Teen That Murdered Mom, Her NJ Boyfriend, Sentenced

MIDDLESEX COUNTY, NJ — A Florida teen who killed her mother and her mother's boyfriend, a former North Brunswick resident, has been sentenced to 50 years in state prison.

Julia G. Egler, 18, pleaded guilty on Sept. 25 to two counts of second-degree murder in the deaths of Kelley McCollom, 38, and Matthew Szejnrok, 22, according to the State Attorney's Office for Florida's 18th Judicial Circuit. The killings happened inside their Palm Bay home in July 2024.

Szejnrok grew up in North Brunswick and graduated from North Brunswick Township High School in 2020. He moved to Florida in 2022 looking for a fresh start, according to his obituary.

The plea deal was negotiated with prosecutors and approved by the victims' families.

"This gives resolution and finality to the family that it's done today," Assistant State Attorney Kerri Fowler said.

Szejnrok's brother, Dustin, told the court that his family still lives next door to the house where the couple was killed. Matthew had lived with the family, and Dustin said seeing the home is a daily reminder of the loss.

"Her actions didn't just take my brother, they ruined our home," he said. "There isn't a sentence that will bring my brother back."

He said he was about 75 feet away when the shooting happened and thought the gunshots were fireworks.

"I heard the shots – I thought they were fireworks," Dustin Szejnrok said. "I was 75 feet away from my brother and had no idea he was fighting for his life."

‘Welcome Home’

On July 7, 2024, Egler, then 16, called 911 and said an intruder had broken into the home on Benchor Road SE while she hid in a bedroom, officials said.

Officers found McCollom dead from gunshot wounds in the living room. Szejnrok was found in a bathroom, where he had been shot and stabbed repeatedly. Police recovered five spent .38-caliber shell casings near his body and a kitchen knife on the bathroom counter.

Detectives said the evidence, including no sign of forced entry, did not match Egler's story. She later confessed during police interviews to staging the break-in.

Egler told police at the time that she greeted the couple with "Welcome home" before opening fire, according to an affidavit. Patch previously reported on the arrest affidavit.

A Brevard County grand jury indicted Egler on two counts of first-degree premeditated murder in August 2024, and prosecutors charged her as an adult. She finished high school while in pretrial detention in Polk County.

'I’m Sorry’

Before she was sentenced, Egler apologized and asked Circuit Judge Michelle Naberhaus for mercy.

"I'm sorry. I'm haunted by grief every day," she said. "I have shown that I can be rehabilitated. Please give me a chance to reintegrate back into society."

Egler must serve at least 25 years. Because she was a minor at the time of the crime, she will then be eligible for a sentence review under Florida law. After her release, she must undergo a mental health evaluation and serve 20 years of supervised probation.

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