Teen Girl Charged with Double Homicide of Mother and Her Boyfriend in Palm Bay
Julia Grace Egler, 16, charged with the double homicide of her mother and her boyfriend in Palm Bay, Florida. Investigation reveals motive tied to gender transition and disapproval of mother’s relationship.
Bollywood Fever: A 16-year-old girl in Palm Bay, Florida, has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder after allegedly shooting her mother and her mother’s boyfriend, then stabbing the boyfriend when she ran out of bullets.
Julia Grace Egler confessed to the killings of Kelley McCollom, 41, and Matthew Szejnrok, 22, shortly after they arrived home on July 6. According to police, Egler initially called 911 and fabricated a story about an intruder who had ransacked the house and killed the couple.
Authorities reported that Egler ultimately admitted to the murders, citing her disapproval of her mother’s relationship with a much younger man and her mother’s lack of acceptance of Egler’s gender transition as the motives.
The arrest affidavit revealed that Egler stole her mother’s gun and waited in the kitchen with both the firearm and a knife. When McCollom and Szejnrok arrived home around 10:30 pm, Egler reportedly greeted them with, “Welcome home,” before opening fire on her mother with a .38 caliber revolver.
After fatally shooting McCollom, Egler allegedly pursued Szejnrok to the bathroom, where he pleaded for his life. Despite his pleas, Egler continued to shoot him until the gun was empty. She then reportedly stabbed him with the kitchen knife. According to the affidavit, Szejnrok, in his final moments, asked Egler to “take him out of his misery.” She then reloaded the revolver and shot him in the head.
Egler attempted to stage the scene as a home invasion, calling 911 at 12:06 am, hysterically claiming that an intruder had murdered her mother. She told police that she had hidden in her room with her pet pit bull during the supposed break-in and only discovered the bodies after an hour.
However, inconsistencies in Egler’s story and evidence at the crime scene quickly led police to doubt her account. Broken glass found on the victims, the location of the gun, a bloodstained knife on the bathroom counter, and bloody footprints matching Egler’s shoes contradicted her version of events. Additionally, surveillance cameras around the house showed no signs of an intruder.
Under interrogation, Egler eventually confessed to the murders. Palm Bay Police Lieutenant Virginia Kilmer noted that Egler and her mother had “many disagreements in the previous weeks,” including conflicts related to Egler’s gender transition and disapproval of her mother’s relationship with Szejnrok.
Julia Egler transitioned from male to female at a young age, with her mother’s social media posts from as early as 2015 showing support for her daughter’s gender identity. Despite this, the relationship between mother and daughter had been strained.
Szejnrok had a history of domestic battery, with charges filed and later dismissed in April after he was accused of grabbing McCollom during a public argument.
Julia Egler is currently being held in juvenile detention, though authorities indicate she may be charged as an adult. The investigation into the double homicide is ongoing.
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