Spencer and Monique Tepe — the Ohio couple killed inside their Columbus home in the early morning hours of Dec. 30 — were “madly in love” and deeply devoted to their children, a friend of the couple says.
“They still acted like newlyweds,” the friend says of Spencer, 37, and Monique, 39, who married in 2021.
The couple would have marked their fifth wedding anniversary later this month, but their lives were abruptly cut short. Columbus police are now working to identify a suspect in what investigators describe as a double homicide.
At least one family member believes the attack may have been targeted, citing that nothing appeared to be stolen from the residence and the couple’s two young children — now left without parents — were not harmed.
Concern grew the morning of Dec. 30 after Spencer, a dentist, failed to show up for his first appointments. Co-workers went to check on him and were alerted something was wrong after hearing the children crying inside the home, according to the friend.
“They were great parents,” the friend says of the couple, who had a 4-year-old daughter and a 1-year-old son.
“They hosted playdates, they were involved in the community, they were the kind of neighbors you want to have — especially as a parent,” the friend adds.
Spencer, the friend says, was also Monique’s biggest supporter.
“He would always be talking about her,” the friend says, adding that he constantly “champion[ed]” her.
The friend says it was clear Spencer “respected [Monique] just as much as he loved” her — a kind of bond she didn’t often see in other couples.
Police have not identified a suspect eight days after the killings, but on Jan. 5 they released surveillance video of an individual they believe may have information about the case. Authorities say the person was captured in the alley behind the couple’s home between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. on Dec. 30 — the timeframe investigators believe the couple was killed.
In addition, a Go Fund Me has been set up to benefit the couple’s children.
The friend says neighbors in Weinland Park, where the family lived, have been leaving flowers outside the home over the past several days in remembrance.
“I miss them both so much,” the friend says.
Anyone with information is asked to contact investigators at 614-645-2228 or submit an anonymous tip to Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at 614-461-8477.
