PALM BAY, Fla. – A Palm Bay teen accused of killing her mother and her mother’s boyfriend has been indicted on murder charges.
Julia Grace Egler, 16, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder. News 6 is naming Egler due to the circumstances of the case.
The state attorney’s office said she will be tried as an adult but will not face the death penalty.
According to the Palm Bay Police Department, Egler made a 911 call claiming that a man broke into the home. When police arrived, they found the girl’s mother, Kelley McCollom, 38, and the mother’s boyfriend, Matthew Szejnrok, 22, dead in the home, officials said.
In the 911 call, Egler told the dispatcher that a man broke into the home and that she hid in her room with her two dogs. She said her mom and her mother’s boyfriend were out shopping during the break-in. Click here to listen to the 911 call.
According to a probable cause affidavit, Egler told police she grabbed a revolver from her mother’s room and waited for the two to arrive home.
Palm Bay police said Egler shot and killed her mother before shooting the mother’s boyfriend and stabbing him repeatedly. The police department said Egler told officers she was upset with her mother for not accepting her gender transition. Police added that Egler also didn’t like the fact that her mother was dating Szejnrok, who was 16 years younger than her mom.
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