CNN, POOL VIA WIFR, WINNEBAGO COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE, ROB MISLEH, WBNS, WIFR, COLUMBUS POLICE DEPARTMENT, WLWT, WSYX

By Elise Hammond, CNN

(CNN) — The clock is ticking for the man accused of killing a couple in their Columbus, Ohio, home to be sent back to the Buckeye State to face charges.

Michael David McKee was arrested over the weekend in Illinois on two counts of murder in the deaths of Monique Tepe and her husband, Spencer. McKee — Monique’s ex-husband — waived his right to an extradition hearing Monday.

Now, authorities in Ohio have 30 days to bring him to the state so proceedings can begin, according to Joey Jackson, a criminal defense attorney and CNN legal analyst. McKee’s public defender indicated to the judge that his client intends to plead not guilty in Ohio.

Key details of the case are still unknown. Police have not publicly given a possible motive — and it could be a while before it is revealed, according to Jackson.

It is not a “legal imperative” for prosecutors or investigators to offer a motive, he said. The state only has to prove that McKee intended and accomplished the murders. Simply put, at the time of a trial, prosecutors “don’t have to establish why you did what you did — they just have to establish that you did it,” Jackson said.

In practice, however, when lawyers enter a courtroom and present their case in front of a jury, they are trying to tell a story, Jackson said.

“Most people want to know why a person might have acted that way,” he said. “So even though a motive is not an element of the crime, meaning you don’t have to prove it, generally prosecutors will suggest one.”

Monique Tepe and McKee married in August 2015. Their divorce was finalized less than two years later — in June 2017, court records show — about a month after it was filed by Tepe, who was using her maiden name of Sabaturski at the time.

They had no children together and court records do not indicate any major conflicts throughout the divorce proceedings. The Tepes’ murders came more than eight years after the divorce.

Once the case goes to discovery and investigators seek to uncover more information about McKee, including his social media, internet searches and what he said to other people, a motive might become apparent through the evidence, Jackson said.

However, Jackson said, police and other officials involved in the case are likely trying to ensure McKee’s right to a fair trial, and it’s possible they won’t publicly talk about a motive until then. Prosecutors want to limit the information they give the public for two reasons, he said: to limit the details provided to the defense, and to preserve the integrity of witnesses’ accounts.

Jackson said he’s “not surprised” that even if investigators do know the motive, “that they’re not telling us.”

McKee also has not been formally indicted. That can’t happen until he is in Ohio, Jackson said. Right now, just a criminal complaint has been issued, he said.

Colleagues

By Maureen O’Hare, CNN

(CNN) — When it comes to traveling from country to country without restrictions and enjoying shorter lines at border control, there’s an elite tier of passports with more clout than others.

The top three passports, says the latest report by the Henley Passport Index, are Asian countries: Singapore at No.1 and Japan and South Korea tied at No.2.

Singaporeans enjoy visa-free access to 192 of the 227 countries and territories tracked by the index, which was created by the London-based global citizenship and residence advisory firm Henley & Partners, and uses exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association.

Japan and South Korea are just behind with visa-free access to 188 destinations.

Henley counts multiple countries with the same score as a single spot in its standings, so five European countries share the No.3 slot: Denmark, Luxembourg, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. All have visa-free access to 186 countries and territories.

It’s an all-European placement at No.4 also, with the following countries all having a score of 185: Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands and Norway.

Fifth place, with a score of 184, is held by Hungary, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia and the United Arab Emirates.

UAE climbs the ranks

The UAE is the country with the strongest performance in the 20-year history of the Henley Passport Index, adding 149 visa-free destinations since 2006 and climbing 57 places up the rankings. This, says the report, has been driven by the UAE’s “sustained diplomatic engagement and visa liberalization.”

At No.6 are Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Malta, New Zealand and Poland. Australia has held onto its position at No.7 in this quarterly update, alongside Latvia, Liechtenstein and the United Kingdom.

The UK is the country with the steepest year-on-year losses on the index, now having visa-free access to 182 destinations, eight fewer than it had 12 months ago.

Canada, Iceland and Lithuania are at No.8, with visa-free access to 181 destinations, while Malaysia is at No.9, with a score of 180.

The United States is back in the No.10 spot, with a score of 179, after briefly dropping out for the first time in late 2025. However, don’t pop the champagne just yet. The US is just behind the UK when it comes to year-on-year decline, having lost visa-free access to seven destinations in the past 12 months.

It’s also endured the third-largest ranking decline over the past two decades — after Venezuela and Vanuatu — falling six places from fourth to 10th.

Stability and credibility

“Passport power ultimately reflects political stability, diplomatic credibi

By Zoe Sottile, CNN

(CNN) — It’s the oldest synagogue in Mississippi, a thriving religious center that has served Jackson’s small but vibrant Jewish community for more than half a century.

Now, the Beth Israel synagogue is indefinitely closed, its historic interiors blackened with ash, after authorities say a man set a fire in the building’s library in the early hours of Saturday morning. The FBI says the suspect confessed to attacking the historic synagogue “due to (the) building’s Jewish ties.”

This is the second time the synagogue, which serves a congregation first established in Jackson in 1860, has been attacked with fire, according to its website. In 1967, the building was bombed by members of the Klu Klux Klan, who also bombed the rabbi’s home just months later. The building is also home to the Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life, which supports Jewish communities in 13 southern states.

The 19-year-old suspect in Saturday’s attack was arrested at a hospital after his father called the FBI, saying his son confessed to him. Location data from a family tracking app helped corroborate his confession.

No one else is believed to have been inside the building and no injuries have been reported from the fire.

Who is the suspect?

Stephen Spencer Pittman has been charged with “arson of property used in interstate commerce or used in an activity affecting interstate commerce,” according to a criminal complaint filed Monday.

Pittman’s father contacted the FBI Saturday and told the agency his son had confessed to setting the building on fire, says the complaint.

The suspect was found at a local hospital with non-life-threatening burn injuries, Charles Felton, chief of investigations for the Jackson Fire Department’s Arson Investigation Division said.

A public defender was appointed to represent the 19-year-old at his first court appearance Monday afternoon. He appeared in federal court via video call from his hospital bed, with both his hands visibly bandaged, according to The Associated Press.

He said he had graduated high school and attended three semesters of college, reports the AP.

Pittman was released to the custody of the US Marshals Service and is scheduled to appear in court again on January 20, court records show.

If Pittman is convicted, he could face anywhere between five and 20 years in prison, the Department of Justice said in a news release. He acted alone, according to the DOJ.

CNN has reached out to Pittman’s public defender for comment.

How did the fire unfold?

CCTV footage shows someone started a fire inside the synagogue early Saturday morning, according to the criminal complaint. The document includes an image showing a “hooded individual” seen “walking in the interior of the building pouring contents from what appeared to be a gas container.”

Pittman told authorities he first stopped at a gas station to buy the gas he used to set the blaze, according to the complaint. At the gas station, he took the license plate off his vehicle, he told authorities.

Once he was at the building, he used an axe to break one of the synagogue’s windows, poured gas inside, and used a torch lighter to start a fire.

The Jackson Fire Department responded to the fire shortly after 3 a.m., where they found flames billowing from the windows. They requested fire investigators, who classified the blaze as “incendiary” based on “fire patterns and video surveillance.”

Investigators determined the fire started in the synagogue’s library, which sustained extensive damage, and continued toward the s

WLBT, BETH ISRAEL CONGREGATION, US DISTRICT COURT, CNN

By Zoe Sottile, CNN

(CNN) — It’s the oldest synagogue in Mississippi, a thriving religious center that has served Jackson’s small but vibrant Jewish community for more than half a century.

Now, the Beth Israel synagogue is indefinitely closed, its historic interiors blackened with ash, after authorities say a man set a fire in the building’s library in the early hours of Saturday morning. The FBI says the suspect confessed to attacking the historic synagogue “due to (the) building’s Jewish ties.”

This is the second time the synagogue, which serves a congregation first established in Jackson in 1860, has been attacked with fire, according to its website. In 1967, the building was bombed by members of the Klu Klux Klan, who also bombed the rabbi’s home just months later. The building is also home to the Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life, which supports Jewish communities in 13 southern states.

The 19-year-old suspect in Saturday’s attack was arrested at a hospital after his father called the FBI, saying his son confessed to him. Location data from a family tracking app helped corroborate his confession.

No one else is believed to have been inside the building and no injuries have been reported from the fire.

Who is the suspect?

Stephen Spencer Pittman has been charged with “arson of property used in interstate commerce or used in an activity affecting interstate commerce,” according to a criminal complaint filed Monday.

Pittman’s father contacted the FBI Saturday and told the agency his son had confessed to setting the building on fire, says the complaint.

The suspect was found at a local hospital with non-life-threatening burn injuries, Charles Felton, chief of investigations for the Jackson Fire Department’s Arson Investigation Division said.

A public defender was appointed to represent the 19-year-old at his first court appearance Monday afternoon. He appeared in federal court via video call from his hospital bed, with both his hands visibly bandaged, according to The Associated Press.

He said he had graduated high school and attended three semesters of college, reports the AP.

Pittman was released to the custody of the US Marshals Service and is scheduled to appear in court again on January 20, court records show.

If Pittman is convicted, he could face anywhere between five and 20 years in prison, the Department of Justice said in a news release. He acted alone, according to the DOJ.

CNN has reached out to Pittman’s public defender for comment.

How did the fire unfold?

CCTV footage shows someone started a fire inside the synagogue early Saturday morning, according to the criminal complaint. The document includes an image showing a “hooded individual” seen “walking in the interior of the building pouring contents from what appeared to be a gas container.”

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) - Harry's Plaza Cafe was packed with student-athletes as the Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table luncheon returned after several weeks off for winter break.

Five awards were handed out at the luncheon.

San Marcos High School girls water polo star Charlotte Raisin is the Female Athlete of the Week while Dos Pueblos High School senior guard Evan Pinsker is the Male Athlete of the Week.

Raisin scored 17 goals to lead the Royals to a fifth place finish in the prestigious Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions.

(The USC-bound senior Raisin led all players at the tournament in goals but also drew 12 exclusions and had close to 10 assists as the Royals went 3-1 in the tournament).

Pinsker drilled seven 3-pointers and had 26 points in a dramatic two-point win over crosstown rival San Marcos, the Chargers first victory over the Royals since 2017.

(Pinsker totaled 66 points in three games during the week).

Over the winter break Carpinteria High School basketball player Jamaica Cook and Cate High School soccer player George Marin earned Athlete of the Week honors.

Cook recorded three double-doubles for the Warriors girls basketball team including a 15 point, 22 rebound performance.

Marin scored a total of 8 goals in two wins for the Rams.

Carpinteria High School honored senior Vivian Huskins as the Warriors Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

(Huskins with award sponsor Marc Gamberdella)

She carries a 4.8 GPA and excels in soccer, track and field and also does cheer for the Warriors.

At the Northern Santa Barbara County Athletic Round Table luncheon at Giovanni's in Orcutt, three awards were given to student-athletes.

Santa Ynez High School boys basketball player Lucal Ollenburger, Santa Ynez girls soccer player Hannah Ricci and Santa Maria High School boys basketball player Jordan Medina all were honored.

Ollenburger averaged 1