Florida Teen Sentenced to 50 Years for Mother's Murder

A transgender Florida teenager has been sentenced to 50 years in prison after accepting a plea deal for the 2024 killings of her mother and the mother's boyfriend.

Julia Egler, 18, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. Authorities say Egler lay in wait for her mother, Kelly McCollom, 38, and her mother's boyfriend, Matthew Szejnrok, 22, to return to their Palm Bay home. Upon their arrival, Egler greeted them before opening fire with her mother's .38 revolver and staging the scene to appear as a burglary.

McCollom and Szejnrok died at the scene. Egler, who was born female and sought to transition to male, had initially been charged with two counts of first-degree premeditated murder. The plea deal makes her eligible for parole in 25 years.

During her sentencing on Friday, Egler expressed remorse. "I'm sorry," she stated. "I'm haunted by grief every day. I have shown that I can be rehabilitated. Please give me a chance to reintegrate back into society."

Egler confessed to the killings, citing her disapproval of her mother dating someone significantly younger and her mother's alleged disapproval of her transgender identity as motives. According to an affidavit, Egler claimed she had "reached her boiling point."

After shooting her mother, Egler turned her attention to Szejnrok, who had fled to the bathroom and pleaded for his life. She continued shooting until she ran out of ammunition, then used a kitchen knife to attack him further. A severely wounded Szejnrok reportedly asked Egler to end his suffering, at which point she retrieved another bullet from her mother's room and shot him in the head.

Following the shootings, Egler contacted 911 and reported that a man had broken into the home by smashing a sliding glass door with a hammer. When questioned about the appearance of the alleged intruder, she reportedly responded with "Oh… it’s hard to remember."

Responding officers noticed glass on McCollom's leg and Szejnrok's phone, suggesting the glass was broken after the victims were killed. Investigators discovered the revolver outside Egler's bedroom window, a bloody knife on the kitchen counter, and bloody footprints matching her shoes. Her confession came during questioning.

Palm Bay Police Lieutenant Virginia Kilmer stated, "Egler cited long-standing conflicts with her mother, including disagreements related to her gender transition, as well as disapproval of her mother’s relationship with Szejnrok, as motives for the crime."

Records indicate the family had been involved in two alleged abuse incidents. One, 11 years prior, involved Egler's biological father. In the second incident, Szejnrok reportedly grabbed McCollom multiple times during public arguments. Those charges were later dropped.

David Szejnrok, the victim's brother who lives next door, was home during the incident. He told investigators he mistook the gunshots for fireworks. "I was 75 feet away from my brother and had no idea he was fighting for his life," he told the court. "Her actions didn’t just take my brother, they ruined our home. There isn’t a sentence that will bring my brother back."