Spencer and Monique Tepe: What the Defense Sees That You Don't

Feb 09, 01:00 AM

Subscribe

Everyone already thinks Michael McKee is guilty. Surveillance footage allegedly linking his vehicle to the scene. A firearm from his Chicago condo matched through national ballistics databases. Witnesses describing years of alleged abuse—that he could "kill her at any time," that Monique would "always be his wife." His phone going silent during the murder window. The court of public opinion convicted him before he was arraigned.

Defense attorney Bob Motta looks at cases like this and asks the questions nobody else wants to ask. That's how the justice system is supposed to work.

The surveillance footage everyone treats as a smoking gun—how reliable is it really? Bob breaks down what people get wrong about video evidence. The hearsay testimony from friends claiming Monique said McKee threatened her—she's not alive to testify, so can prosecutors even use it? The phone going dark sounds damning, but digital evidence cuts both ways.

Then there's the not guilty plea. McKee waived extradition immediately and his bail hearing while reserving future rights. Strategy, not desperation. Forensic experts call defendants who view their own prosecution as competition the "game player"—the pattern seen in Scott Peterson, Chris Watts, Ted Bundy. Men who faced overwhelming evidence but refused to fold.

The same detachment that allows someone to treat a murder trial as an intellectual exercise may be the same detachment that enables the act itself. For the game player, other people aren't fully real. They're pieces on a board. The trial isn't punishment—it's the championship round.

This is an aggravated murder charge. Prosecutors must prove premeditation—not just that he did it, but that he planned it. Eight years passed between the divorce and the murders. Bob Motta explains why that timeline works for the defense as much as the prosecution.

#MichaelMcKee #MoniqueTepe #SpencerTepe #BobMotta #DefenseStrategy #AggravatedMurder #ColumbusOhio #TrueCrime #GamePlayerPsychology #HiddenKillers

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.