A 16-year-old Florida girl has been charged with ambushing and killing her mother and her mom’s boyfriend before calling 911 and telling dispatchers a burglar killed them.
Kelley McCollom, 38, and Matthew Szejnrok, 22, were found dead inside the Palm Bay home with multiple gunshot wounds on the morning of July 7, Florida Today reported.
Investigators said that the teen took her mother’s .38-caliber handgun from her bedroom on the night of July 6, putting the gun and a knife into her pockets as she awaited for her mother and Szejnrok to come home. When the arrived, she greeted them with “Welcome home,” then pulled out the gun, shot her mother multiple times, then turned the gun on Szejnrok.
Szejnrok pleaded with her to spare him, then followed her to the bathroom when she stopped shooting. That’s where she stabbed him with a large kitchen knife and shot him again, in the head.
Just after midnight, she called 911 crying hysterically that a man had broken into the house. She met officers outside, telling them that she heard the burglar in the house and hid in her bedroom with her dog, hearing “loud noises” elsewhere in the house.
Investigators found the murder weapon outside the girl’s bedroom window.
When officers intered the home, they found Szejnrok’s body on the bathroom floor with several bullet casings nearby and a bloody knife on the bathroom counter. Additionally, they found bloody footprints that matched the girl’s shoes throughout the house.
According to WESH, security cameras outside the home captured no motion around the house until police arrived.
Upon further questioning, the girl initially tried to stick to her home invasion story but ultimately confessed to the double murder. She reportedly said she had been having increasing disagreements with her mother because of her relationship with Szejnrok, specifically because of the age gap, an affidavit said.
“This is a tragic case,” stated Chief Mario Augello. “Our thoughts are with the families and loved ones affected by this loss. The investigation is ongoing, and our detectives will continue to work diligently to uncover all the circumstances surrounding this incident.”
The girl was remanded to the Juvenile Detention Center in Sharpes on two counts of premeditated murder. No decision has been made whether to try her as an adult.
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