Newly released body-camera video is pulling Palm Bay back into a grim summer night, giving the clearest public look so far at the teen accused of killing a mother and her boyfriend. In the footage, recorded shortly after the July 2024 double homicid. More than a year later, those quiet words are now part of the public record and early investigative work is under fresh scrutiny.
What the bodycam shows
The Palm Bay Police Department this week released clips from officers’ cameras, which were published by ClickOrlando. The video includes a brief exchange outside the home and a detective’s questioning in the driveway. In the recording, the teen describes hearing “loud banging” and initially tells officers she thought someone had broken in. Police did not release any video of a later interview at the station, according to the department. On-scene audio captures officers trying to square what they were seeing inside the house with the 911 call and with the teen’s answers at the door.
Police account of the killings
According to investigators and reporting by WFTV, police say the teen got hold of a .38-caliber revolver from her mother’s bedroom and waited for the couple to return home. Authorities say she greeted them with “Welcome home,” then shot Kelley McCollom and shot and stabbed Matthew Szejnrok. Investigators later concluded the scene had been staged and say the teen called 911 to report what she claimed was a break-in. Police reports cited by local outlets describe a suspected motive tied to long-running family conflict, including disputes over the teen’s gender transition and the mother’s relationship with a younger partner.
Prosecutors' stance
A grand jury handed up two counts of first-degree premeditated murder, and prosecutors have said they will pursue adult charges, according to a press release from the 18th Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office. The office has also noted that under current U.S. Supreme Court precedent and Florida law, the defendant is not eligible for the death penalty. According to the release, the indictments followed grand jury presentations that included scene evidence and medical examiner findings.
Timeline and next steps
Local coverage has previously outlined the basic timeline of the case. In the early hours of July 7, 2024, officers responded to a 911 call and found McCollom and Szejnrok dead inside a Benchor Road home. The teen was later arrested, and a Brevard County grand jury ultimately returned the two murder indictments, SpaceCoastDaily reported. Court dockets and filings since then show the case working through preliminary stages, with no public trial date announced in the most recent prosecutorial update.
Why now
The body-camera clips are the main reason the case has resurfaced in the local news cycle. ClickOrlando was among the outlets that posted the footage, giving the public a closer listen to the on-scene exchanges that had not been previously available. The recordings also underline what investigators say they noticed early on: a sharp mismatch between the 911 narrative and the physical evidence inside the house.
Context and caution
Local outlets and investigators have repeatedly pointed to the family tensions described in police documents, including disagreements over the teen’s gender transition, but also add a note of caution. The reported details are drawn from investigative reports and charging documents rather than social media speculation, WFTV reports.
