BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – The interrogation video that police say shows a 16-year-old confessing to killing her mom and her mom’s boyfriend shouldn’t have gone public, the defense attorney argued in new motions in the Julia Egler case.
The attorney says the video’s release means Egler might not get a fair trial.
In February, your Palm Bay Community Correspondent, James Sparvero, showed the 2024 bodycam video when police questioned Julia, who they said really wanted to be called by the name Jasper.
[WATCH: Bodycam shows police questioning Palm Bay teen accused of killing mother, mother’s boyfriend]
That dispute over Julia wanting to be a boy was her motive, police said, to shoot her mom.
“I would always try to remind her that this isn’t a phase,” Egler told detectives in the interrogation room.
The public defender argues the police interrogating the teenager tricked her into waiving her rights because Detective Ken Shedrick and Detective Nicole Brown told Julia she wouldn’t face the same consequences in juvenile court.
“Tell us what happened,” Shedrick said. “I’m gonna ask you straight up.”
“Well, you’re basically saying that I did, so do you even need my answer?” Egler eventually responded to the questioning.
Ultimately, the state decided to prosecute Egler, who’s still just 17 now, as an adult, and she’s facing life in prison.
Defense attorney Katie Rallo, who used to work for the public defender’s office, said she agrees that after the police shared the videos with the public, it could be harder to find a fair jury.
“From what I’ve looked up and from my review of the motion, it is alarming,” Rallo said.
Sparvero then asked her if she thinks the videos shouldn’t have come out until the trial.
“Absolutely, these videos, I don’t personally think should have been released at all,” Rallo answered.
The defense is asking the judge to either throw the case out, prosecute Egler as a juvenile, or don’t show the same videos to the jury.
It’s all set to be debated in court next month.
Stick with News 6 and ClickOrlando.com for updates on how it plays out in court.