Image: USA Today
Florida teenager Julia Grace Egler, 18, has been sentenced to 50 years in state prison after pleading guilty to killing her mother and her mother’s boyfriend in Palm Bay in July 2024. Egler was 16 when Kelley McCollom and Matthew Szejnrok were killed. At her September 25, 2026, sentencing, a judge imposed a 50-year prison term, with a mandatory minimum of 25 years before she can seek sentence review, followed by 20 years of supervised probation. The killings occurred shortly after midnight on July 7, 2024, at McCollom’s home in Palm Bay, Florida. Egler initially contacted 911 and reported that an unknown person had broken into the house, according to the Palm Bay Police investigation.
Prosecutors said she had planned the attack, staged a fake home invasion and waited for the couple to return before shooting them. Egler greeted the couple by saying “Welcome home” before opening fire, according to investigators. She later pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder under a negotiated agreement that reduced the original first-degree murder charges. Officers responding to the call found McCollom dead in the living room from gunshot wounds. Szejnrok was found dead in a bathroom with gunshot and stab wounds.
The State Attorney’s Office said the agreement was approved by surviving family members. It brought the case to a conclusion without requiring the victims’ relatives to go through a jury trial and the presentation of evidence in open court. Her guilty plea brought the criminal proceedings to an end without a trial. The victims’ relatives were also given an opportunity to address the court through victim-impact statements. Szejnrok’s brother, Dustin, delivered a victim-impact statement during the sentencing hearing. He described the continuing impact of his brother’s death on the family.
What investigators said about the motive
Tensions within the family were among the circumstances examined during the investigation, according to Palm Bay police and prosecutors. Authorities said Egler was unhappy about her mother’s relationship with Szejnrok.
The investigation also found that the alleged attack had been preceded by conflict within the household, although prosecutors ultimately resolved the case through a negotiated guilty plea rather than a trial on the original charges.