Julia Egler was only 16 years old when, according to investigators, she waited inside her home in Palm Bay, Florida, for her mother and her mother’s partner to return. When 38-year-old Kelley McCollom and 22-year-old Matthew Szejnrok walked in, Julia greeted them with a phrase that was later recorded in the investigation: “Welcome home”.
Then she opened fire with her mother’s .38-caliber revolver. McCollom died in the living room. Szejnrok tried to take refuge in the bathroom, but Julia followed him and, after running out of ammunition, attacked him with a knife and later shot him again.
But the story took another turn when Julia called 911 and claimed that a man had entered the home. Investigators found inconsistencies in her account and evidence pointing to her. She eventually confessed to staging the scene to make it look like a robbery.
Authorities said there were serious family conflicts. These included her mother’s disapproval of Julia’s gender transition, as well as the teenager’s opposition to her mother’s relationship with a man much younger than she was.
Two years after the crime, Julia, now 18, pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder and was sentenced to 50 years in prison. She will be able to request a review of her sentence after serving 25 years. During the hearing, she said: “I’m sorry. I’m tormented by the pain every day“.
A family story marked by conflict, a carefully planned ambush, and a 911 call that tried to completely change what had happened. But investigators eventually discovered that the supposed intruder never existed.