Surgeon ex-husband accused in Ohio dentist slayings retains lawyer who won prior high-profile murder trial

The surgeon accused of gunning down his ex-wife and her dentist husband inside their Ohio home has retained a local defense attorney who previously worked on another high-profile murder case.

Michael McKee is now being represented by attorney Diane Menashe as he faces four counts of aggravated murder, each with firearm specifications, according to court documents obtained by Fox News Digital. Menashe filed a notice of appearance on Jan. 22. 

Menashe has worked as an attorney for 27 years and currently manages her own firm, according to the Menashe Law Group website. 

She previously represented Dr. William Husel, an Ohio doctor who was acquitted in 2022 on all 14 counts of murder after prosecutors accused him of prescribing excessive pain medication to his patients in the Columbus-based Mount Carmel Health System.

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During Husel’s trial, his defense team called one witness to the stand – a Georgia anesthesiologist who testified that Husel’s patients died from their medical conditions and not Husel’s actions.

He was acquitted on all charges in April 2022 after a jury deliberated for more than a week. 

McKee is accused of shooting and killing Spencer Tepe, 37, and Monique Tepe, 39, inside their Weinland Park home in Columbus between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. on Dec. 30. McKee is Monique’s ex-husband.

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Following a weekslong manhunt, McKee was arrested in Illinois on Jan. 10 and subsequently extradited to Ohio after awaiting his hearing two days later, where he remains in custody at the Franklin County Jail. 

A sheriff’s spokesperson previously said that McKee faces upgraded premeditated aggravated murder charges, with three of the counts including specifications alleging the use or display of an automatic firearm or silencer. The fourth charge alleges a firearm was displayed or brandished. 

Additionally, McKee is charged with one count of aggravated burglary.

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Authorities have previously revealed that investigators recovered firearms from McKee’s home, including one that is believed to have been used in the murders. 

“At this time, again, unfortunately, I’m unable to answer that question,” Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant told Fox News Digital when asked whether the gun was legally obtained. She said investigators were “still doing some investigation as it relates to this case.”

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Charging documents reveal police linked McKee to a vehicle that was seen arriving in the Tepes’ neighborhood shortly before the murders and spotted departing after the alleged homicides. The car was then tracked to Rockford, Illinois, where police learned it belonged to McKee.

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McKee is set to appear for an arraignment hearing in the Franklin County Common Pleas Court on Friday, Jan. 23. 

Court records show McKee and Monique were married for seven months after their wedding on Aug. 22, 2015, before they split up, with divorce documents revealing Monique claimed the two were “incompatible.”

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McKee was in the process of completing his residency at Virginia Tech Carilion Clinic when the pair split. 

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Rob Misleh, Spencer’s brother-in-law, told WSYX that the couple was preparing to celebrate their five-year wedding anniversary one month before they were killed.

Menashe did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.