other local coverage
PALM BAY, Fla. —
A 16-year-old Palm Bay teen is facing murder charges after police says the teen killed their mother and their mother's boyfriend before trying to make the scene seem like a break-in.
According to an affidavit from the Palm Bay Police Department, 911 dispatchers received a call about a possible break-in just after midnight last Sunday. When they arrived at the residence, police says they found one woman dead in the living room and one man dead in the bathroom of the home.
The victims were identified as 38-year-old Kelley McCollom and 22-year-old Matthew Szejnrok.
Police were able to make contact with a teen at the scene, who says they were home alone when an unknown male tried to gain entry to the house. The teen says they locked themselves in their room, and sometime later, heard the couple come home, followed by screaming and gunshots.
The teen told police they waited about an hour before coming out of hiding, which is when they found the two dead bodies — one being their mother, and the other, their mother's boyfriend.
According to the affidavit, police obtained a search warrant for the home, where officials say they found a bloody knife and bloody footprints that matched the same pattern as the bottom of the teen's shoes.
Additionally, the affidavit says shattered glass was found on top of one victim and the other victim's phone, which did not match the teen's story that the break-in happened before the couple got home. There were also many cameras affixed to the exterior of the home, which showed no motion in the front or backyard until police arrived at the scene, the affidavit says.
When the teen was questioned further, they stuck to their original story, but eventually confessed to the double homicide, according to the affidavit.
The teen says they took their mother's gun, grabbed a knife, and waited for the couple to come home. When McCollom and Szejnrok walked through the front door, police say the teen said, "Welcome home," before firing the gun several times.
While the mother was shot multiple times, the boyfriend was able to retreat to the bathroom. The teen proceeded to stab him several times before killing him with a shot to the head, the affidavit says.
Police say the teen admitted to the crime, as well as trying to make it appear like someone broke in.
According to the affidavit, the teen said they had been having many disagreements with their mother in previous weeks and was also not accepting of the couple's relationship, namely the age gap.
The report said the teen "... did not like that Kelley was dating Matthew, who was 22 years old..."
"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."
A neighbor, Debbie Murray, said she is in disbelief at what happened.
"It's horrible; I don't know the details; it's just shocking to know that kind of violence happens, especially with a young person, in this neighborhood," Murray said.
The teen is charged with two counts of first-degree premeditated murder.
The teen will remain in secure detention for now. No decision has been made on whether the teen will be charged in juvenile or adult court.
edit for a second one
Palm Bay teen admits to staging 911 call for help after killing mother and her boyfriend: Police
PALM BAY, Fla. - A 16-year-old girl from Palm Bay is accused of killing her mother and her mother's boyfriend before calling 911 for help, police said.
Shortly after midnight on July 7, the teen called 911, alleging that a man had broken into her home through a back sliding door. When officers arrived at the home, they found the teen's mother, 42-year-old Kelley McCollum, and Kelley's boyfriend, 22-year-old Matthew Szejnrok, both dead from gunshot wounds. Szejnrok also had stab wounds on his body, an affidavit shows.
The teen initially told detectives she was home alone in the living room when the man broke into the home. She claimed she grabbed her dogs and ran to hide in her bedroom, leaving her phone on the couch.
When McCollum and Szejnrok arrived home, the teen said she heard screaming, followed by five to six gunshots, more screaming, and then silence. After an hour, she left her bedroom and discovered the bodies of her mother and her mother's boyfriend, an affidavit shows.
While at the scene, detectives said they found a gun underneath the teen's bedroom window, a bloody knife on the bathroom window, and bloody footprints that matched the pattern at the bottom of the teen's shoes.
Detectives also discovered that the glass from the backdoor was on top of McCollum's leg – which they say would have been impossible according to the teen's account of what happened.
After being brought in for questioning, the teen eventually told detectives what really happened.
She allegedly broke into her mother's bedroom to take her gun and ammunition while she waited in the kitchen area for the couple to come home. When they walked through the front door, she shot her mother and Szejnrok multiple times, police said.
The teen said she followed Szejnrok, who ran into the bathroom and stabbed him several times before fatally shooting him, police said. She said she had reached her "boiling point" with her mother following several disagreements about the teen's mother not being accepting of her "transition." The two also argued because she did not like that her mother was dating a 22-year-old man.
The 16-year-old is facing two counts of first-degree pre-meditated murder and was turned over to the Juvenile Department of Justice.
