BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – Two years after police say she shot and stabbed her mother and her mother’s boyfriend inside their Palm Bay home, Julia Egler is expected to enter a plea Friday morning.
Egler, now 18, was 16 when police say she killed Kelley McCollom, 38, and Matthew Szejnrok, 22, along Benchor Road.
Recommended Videos
Egler called 911 just after midnight, acting hysterical and claiming an intruder had broken into the home, police said. Officers arrived to find McCollom and Szejnrok dead.
Investigators said the crime scene quickly raised questions about Egler’s story. Inside the home, detectives found bloody footprints matching Egler’s shoes, among other evidence inconsistent with her initial account.
Police said Egler told officers she had hidden in her room with her dog while an unidentified burglar ransacked the home.
After being read her Miranda rights, Egler confessed, according to the arrest report.
Investigators said Egler broke into McCollom’s bedroom while her mother was away, then waited for the victims to return home. When they arrived in the kitchen, Egler greeted them with a gun in her hand and a knife in her pocket, police said.
According to the arrest report, Egler told police she said “Welcome home” before opening fire, shooting both victims multiple times. She then stabbed Szejnrok after running out of ammunition, the report states.
Police said Egler used a .38-caliber revolver and a chef’s knife — both taken from her mother’s bedroom.
Investigators said the motive involved ongoing conflicts with her mother, including McCollom’s disapproval of Egler’s gender transition and Egler’s own disapproval of her mother’s relationship with the 22-year-old Szejnrok, police said.
The case drew national attention, in part, because of Egler’s interrogation video, which was released publicly.
The defense argued detectives improperly persuaded the teenager to waive her rights by telling her she would not face the same consequences in juvenile court.
Former public defender Katie Rallo weighed in on the release of the interrogation footage.
“Absolutely, these videos, I don’t personally think should have been released, at all,” Rallo said.
Defense attorneys asked the judge to consider dismissing the case, prosecuting Egler as a juvenile, or keeping the interrogation videos away from the jury. A Brevard County grand jury indicted Egler on two counts of first-degree murder.
Rather than face trial, Egler is expected to enter a plea agreement on Friday.
