Trans teen who shot mom and her boyfriend, 22, strikes plea deal
Egler admitted staging the killings as a home invasion and will serve a mandatory 25 years before sentence review.
- On Friday, September 25, 18-year-old Julia Egler of Palm Bay pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder, receiving a 50-year prison sentence for the 2024 killings of her mother, Kelley McCollum, 38, and her boyfriend, Matthew Szejnork, 22.
- Following the July 2024 murders, Egler placed a "frantic" 911 call claiming an intruder broke into her home, but investigators determined this account was fabricated after physical evidence contradicted her story.
- Egler admitted she reached her "boiling point" regarding disagreements over her mother's relationship and her gender transition, waiting for the couple to arrive before shooting them and stabbing Szejnork.
- During the hearing, victim Matthew Szejnork's brother, Dustin Szejnork, told the court the violence "ruined our home," while the plea deal negotiated with the victims' families spared Egler from a potential life sentence.
- As a minor at the time of the crime, Egler faces a mandatory minimum of 25 years before becoming eligible for sentence review; she must then complete 20 years of supervised probation and a mental health evaluation.
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She Blamed A Phantom Intruder—Now A Florida Teen Faces Half A Century In Prison
A Palm Bay teenager will spend 50 years in state prison for the 2024 killings of her mother and her mother’s boyfriend. Julia G. Egler, 18, pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder during a court hearing in Viera on Sept. 25. The plea and 50-year sentence were part of an agreement negotiated with […] She Blamed A Phantom Intruder—Now A Florida Teen Faces Half A Century In Prison
Teen Waited for Mom and Her Boyfriend to Come Home, Said ‘Welcome Home’ and Opened Fire
Julia Egler initially claimed an intruder had killed her mother and her mother’s boyfriend before admitting she had staged the break-inJulia Egler, 18Credit: Office of the State Attorney 18th Judicial CircuitNEED TO KNOWIn July 2024, a “frantic” Julia Egler, then 16, called 911 to report that an intruder had broken into her Palm Bay, Fla., homeWhen officers arrived, they found Egler’s mother and her 22-year-old boyfriend dead insideEgler admitte…
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