Florida teen gets 50 years for killing mom, mom's boyfriend in Palm Bay
Florida teen gets 50 years for killing mom, mom's boyfriend
Julia Egler, now 18, was sentenced to 50 years in prison for the murders of her mom and her mom's boyfriend in Palm Bay. Egler pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, part of a plea deal with prosecutors. "I didn’t plan what I did. I just did it," she said. She could be eligible for parole after 25 years.
PALM BAY, Fla. - A Florida teenager who murdered her mother and her mother's boyfriend will serve 50 years in prison under a plea deal finalized in court on Friday.
Julia Egler pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, avoiding a trial and a potential life sentence.
Double murder in Palm Bay
The backstory:
Julie Egler was 16 years old when she called the Palm Bay Police Department in 2024 to report a home break-in that never took place.
Palm Bay police wrote in charging documents that Egler killed her mother – Kelley McCollum – because she disapproved of her mom dating a younger man, 22-year-old Matthew Szejnork.
Investigators also alleged that Edler's mother did not agree with Julie's gender transition.
The state downgraded her charges from first-degree premeditated murder to second-degree murder to secure the plea deal.
Egler, who graduated from high school while in custody, admitted to the killings in court, stating she did not plan her actions and acted because the gun was there.
What they're saying:
"I was just a kid who made a bad decision," Egler told the court. "The gun just happened to be in here. I didn’t plan what I did. I just did it."
Egler added that she regrets her actions daily.
"I regret my decision every day. I am haunted with grief day and night, even in my nightmare – I still see their faces," she said.
The other side:
"You don’t think about when someone dies at 22," said Szejnork's brother during his victim impact statement.
"You don’t only lose the person they were that day. You lose every version that should have existed after that," he said.
"Our family has been robbed of a person understood as our angel on earth," said another family member.
Judge delivers sentence
Timeline:
Brevard County Judge Michelle Naberhaus formally adjudicated Egler guilty on Friday and sentenced her to 50 years in prison. After 25 years, she could be eligible for parole.
If granted parole, Egler could be released from prison at 43. If that happened, she would need to remain under supervision and would have ongoing mental health evaluations.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from Brevard County court proceedings reported by FOX 35 reporter Esther Bower, as well as official statements from the Palm Bay Police Department and victim impact statements delivered during the sentencing hearing.