‘I sat down with this man at the pool’: Neighbor’s chilling reaction after surgeon she knew gets charged with killing his ex-wife and her husband

Michael David McKee, a 39-year-old surgeon, has been charged with two counts of murder. He is accused of killing his ex-wife, 39-year-old Monique Tepe, and her current husband, 37-year-old Spencer Tepe. The couple was shot dead inside their Ohio home in the early morning hours of December 30.

One of McKee’s neighbors, Gera-Lind Kolarik, who lives in his upscale Illinois apartment building, said she was devastated and shocked by the charges. She told reporters that McKee “didn’t seem like somebody who would do something like this.” Kolarik said she had friendly conversations with him, which makes the situation even more disturbing.

Kolarik remembered the normal, casual moments they shared, making the arrest deeply unsettling. “I sat down with this man, I talked to him at the pool, barbequing,” she said, according to the Daily Mail. “It’s kind of shocking.”

The real tragedy falls on two innocent children

The Tepes’ two young children, a one-year-old son and a four-year-old daughter, were found safe inside the home where their parents were killed. Kolarik pointed out the terrible impact on the children, calling them “the real victims of this whole case here.” She said, “How do you explain to a child that mom and dad are here one day and gone the next?”

The victims’ family released a statement after the arrest, saying the charges “represents an important step toward justice for Monique and Spencer.” They added that nothing could bring back the two lives lost too soon.

The bodies were discovered after Spencer’s coworkers became worried when he didn’t show up for work that morning. Spencer worked as a dentist. A friend of Spencer’s, Alexander Ditty, went to the home and found the body.

Dispatch records show that Ditty could hear the children inside and later saw a body lying next to the bed with blood nearby. The records also noted a baby crying in the background during the emergency calls. This case has drawn attention to disturbing patterns of bodies found in waterways across the country.

Police found Spencer with multiple gunshot wounds and Monique shot once in the chest. Investigators discovered three 9mm shell casings at the scene, but there was no sign of forced entry or the murder weapon.

Police released surveillance footage showing a hooded figure walking the snowy streets near the Tepe home around the time of the killings. Detectives used this footage to identify McKee as a suspect and tracked his vehicle. Court documents state that the vehicle “arrived just prior to the homicides and left shortly after the homicides. Detectives were able to identify this vehicle further and link to Michael McKee.”

This evidence connected him to the vehicle found in Rockford, Illinois, where he was arrested without any problems. The shocking nature of the crime has reminded many of recent escalating violence in different contexts.

McKee and Monique had a short marriage. They married in August 2015 and separated seven months later in March 2016. Their divorce was finalized by June 2017. Monique listed “incompatibility” as the reason for divorce. The divorce papers showed some money issues between them.