story. And what he spoke to me, this is not truth. This is obviously very biased. But what he told me was that one day he came home from residency and that Monique had vanished. Like, she took everything. She left the house completely empty and also took their dog. He was just left very stunned because he didn't see this coming. And he was, like, completely devastated.

[Joseph Scott Morgan]

Hmm.

[Nancy Grace]

This is a woman who I believe to be a medical doctor that says she is McKee's ex girlfriend. She seems reliable and credible. And in a moment, you're going to see photos of her with McKee and her family. But I want to analyze what we just heard. Okay. Straight out to Dr. John de la Torre, licensed psychologist specializing in forensic psychology. Dr. De la Torre, I'm hearing he did tell me a little bit about his divorce at the time. Don't people know the people that are on the dating market? Nobody wants to hear about their bad exes.

[Joseph Scott Morgan]

Why?

[Nancy Grace]

It's like.

[Dr. John de la Torre]

Yeah. So I think, you know, at some point in this. Whatever this relationship was, it became, you know, kind of obvious that all of the past baggage needed to be brought up for whatever reason. Maybe he was already triggered. Maybe Michael McKee was already triggered to kind of say all of this stuff, but it isn't really something that you say at the beginning. So maybe they had already had somewhat of an intimate relationship, meaning they could speak to one another about this. But she's correct in that she's only getting one half of the side of the story. The other half of the side of the story is certainly that he could have not been a very good guy to his ex. Wife.

[Yelena Mandenberg]

Wife.

[Dr. John de la Torre]

And that's why his Ex wife decided to take everything in the dog and leave Now.

[Nancy Grace]

Interesting. Right here to Yelena Mandenberg joining us, investigative reporter with the Mirror and the Irish Star and the Express. My reading of the divorce papers was that they had been living separately for some time. Is that correct?

[Yelena Mandenberg]

Yes. And the divorce papers cite that they were incompatible. So if there were any issues, she never went to the police. All we have is rumors to friends, conversations she had with friends about his personality and his behavior.

[Nancy Grace]

Okay, so, Dave Mack, crime stories, investigative reporter. You know where I'm going with this? If they were already separated, living in two different households. All right, and he says he came home and everything was cleaned out. That sounds like a lie because she would have had to drive several hours and take his stuff. She already had her. Her stuff in her place. Based on what was said in the divorce papers.

[Dave Mack]

Yeah, he's just being the victim, selling a story that's totally not true. They, you know, he tried to separate her from her family right away, which is what controlling men do, because she was very, very close to her family, as evidenced by all of the things we have seen over the last couple of weeks from the family and extended family. And the first thing he does that McKee does is he moves her away to Virginia. And. Which, again, kind of goes back to the beginning. They were only married seven months, Nancy, and they began. They separated. And I think just based on the way divorce rules work state to state, that's why it took a year. I think it would have been divorced a lot quicker had they been able to. But she wasn't living with him like that.

[Nancy Grace]

You know, another thing I noticed in the divorce papers is that nothing was mentioned about getting furniture back or splitting household goods at all. Nothing about the dog, no arguing over the pots and pans. Randy Kessler, this is your bailiwick. If this is true, what? He tried to feed his ex girlfriend that, oh, I came home and all the stuff was gone and the dog was gone. He didn't try to get any of that back in the divorce papers. I mean, I believe it was you that told me one day that people will kill each other over the pots and pans. But he didn't have any of that in the divorce papers. He demanded none of that. He did not ask for the dog or the pots and pans or the sofa or the plant or the TV or the Nintendo switch. None of that. Which makes me think he's lying to this ex girlfriend.

[Randy Kessler]

There's no way to decide how people feel based on looking at the Divorce papers. Number one, he was probably telling his ex girlfriend when the relationship ended, she just left and took everything and took the dog. Not the day of the divorce, not when she filed for divorce. Relationships end a lot sooner than when people come to see me and hire me to file for divorce. The relationship has usually been over for a while. Number two, the dog could have been gone for a long time. Number three, apparently reading the divorce papers, he got a lot right. She basically wanted out. That's clear. She didn't have to put in there that he was violent. She just said, the marriage is over. That's all you need to buy for divorce. And she let him have.

[Nancy Grace]

You are so right about that. You are so right about that. Because he even got the money back for the engagement ring and the wedding band. Now there's a classy dude.

[Randy Kessler]

Hey, you know, the bottom line is one, somebody wants out and somebody doesn't. And it sounds like she wanted out and he didn't want out as much. So she said, you know what? What will it take to end this right now? And he apparently said, this is what it's going to take. And they reached an agreement. They got it done. Why? Nobody knows. You can speculate all day long, man.

[Nancy Grace]

Look at the before and after, guys. Hey, that shot you just showed New York control room, the one just before that. Look at him there. And look at him in his most recent bookend. This is where allegations of steroid. Oh, somebody has a rash on their neck. Allegations of steroid use. Okay, I'll get. Ooh, there you go. And that is not just gaining weight. Wait, his neck is as big as a Virginia ham. That is either working out day in and day out or steroids. Okay, I'll get to the steroids In a moment, Dr. John de la Torre. But I want to go back to the ex girlfriend. Look at her. Do you believe her? Because I find her very credible.

[McKee's Ex-Girlfriend]

Listen, he didn't really talk about his parents. He did tell me he was adopted by an older couple. And he just, like, they were good parents, but he just never talked about them. He never talked to them. I would call my mom, like every day.

[Dave Mack]

We would.

[McKee's Ex-Girlfriend]

We have a great relationship, but he was just much more reserved. He never really. When I asked him more, he just didn't really want to talk about it. So I kind of left it at that. This is him. This is a. Celebrating New Year's with a bunch of my friends and family. And this is me right here. And that's him, which is crazy.

[Nancy Grace]

Okay, so if she's lying. She's gone to great links to Photoshop pictures, which look very real to me. But that said Dr. John de la Torre, that's a blaring, blinking, flashing neon light of warning. That's a red flag. He never talked about his parents. He never talked to his parents when I would bring them up. He didn't want to talk about it. You know, that's something I look at. How does a guy treat his mother?

[Dr. John de la Torre]

Yeah. No, it is because the relationships that you have with your parents are. Are often going to be the prototypes for the relationships that you have with other people. Right? Because if you have these positive and secure attachments with your parents, you can assume that other people are going to have those kinds of attachments, so you can have those kinds of attachments with them. And I think it becomes a red flag when it becomes there's no clear reason as to why you would have this disconnect as to why you would go no contact with your parents. People go no contact for all different kinds of reasons. But the. If he's willing to say, and put himself out there to say that my ex wife took all my stuff and the dog, then why is he, you know, kind of obfuscating? Why he's no longer having any contact with his parents. So you, as the ex girlfriend, you start seeing these little patterns. You start seeing these little flags come up and being raised as to who exactly am I spending my time with? Who exactly is this person and what is he capable of doing?

[Nancy Grace]

Well, I mean, Kessler and all of your divorced clients that you've dealt with over the years, plus all your criminal defendants you've represented, it's starting to pile up. I mean, I could believe, okay, it's the ex. It's the ex wife's fault, but now there's no contact with the parents. He doesn't want to talk about them. He's not in touch with them. So now it's the mom and the dad and the ex wife. I know it's him. He's the problem. He's the only common denominator. Do you ever have clients like that where, oh, she did this and she did that, and my teenage daughter won't speak to me and my son hates me, blah, blah. Pretty soon, do you ever get it, it's you, not them.

[Randy Kessler]

Yeah, I mean, we sort of have that old joke that, you know, sometimes it's the person who says, I'm only in jail because you called the police. Everything's the other person's fault. But this one's a little more complicated. Right. Obviously a successful guy. He's a very accomplished surgeon. He's made it through difficult studies, difficult schools, difficult jobs. So it's even harder for us to get our head around the fact that he might be totally off center. You know, he's going to have a lot of defense to be able to say, look, you can't hold it together and be a great surgeon without some sort of stability, some sort of common sense, some sort of knowledge. It makes the case much more interesting. Yes, we definitely have people that I.

[Nancy Grace]

Guess you've heard of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, right? Hey, one more. You got to hear this from the ex girlfriend who, by the way, and I don't blame her, has now deleted her Tick Tock it. She was at Tick Tock at Srummy.

[McKee's Ex-Girlfriend]

Listen, he also has been to my family home. That's him right there. This is me and my family members. But it's honestly shocking and I'm grateful that the Lord protected me from moving forward in that relationship. The reason why it ended was I honestly wasn't feeling it. I don't mean to be disrespectful, but he was just kind of boring and he was very much like kind of surface level. There was no, like, I couldn't go deep with him and yeah, that's why, like, I couldn't form like a deep connection with him because of that. Like, I think he had a wall up where he just like could not go deep with like any conversations really. So that's why it ended.

[Nancy Grace]

Dr. De la Torre, Dr. John de la Torre joining us, psychological consultant to Project Absence, which is a non profit searching for missing people. You can find him on Twitter, insta and tick tock at Dr. John DeLatori. What does that mean? She says he had a wall up, they couldn't connect. How does that fit in with your observations?

[Dr. John de la Torre]

Here's the thing that I think I need to know before I can make a definitive decision. What was his bedside manner? We're in a unique position where we can see how someone interacts with, with other people on a regular basis. Because it is certainly possible that Dr. McKee has no bedside manner, that he views people as simply objects that he either has to fix or he either has to control. And so it's certainly possible that he has no depth because there is no depth to him, that he has no real ability to connect to other people and because he views them as just simple broken things that he knows how to fix or things that he knows how to break over time that there's nothing else there. And this ex girlfriend was able to pick up on that and extricate herself from this relationship. But the more we know about what his bedside manner is, the more we can tell whether or not this was an under. An underlying psychopath or sociopath.

[Nancy Grace]

You know, Dr. John de la Torre, I've never delved into it in front of a jury because it was irrelevant under the law, but I've studied it when I was prosecuting killers. And since the affect of a serial killer, the affect of a killer, how does what the ex girlfriend says fit into the profile of a psychopath?

[Dr. John de la Torre]

One of the biggest things that we look at when it comes to the psychopathy checklist is shallow affect. Now, by shallow affect, what that means is you can mimic, right? The psychopath is able to mimic emotions. They're able to mimic empathy. They're able to kind of demonstrate that just on a surface level, but you can't connect with them, one human being to the next. Humans are really good at understanding when they're actually being connected, when they're, when they're actually developing that intimacy. Psychopaths don't have that. And psychopathy isn't dictated by your. By your intelligence. It absolutely is not. You can be highly intelligent, or you cannot be highly intelligent and still be a psychopath. Your job doesn't.

[Nancy Grace]

What about a sociopath?

[Dr. John de la Torre]

Whether or not you are those things, a sociopath is similar, but a sociopath is looking at the overall kind of construction of the world around them, the. The society and communities that. That. That are around them and wants to buck that system. They want. They want to. To. To. To destroy the systems that are in place. The psychopath wants to hurt other people because they think that they're more right, that the narcissism is such that they are above other people, while the sociopath looks to tear down the system as a whole.

[Nancy Grace]

The ex girlfriend may be the closest we'll ever get to his true nature because there is no way this guy's taking the stand. There's nothing good about a silencer.

[Dave Mack]

I love silencers. That was an additional witness that was saying the owner of this silencer is guilty.

[Nancy Grace]

Why does this vascular surgeon have a silencer?

[Randy Kessler]

Kydbms Keep your damn big mouth shut.

[Nancy Grace]

Straight out to special guest. Joining us, Yelena Mandenberg, investigative news reporter for the Mirror, the Irish star and the Express. Yelena, again, thank you for being with us tonight. So where is McKee tonight?

[Yelena Mandenberg]

He is at the James A. Carnes Corrections Center. In Franklin County, Ohio, which is brand new. Billion dollars. Billions of dollars sunk into this project. And honestly mostly looks like a rehab center. For it is a jail and not a prison. So it is a place people will go and either they will see their day in court and be free, or they will move into the prison system. So if Mickey is guilty and convicted, he'll. He won't be staying in this nice facility for very long. I have a feeling it was mostly built to address, you know, the drug addiction and population in Ohio and Franklin county does cycle through, you know, nearly 20,000 people a year. Operates one of the largest jail systems in the state.

[Nancy Grace]

Well, wait a minute. Yelena Mandenberg. 20,000 people. So does the Hilton, so does the Mandalay, so does the Waldorf Astoria. Do they have to stay in a place. It looks like. It looks like the lobby of one of those futuristic hotels where there is very sparse. Oh, whoa, whoa. Wait. What is that? Go, go back.

[Dr. John de la Torre]

What?

[Nancy Grace]

What are those balls? Dr. Duane Hendricks. What in the hay. That looks like the Equinox, the fancy workout club in New York. What? Did you see those balls that you sit on and try to balance and do exercises on them? Can I see that picture again? Those life cycles are better. Look at this.

[Dr. Duane Hendricks]

Well, Nancy, just like the reporter just mentioned, this is a new facility. When I served as a warden in the state of West Virginia, there was a big opioid crisis there as well. And Ohio was a leading state in terms of trying to address the opioid addiction. And I believe this jail was designed to deal with those. The crisis that they have in the state of Ohio, you know, nearly 80,000 out of deaths a year. Out of 100,000 opioid deaths, 80% of those deaths are related to opioid addiction. I know you mentioned something about Gatorade stations as well. And looking into that, the Gatorade stations and electrolytes are there to address the. For inmates that are withdrawing from opioid addiction. So that is why. Because ultimately I had never heard of that before, but ultimately this is why they designed this facility in the manner that they did, because they're trying to address the issue.

[Nancy Grace]

Are they going to drop a Starbucks in there?

[Dr. Duane Hendricks]

No, they're not going to draw a Starbucks frappe. No, they're not.

[Randy Kessler]

No.

[Dr. Duane Hendricks]

No.

[Nancy Grace]

Extra squirt of sugar free vanilla. What's next? Listen. McKee arrived from Ohio and was booked into the Franklin County Jail, the James.

[Dr. John de la Torre]

A. Carnes correct center.

[Dave Mack]

At his arraignment, McKee pleaded not guilty.

[Dr. John de la Torre]

And waived a request for bond. McKee will remain in Karns Corrections center.

[Dave Mack]

Until his attorney seeks bail or the.

[Dr. John de la Torre]

Case goes to trial.

[Dave Mack]

The new jail has a less institutional feel on purpose as the sheriff's office excited about biophilic design principles using high ceilings, murals of mountains and ocean scenes, and maximum natural light. Pods are located on the second floor with better access to the natural light via skylights.

[Dr. John de la Torre]

Design features include use of wood graining, requiring use of headphones when watching tv.

[Dave Mack]

And the presence of clocks.

[Dr. John de la Torre]

Extra care spent on mattresses to help inmates abuse putting clocks in the jail, making things seem more normal, less institutional.

[Nancy Grace]

Okay, Dr. Duane Hendricks is with us. Just so you know why he's joining us tonight. Former Warden, MDC Brooklyn Warden Sheridan, Oregon Senior Warden, US Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons Founder, President of A New Daylight foundation author of who Are youe? See it, say it, seize it. Okay, Dr. Hendricks, thank you for being with us. I'd like you to peruse these shots inside the Karn CI Correctional Institute. Now, they have a biophilic design, Dr. Hendricks, which incorporates natural materials, light, vegetation, organic forms into the built environment. They are trying to foster a connection with nature, enhance human well being, health and productivity. Okay, Dr. Duane Hendricks. Why do I want him closer to nature?

[Dr. Duane Hendricks]

Well, I mean, he is in the jail allegedly for committing these murders so that he's there for punished as punishment. But while you're incarcerated, you're not there to be punished further. And the aesthetics of this facility is there to create again, an environment.

[Nancy Grace]

Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. What? You're not incarcerated to be punished? What?

[Dr. Duane Hendricks]

I said as punishment.

[Nancy Grace]

Did he say that? He did. Okay, what?

[Dr. Duane Hendricks]

Yes, he's there as punishment or not for further punishment. And I'll also say the aesthetics of this facility is not just for those inmates, but they're also for the staff as well. Because these are. The correctional environment is not something.

[Nancy Grace]

The staff. The staff, they can go home in front of their widescreen big screen TV and sit in their pit group. That's jail. Listen to this, Henry.

[Dr. Duane Hendricks]

Staff are spending 16 hours and a lot more than 40 hours a week in those environments and having.

[Nancy Grace]

Okay, great. Give them an awesome staff lounge. You're right. I'd be mad if they didn't. But can I ask you, why does a guy charged with double murder shooting people dead in their beds, with their children in the next room screaming their heads off, have natural materials utilizing wood, stone, rattan, bamboo, terracotta to create tactile connections in nature, maximizing daylight through large windows, skylights. What? I don't Know, I'm flummoxed because you're.

[Dr. Duane Hendricks]

Trying to reduce, you're trying to reduce violence. You're trying to reduce violence. You're trying to reduce the amount of mental, the mental toll that it takes on those individuals that are incarcerated as well as the staff that work in these environments. That is the reason why that these new designs of a facility like this, and it's for rehabilitative purposes, because 80% of the people that go to prison or jail will be released back into our communities. And after spending several years in prison, you want your neighbors to come back in a better, in somewhat better condition, mentally and physically, or do we want them.

[Tony Robbins]

Hey, everybody, it's Tony Robbins. Look, the time is here. It's 2026, and everybody talks about having a new year and a new life. But what do most people do? They create a few resolutions and in the end they don't really do anything. If you want this to be the best year you've ever had in your life, it's going to take a new tool, a new strategy, a new momentum, and maybe a new community of people to hang out with. So come join me for the Time to Rise summit. I do it only once a year. It's coming up January 29th through the 31st. There's absolutely no charge for it, but it'll be an experience I promise you, you will not forget. It'll give you momentum, a plan and a strategy to make 2026 the best ever. If you're up for that and you're hungry for more, come join me. There's no cost for it whatsoever. Just go to timetoriseummit.com timetoriseummit.com I'll see you then.

[Nancy Grace]

Crime Stories with Nancy Grace Jo Scott Morgan. Please help me because I feel like I'm in the crazy house right now. Do you hear Hendrix, who? I respect it up until this moment. Biophilic design, connection with nature, maximum natural light, comfy mattresses.

[Yelena Mandenberg]

What?

[Joseph Scott Morgan]

It's a far cry from the Eastern State Penitentiary in Pennsylvania, which I've visited many years ago, which was one of the first places where people were incarcerated. And yeah, this does look more like a treatment facility than it does a place for long term correction. And again, this is a county facility, Nancy. This is merely a holding or stopping point.

[Nancy Grace]

Can I see the urinal, please? You know, Joe Scott, there is a phenomena where men have the performance anxiety if they have to urinate with someone watching them. They just can't do it. I'm sure a shrink would know the Correct name, but there you go. There's a little privacy wall so they can titi.

[Joseph Scott Morgan]

Yeah. Well, again, back to functionality here. Nancy, how long is this guy going to be here? If he's going to go to trial, he's going to wind up in a location that'll be far from this. As far as the aesthetic goes, he's going to wind up in Ohio State Penitentiary if he goes to trial and he's convicted. And that's a far cry from what you're seeing here.

[Nancy Grace]

So, Dr. Duane Hendricks, sure, you're happy that Dr. Michael McKee, charged with double murder, gunning two people down in their beds and keeping the gun so he can relive the terror he saw on Monique's face as he towered over their bed that night. You're happy he has plenty of space to roam around in this billion dollar facility. He's got a lot more space than Spencer and Monique have. They're in a coffin now.

[Dr. Duane Hendricks]

No, I'm not happy that he's in a better space because trust me, if he's convicted, you know, like Mr. Morgan just said he is, Scott Morgan just said he is going to go to a state penitentiary and spend the rest of his life behind bars. And he's going to have to channel that Mr. Hyde character because he won't be able to manipulate his way through the things that he's thought he has done throughout his life to get to the point where he is now. So he's going to be more Mr. Hyde and Mr. Jekyll and in a different facility. But I can also, as an administrator in corrections, I can see why they've built some of these institutions in this. In this way, because again, you're trying to reduce stress, you're trying to reduce violence, and you're trying to put individuals in a position so that when they do release that they'll be better mentally and physically. But no, I'm not Dr. Duane Hendricks.

[Nancy Grace]

Let me remind you what this, what this is all about. What tonight is all about. The reason you are here. The reason I am here. It's about Monique and Spencer Tepe. That's what it's about.

[Dave Mack]

Listen, what's changed since the last person I talked to? There's a body. There's a body. There's a body inside.

[Tony Robbins]

Yeah.

[Nancy Grace]

Okay, hold on one second.

[Dave Mack]

Let me get you on the line with the medic. Okay, Stay on the line. He appears dead. There's a body. Our. Our friend wasn't entering his phone. We just did along the ship. We just came here and he appears dead. Okay. He's laying next to him, his bed off of his bed, within his blood. I think it closer to more than that. Okay, so you can tell he's obviously not breathing or anything.

[Tony Robbins]

Yeah.

[Dave Mack]

Is it like, how to like, like, you know, does he look like. Okay, all right, I understand.

[Nancy Grace]

Professor Forensics, Jacksonville State University. Joseph Scott Morgan. What about the allegations that he's using steroids? Did you see that before and after?

[Joseph Scott Morgan]

Yeah, I did. And again, weight gain and bulk and that sort of thing can be explained in any number of ways. However, if an individual is abusing steroids or integrating them into their life in any way, that's something that generally happens early on when they're beginning to utilize them. And you do see significant growth, but over long term use, relative to anabolic steroids, you're talking about things that make people a bit delusional. They can be highly reactive. They can actually have a certain level of paranoia relative to them. And so that's something should be explored. However, now that he is incarcerated, if he was using these before, you could actually see a reduction in size. We'll see how this plays out.

[Nancy Grace]

Randy Kassler, is steroid use a defense?

[Dave Mack]

No.

[Randy Kessler]

It's a big problem for the actual defense lawyer because now the public and the jury might say, well, he was a functioning doctor. What would have made him do something? And this is an explanation for them to say, well, we could see how that could push him over the edge. But being on steroids doesn't justify this. If his defense is, I did it, but I was on steroids, I think his defense is, I didn't do it, so make steroids irrelevant.

[Nancy Grace]

Dave. Matt, what can you tell me about an alleged clerical error that could have sparked a killing spree?

[Dave Mack]

Nancy, it is so shocking that this simple clerical error involving the docket number within the court system. Court officials have confirmed that this error in the docket number resulted in the the McKee divorce case getting a hearing put on the docket for June of 2025 and including a scheduled trial date for September. This brought everything back to the forefront for McKee because this was settled in 2017, and here it is in 2025 being brought up. It was a simple error. It was caught and corrected, and the scheduled September hearing was canceled, but it was still brought up.

[Nancy Grace]

Nancy, Yelena Mandenberg joining us from the Mirror, the Irish star and the Express. Yelena, what happens now?

[Yelena Mandenberg]

So now we go to trial. Now the defense and the prosecutor have each got to work on their evidence. It's Unlikely. We're going to hear too many updates of details. I reached out to all the lawyers, of course, and they can't comment until the case is over. So, as I said earlier, the prosecutor is going to have, you know, a tough time filling in the little holes and the little pieces beyond a reasonable doubt. And that's going to be the next part. There's no trial date set so far. He just entered the not guilty plea. And we're going to wait to find when there is a trial date. And if the evidence is defined, that might be sooner rather than later. And if anything found complicates the case, then it's going to take some time before we actually see any kind of official details from the case.

[Nancy Grace]

Nancy Grace signing off. Goodbye, friend.

[Tony Robbins]

Hey, everybody, it's Tony Robbins. Look, the time is here. It's 2026, and everybody talks about having a new year and a new life. But what do most people do? They create a few resolutions, and in the end, they don't really do anything. If you want this to be the best year you've ever had in your life, it's going to take a new tool, a new strategy, a new momentum, and maybe a new community of people to hang out with. So come join me for the Time to Rise Summit. I do it only once a year. It's coming up January 29th through the 31st. There's absolutely no charge for it, but it'll be an experience I promise you you will not forget. It'll give you momentum, a plan, and a strategy to make 2026 the best ever. If you're up for that and you're hungry for more, come join me. There's no cost for it whatsoever. Just go to timetoriseummit.com timetoriseummit.com I'll see you then.

[McKee's Ex-Girlfriend]

This is an iHeart podcast guarantee.