‘Welcome home,’ teen said, then killed mom and her boyfriend, Florida cops say

The killings of a mom and her boyfriend attributed to a home intruder were actually committed by a teen with lingering resentment toward the mother, Florida investigators say.

The victims were identified Kelley McCollom, 38, and her boyfriend, Matthew Szejnrok, 22, and the suspect is McCollom’s 16-year-old, the Palm Bay Police Department reported in a July 11 news release.

Investigators say the shootings happened around 12 a.m. Sunday, July 7, and the teen, identified by police as Julia Egler, “was hysterical” telling a 911 dispatcher “an unknown male intruder had entered the residence through a back sliding glass door,” officials said.

However, detectives quickly became suspicious, as the nine-minute call made no mention of McCollom and Szejnrok being shot, according to an affidavit.

“Upon further investigation, evidence uncovered at the scene suggested a more complex scenario,” officials said.

“Egler admitted to obtaining a .38 special revolver from (McCollom’s) bedroom, waiting for the victims to return home, and then shooting them multiple times. Egler cited longstanding conflicts with” McCollom over the teen’s gender transition and McCollom’s relationship with Szejnrok.

Szejnrok’s body was found in bathroom, and he had been shot and stabbed, officials said. McCollom was found in the living room, the affidavit reports.

“When they walked through the front door, (the suspect) told them ‘Welcome home.’” Within moments, Egler shot McCollom multiple times, then repeatedly shot Szejnrok “as he pleaded” for the teen to stop, the affidavit states.

“Egler then followed Matthew into the bathroom where he retreated and began stabbing him repeatedly” while out of ammunition, then he asked to be taken “out of his misery,” according to the affidavit.

Egler then reloaded the gun and shot him in the head, killing him, the affidavit reports.

Egler was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree permeditated murder, police officials said.

This story was originally published July 12, 2024 at 12:50 PM with the headline "‘Welcome home,’ teen said, then killed mom and her boyfriend, Florida cops say."