Drop Dead Serious with Ashleigh Banfield

Episode: EXPLOSIVE Accusations in Ohio Double Murders | Monique & Spencer Tepe, Michael McKee

Date: January 28, 2026
Host: Ashleigh Banfield
Guest: Jennifer Coffindaffer (retired FBI agent)

Episode Overview

Ashleigh Banfield dives into the bombshell release of documents in the case against Dr. Michael McKee, arrested and charged with four counts of aggravated murder in the deaths of Monique and Spencer Tepe. With new details from the Franklin County Municipal Court, including the arrest complaint and the affidavit in support of probable cause, Banfield breaks down the disturbing evidence, steps through the investigation, and analyzes chilling behavioral patterns with retired FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer. This episode is a deep, irreverent, and candid look at the clues, the suspects, and the systemic realities of spousal abuse and escalation to murder.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. New Court Documents & the Case Against Dr. Michael McKee

— [02:05]

• Banfield has obtained the arrest complaint and affidavit for Michael McKee.
• Key Legal Language: Both Monique and Spencer Tepe were described as being shot "multiple times,” contradicting earlier police statements that Monique was shot only once.
• Banfield’s reaction: “Some of it I, I gotta be honest, fully expected, some of it I did not expect at all.”

2. Forensic and Investigative Findings

— [06:20–11:00]

• Timeline:
  • Dec 30, 2025: Police perform a welfare check after Dr. Tepe fails to show up for work; both victims found deceased with gunshot wounds. Their two young children were found unharmed in the home.
  • Pronouncement: Paramedics declared victims dead within 14 minutes of arrival.
• Prior Abuse & Threats:
  • Friends reported Monique told them McKee had been abusive, made numerous death threats, forced unwanted sex, and attempted strangulation.
    • “[Monique said] he could kill her at any time…that she will always be his wife.” — Banfield [13:44]
• Escalating Behavior:
  • Police obtained video of a suspect (allegedly McKee) surveilling the property and entering its "curtilage" 24 days before the murders, during which the Tepe family was away.
  • The vehicle was registered to McKee’s past and present addresses. It was seen with both a stolen Ohio plate and an Arizona plate at different times.

3. Chilling Parallels to Other High-Profile Cases

— [20:50; 50:08]

• Banfield connects McKee’s alleged decision to leave his phone at work during the murders to mistakes made by Bryan Kohberger, referencing the Idaho murders case.
• “Did he know about Kohberger getting screwed by his stupidity of taking his phone with him?” — Banfield [20:50]
• McKee’s use of license plate swapping, belief in his own intellectual superiority, and rookie missteps are discussed.

4. The December 6 “Dry Run” and Its Psychological Impact

— [22:31; 54:43]

• On Dec 6, 2025, while the Tepes attended the Big Ten championship game (with friends and without their kids), video captured the suspect on their property for hours.
  • Banfield posits that Monique, possibly alerted by home security notifications, witnessed McKee on camera, sending her into panic and prompting her to leave the game.
  • “I really wonder if Monique saw Dr. Michael McKee at her home.” — Banfield [23:14]

5. The Forensic Interview with Jennifer Coffindaffer (Retired FBI)

— [27:20–63:09]

Multiple Gunshot Wounds:

• Jennifer Coffindaffer:
  • “This complaint makes it clear that Monique and Dr. Tepe…was shot multiple times. So it means something.” [27:20]
  • Speculates on errant initial reports due to incomplete first scene assessments and the possibility of shell casings being picked up or hidden.
  • “It's very obvious they were shot multiple times.” [28:07]

Abuse Dynamics and the Reluctance to Report

• “It only lasted seven months, it would seem, because she was being brutalized and attacked at home and wanted out of it at all costs…it's really sad whenever you see domestic violence. Right. It starts and escalates.” — Coffindaffer [30:16]
• Discussion on why Monique may not have reported: privacy, fear, prior escalation of violence when police are involved,
• “I think she thought…she did do everything right. Right? She moved away. She…completely got him out of her life. She lived over 300 miles away. Just wasn’t enough.” — Coffindaffer [32:19]
• Both speakers stress men also suffer domestic violence (Betty Broderick cited as flipped parallel case).

Psychological Profile of the Suspect

• Analysis of possible sadistic tendencies, satisfaction motives, and the likelihood of “control” behaviors during the crime.
• “Would he want psychological abuse? Would he want to draw it out and enjoy it?...I would not doubt…he tortured her in a certain way, even if it was just emotionally and verbally before killing her.” — Coffindaffer [37:25]

Survivor Fear and Damage

• “If you look at the man he is to everybody else, he’s a vascular surgeon…No criminal record. But she did know the dirty secret.” — Banfield [42:03]
• “I think she was terrorized in her tracks, Ashley.” — Coffindaffer [63:04]

6. Mistakes, “Intellectual Superiority,” and Case Parallels

• Both Banfield and Coffindaffer note that highly educated suspects frequently make critical, “rookie” mistakes because of arrogance:
  • “You take extremely educated individuals…make these just rookie mistakes that…[anyone] would think, hmm, maybe I shouldn’t do that.” — Coffindaffer [48:49]

7. Forensic and Behavioral Evidence

• Vehicle: Registered to McKee, video captures distinct vehicle features, swapping of plates; attempted removal of registration stickers after the murders.
  • “He’s trying to cover his tracks. He’s way too late, and he didn’t do it.” — Coffindaffer [60:36]
• Surveillance: Dates of suspect’s movements coincide with days McKee is off work.
• Alibis: Police were alerted by “untruthful” explanations for McKee’s whereabouts on crucial dates.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “This is what detectives are documenting in black and white as they piece together the investigation into the murders…with their children sleeping down the hall.” — Ashleigh Banfield [02:52]
• “She told her friends that he raped her and tried to kill her by strangling her.” — Banfield [09:16]
• “You want evidence of premeditation…to support aggravated murder? Hello. That’s this.” — Banfield [16:27]
• “Forced unwanted sex is rape, plain and simple.” — Banfield [31:00]
• “And maybe her fear was not to escalate anything, because…these two kids. I have to keep the status quo and just do what I can to keep our environ safe.” — Banfield [42:29]
• “It's so hard because they're so afraid that that's gonna ignite immediate action against them, and it's out of fear, for the most part, why they don't go forward.” — Coffindaffer [34:14]
• “People are lazy by nature, and they want it to be more convenient.” — Coffindaffer [53:56]
• “It’s bone chilling…but I would be on the phone to 911 immediately. But what if this same person had ever said to you, ‘If you reach out…I'm gonna kill your children’?” [57:39]
• “I think she was terrorized in her tracks.” — Coffindaffer [63:04]

Important Timestamps

• 02:05 — Ashleigh’s acquisition of the arrest affidavit; first public look at new details.
• 06:20–11:00 — The timeline of the crime scene and discovery.
• 13:44 — Terror, threats, and Monique’s allegations reported by friends.
• 16:27 — Precedent for premeditation, evidence of dry run.
• 22:31 — Discussion of Dec 6 “dry run” and Monique leaving Big Ten game.
• 27:20 — Interview with Jennifer Coffindaffer begins (multiple gunshot wounds).
• 30:16–33:00 — Allegations of rape and strangulation, the psychology of not reporting.
• 37:25–42:45 — Analysis of killer’s psychology and survivor’s reality.
• 46:39–48:49 — On license plates, “rookie mistakes,” and lessons learned.
• 54:43–58:55 — Surveillance, “dry run,” and the problem of false alibis.
• 60:29–62:12 — Scraping registration stickers; suspect’s anxiety about being caught.
• 63:04 — Coffindaffer’s chilling conclusion: “terrorized in her tracks.”

Structure of Case Evidence and Theory

• Physical Evidence:
  • Surveillance footage, vehicle and plate swaps, evidence of pre-murder reconnaissance.
• Forensic Analysis:
  • Wound assessment, number of shots, shell casing count, forensic order of deaths.
• Behavioral Patterns:
  • Prior abuse, stalking, death threats, obsessed ex-spouse profile, hubristic mistakes.
• Legal Proceedings:
  • Multiple aggravated murder charges, evidence of both prior calculation and burglary.

Summary

This episode intricately unpacks the case against Dr. Michael McKee, accused of murdering his ex-wife and her husband in a chilling double homicide marked by a history of abuse, threats, and disturbing premeditation. Through Banfield’s pointed reading of court documents and a revealing interview with retired FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer, listeners are taken deep into the psychology, the procedures, and the red flags that were tragically missed or unreported. At every turn, Banfield draws connections between the evidence and the wider context of domestic violence and escalating patterns, arguing passionately for awareness, early reporting, and societal change. The episode is as much a true crime investigation as it is an urgent commentary on the enduring dangers of unaddressed abuse.

For more insight and to stay updated on the next developments in this shocking case, subscribe to Drop Dead Serious with Ashleigh Banfield.