Michael McKee, accused of killing Spencer and Monique Tepe, appears in court

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The man accused of shooting and killing his ex-wife and her husband in Columbus made his first court appearance in Illinois on Monday.

Michael McKee waived his right to an extradition hearing and is expected to return to Franklin County, where the murders of Spencer and Monique Tepe occurred last month.

McKee is the ex-husband of Monique Tepe.

The Tepes were found shot to death in their Weinland Park home on the morning of Dec. 30. Their two young children, ages 4 and 1, were found unharmed in the home.

McKee, 39, had been on the run until Saturday, when police in Illinois took him into custody. He was initially charged with two counts of murder, but those counts were upgraded to premeditated aggravated murder, the penalty for which could include death.

In court Monday, McKee, a vascular surgeon, said little, and did not fight being sent to Ohio.

"Mr. McKee believes the most expeditious manner in which he may defend himself against the charges pending in Ohio, is to plead not guilty, waive his right to an extradition hearing, and have a governors warrant for his immediate transport," Winnebago County assistant public defender Carie Poirer said.

As the legal process moves forward, the Tepe family is focused on honoring Spencer and Monique's legacies.

Hundreds attended visitation services Sunday at Schoedinger Northwest in Upper Arlington to honor the Tepes. ABC 6 did not attend the visitation out of respect for the family’s privacy.

"We're still going through all these different emotions of grief, shock, anger, and disbelief," said Rob Misleh, Spencer's brother-in-law. "I still see these images of Spencer that are being sent to me and I just think, 'He's not gone. There's no way he's gone. There's no way Monique's gone. That can't be possible.'"

Misleh described the service as a celebration of the couple’s lives and said McKee’s arrest has brought the family a sense of peace as they grieve privately.


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