Justine Mroz, a 40-year-old Pasco County school employee from Land O' Lakes, is facing a second-degree murder charge after authorities say she strangled her 6-year-old, nonverbal son, Elliot Perez, inside their home. The case, which was first investigated in October 2025, has resurfaced in the public eye after newly released body‑camera footage and reports that a high-profile Orlando defense attorney has joined her legal team. Mroz remains in custody at the Pasco County Jail and has been ordered held without bond.
According to Law&Crime, Mroz called 911 on Oct. 19, 2025, and told the dispatcher she had choked her son. Court affidavits cited in that coverage say she “snapped” while trying to restrain him. FOX 13 reports that deputies and first responders performed CPR on the child and that he was later pronounced dead at a Tampa hospital. The affidavits also state that Mroz cut her wrists after the attack and was treated at a nearby hospital before being booked into the Pasco Sheriff’s Office jail.
New footage and fresh details
Newly released body‑worn camera video, highlighted in recent coverage, shows deputies arriving at the scene with rifles drawn and captures Mroz telling officers, “I killed my son and I’m trying to kill myself,” according to Soap Opera Spy. That report says medical records noted hemorrhaging in both of Elliot’s eyes and “light marks” on the left side of his neck and that Mroz had purchased razor blades days earlier before using them to slice her wrists. The same coverage describes deputies breaking the news to Elliot’s father outside the home. The parents shared 50/50 custody and had finalized a divorce earlier that summer, and the footage reportedly shows the father telling deputies that the child regularly banged his head as a coping mechanism.
School district and neighborhood reaction
Pasco County Schools confirmed that Mroz worked as an itinerant provider for exceptional-education students and said she will not be allowed on any campus while the criminal case is pending, WFTV reports. Local coverage has described deep shock in the Land O' Lakes neighborhood and noted that the district had no prior complaints on file for Mroz, according to the Tampa Bay Times. District officials have said crisis teams are being deployed to support staff and students affected by the case.
Legal status
Mroz is charged with second-degree murder, a first-degree felony under Florida law that can carry a sentence of up to life in prison, according to the state homicide statute. The Florida Senate notes that second-degree murder is punishable by a maximum of life imprisonment. Court filings state that prosecutors moved for pretrial detention, and a judge ordered Mroz held without bond. Recent coverage also says Mroz has retained Orlando attorney Mark O'Mara, although the defense has not yet filed a formal court statement and no trial date has been set.
