The charges against Dr. Michael McKee were upgraded from murder to premeditated aggravated murder. In Ohio, that distinction matters — it's the difference between serious prison time and death penalty eligibility.

Attorney Eric Faddis breaks down what prosecutors need to prove "prior calculation and design" and what this upgrade signals about evidence police haven't released yet.

Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant confirmed multiple firearms were recovered from McKee's property, with a preliminary ballistic link through NIBIN connecting one weapon to the crime scene. Eric explains what NIBIN is, how preliminary ballistic evidence works, and whether the defense can challenge it at trial.

Police have connected McKee to surveillance footage showing a vehicle that arrived before the murders and left shortly after. That vehicle has been traced to McKee. Eric examines how strong this circumstantial evidence is and what the defense would likely argue to counter it.

McKee waived extradition but remains in Illinois. Court records say his transfer to Ohio "will not be feasible" by the end of the week. His attorney says he plans to plead not guilty. Given the public evidence — ballistics, vehicle records, surveillance footage — what defense strategies might be available?

Chief Bryant said police are withholding details to avoid jeopardizing conviction. Eric explains when the defense and public will start seeing more evidence — arraignment, preliminary hearing, or discovery.

Spencer and Monique Tepe were found shot dead in their Columbus home on December 30, 2025. Their children — ages 4 and 1 — were found unharmed. McKee is Monique's ex-husband from a seven-month marriage that ended in 2017. Her family says they waited eight years for this arrest.

#MichaelMcKee #SpencerTepe #MoniqueTepe #EricFaddis #TeepeMurders #AggravatedMurder #HiddenKillers #ColumbusOhio #TrueCrime #DeathPenalty

Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/

Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/
Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod
X Twitter https://x.com/tonybpod

Listen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872

This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.

Day three of the Brendan Banfield double murder trial delivered explosive testimony from Fairfax County detectives who revealed that just eight months after Christine Banfield was stabbed to death in her own bedroom, au pair Juliana Peres Magalhães had moved into that same room. Crime scene photographs showed the blood-stained carpet had been replaced with new wood flooring, the furniture swapped out, and framed photos of Brendan and Christine replaced with images of Brendan and Juliana together.

Prosecutors played McDonald's surveillance video showing Brendan Banfield waiting in the parking lot on the morning of February 24, 2023 — exactly as Juliana testified. Phone records confirmed she called him at 7:37 AM, allegedly signaling that Joseph Ryan had arrived at the house. Call logs also showed both Brendan and Juliana made calls to Christine's phone that morning — the same phone prosecutors say was hidden in a kitchen drawer while she slept.

Forensic scientist Katherine Colombo testified that Brendan Banfield's DNA was not found on the murder knife, but noted police allowed him to wash his hands before samples were collected. Blood spatter on Banfield's jeans matched Christine's DNA. Fingerprint examiner Douglas Gudakunst said prints on the knife were inconclusive between Banfield and victim Joseph Ryan.

Prosecutors also established that Banfield purchased a gun less than a month before the murders and took Juliana to a shooting range twice in the weeks prior. They alleged he spent over $30,000 on triple-pane windows to muffle sounds like gunshots from inside the home.

The prosecution announced they have only a few witnesses remaining. Trial resumes Tuesday, January 20th after the MLK holiday weekend.

#BrendanBanfield #AuPairAffair #ChristineBanfield #JulianaMagalhaes #FairfaxCounty #MurderTrial #TrueCrime #JosephRyan #FetLife #DoubleHomicide

Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/

Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/
Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod
X Twitter https://x.com/tonybpod

Listen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872

This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.

For the first time since the murders, Spencer Tepe's brother-in-law Rob Misleh went on national television and told the world what Monique Tepe was running from when she divorced Dr. Michael McKee eight years ago.

"She just had to get away from him."

He said Monique told him McKee was emotionally abusive. That many in the family knew about the torment he put her through. That she was willing to do anything to escape.

And she did escape. She filed for divorce after just seven months of marriage. She moved back to Ohio. She rebuilt her life. She married Spencer Tepe in late 2020 and had two children. In her wedding vows, she talked about "wrong relationships" and "waterfalls of tears" — but said it was all worth it because it led her to Spencer.

Eight years later, according to police, the man she fled allegedly drove from Illinois to Columbus and shot both Monique and Spencer dead while their children slept nearby.

Today, Columbus police confirmed this was a targeted domestic violence attack. They also revealed they recovered multiple firearms from McKee's property, with a preliminary ballistic link to the murders.

Rob Misleh said over 1,000 people attended the funeral. He said the family just wants justice — for Monique, for Spencer, and especially for the two children left behind.

McKee maintains his innocence and plans to plead not guilty to two counts of premeditated aggravated murder.

She got out. She did everything right. It just wasn't far enough.

#HiddenKillers #TeepeMurders #MichaelMcKee #MoniqueTepe #SpencerTepe #DomesticViolence #EmotionalAbuse #TrueCrimePodcast #ColumbusOhio #SurvivorStory

Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/

Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/
Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod
X Twitter https://x.com/tonybpod

Listen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872

This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.