Army colonel's wife tells why she killed her children.
A chilling twist emerged Saturday, Jan. 29, in the case of an Army colonel's wife accused of murder, as Julie Powers Schenecker gave police a reason why she shot her teen son and daughter to death.
According to police, Schenecker said she shot her 13-year-old son, Beau, because he became mouthy with her as she drove him to soccer practice. Schenecker said the boy “talked back,” prompting her to shoot him twice in the head with a .38-caliber handgun.
After shooting her son, Schencker, 50, said she drove to the family's Tampa, Fla. home and found daughter, Calyx, 16, studying at a compute desk. She then drew the gun and shot the teen in the face.
Investigators said Schenecker gave chilling details about the crimes, however, did not offer a motive, other than she did not like the way her children were speaking to her.
“That was the only reason she provided to our detectives,” Tampa Police spokeswroman Laura McElroy told People.
Information in an arrest affidavit described several incidents leading up to Thursday’s shootings, including a strange telephone conversation Schenecker had with her mother, who lives in Texas. The call was placed early Friday, Jan. 28.
Police were later called to Schenecker’s home where they found the woman covered in blood. Police say Schnecker was shaking and largely unresponsive when she was transported to a hospital.
Police also said Schnecker had sent an e-mail to her mother before the shootings, stating she was having trouble dealing with her children’s behavior.
Calyx Schenecker was a high school track star, while Beau was an aspiring soccer player. Their father, Col. Parker Schenecker, is an officer at U.S. Central Command in Tampa. He was in the Middle East at the time of the shootings.
Julie Schenecker is scheduled to appear in court Saturday, Jan. 29. As of press time, no details of the court date was available.
Examiner.com will have more on this story as it develops.
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Comments
It is sad what has happen here Oprah Winfrey and the Michelle Obama just address Friday on Oprahs show how to help spouse and family memebers. It is true most of us dont reach out or ask for help. I pray that not another deployed spouse go through anything such as this.
The fact she didn't ask for help is her own fault. But this is not about a husband who was deployed overses and certainly isn't a result of a failure of the Army family support system. These children were her babies and to premeditate the act by purchasing a hand gun 5 days prior and still going through with this is evil. All premeditated murderers are crazy in the sense that they weigh the consequences and still go through with it. I mean I don't think it's necessarily crazy to want to kill someone. But after you sleep on it, cooler heads are supposed to prevail. This woman had planned this for some time and had time to cool down, get a grip or ask for professional help. Calling your Mom doesn't count. She's college educated and is capable of a better decision making process. So, because of the premeditated nature of the crime, it means it was not a crime of passion or a situation where she suddenly lost control. She is a cold blooded murderer and although not really important, she's a selfish coward for not following through with her plan to kill herself after the fact. No sympathy for this woman. I hope she lives a long miserable life in prison and I hope she vividly relives the moments she slaughtered her babies each and every day.
I knew this family, and you are right. It is NOT about deployment!! (She was a soldier once) This is about being bi-polar, taking meds, drinking, and a psychotic break.
evil is real america! and when we are not covered by the blood of the Lamb-Jesus-then we are controlled by a world of darkness. Her demons gave her instructions and she followed. Jesus tells us that demons are real! Wake up America and Pray before it is to late.
You're just as stupid as herrr..
ummmmm thats what kids no teenagers do they talk back!
I've known this family since the kids were little, but no recent contact. They are wonderful people. This is definitely a case of a total mental breakdown, where she was not in control of herself, a break from reality. She would have never done this if she were well. Please offer your prayers for this family. This is devastating. No one can predict where one's "breaking point" is. With her husband out of the country, he could not have identified her mental state. Do not judge, lest ye be judged. My heart goes out to the families, and may God be with you in the sad days ahead.
Well said. Col. Parker is a good man who will need the support and prayers of many.
Life goes on... The spouses of deployed soldiers have been through so much. The soldiers come and go and are in multiple deployments while the wives are left to keep everything normal and happy. Keeping the status quo up for appearance sakes. Because we are educated woman and spouses to senior officers it makes it that much harder to ask for help or admit weakness. Those precious children did not deserve murder at their mothers hand. This mom/wife had to be at a point of dispair and she did reach out and your own mother does count. The current administration needs to evaluate the deployments and the stress of deployments on families. My heart breaks for this Colonel and his family. Praying strongly for our military and their families.
I agree that she had a mental breakdown. Even a socipath would not do something like this; they would ship the kids off somewhere or cover up the murders. Sorry Northern Virginia Military Officer: you are being logical about something that defies logic. The only explanation is that she is mentally disturbed.
Fair enough, and I do certainly understand and respect your point. I too wonder what caused her to go down this path, but not because I believe there is anyone but her to blame (@ Army Wife). She is certainly mentally disturbed, but whatever caused it....she developed into a cold blooded murderer. Hitler was mentally disturbed and so was Ted Bundy. All people who plan to murder and follow through with it are mentally disturbed - regardless of how nice they were last month or last year. Whoever she was during the past week as she planned to slaughter her own children is who she was when she did it and it is who she will be when she goes on trial for the murders. Tell it to Oprah in your orange jump suit. Can she get better?...maybe but do we really care? Her innocent children are dead! Do I hope she stops shaking and mumbling? Yes! But I don't really care if she doesn't. I certainly feel very sorry for all who know her, the family and especially the COL. I'm so sorry. But let's not spend a bunch of taxpayer money trying to make Julie or anyone else feel better about it. GUILTY! Throw away the key. Just my opinion.
damn sarah palin and her violent rhetoric!
We must work to get her the help she needs, get her to recover her mental health following this obviously psychopathic break. Then, after this has been accomplished, likely over many months of intensive counseling and therapy, she must be tried, convicted, and hung from a tree in the middle of the courthouse lawn. A nice, slow hanging, too, drawn up slowly from the ground to a height of six feet.
Bring the soldiers back home and tighten gun control.
Yes this is a tragedy. The Mother was wrong. She will pay the price for her actions both in this world and the life to come. Life is precious. But why does it always come back to gun control. There are dozens of ways that people can be killed. Ours is not a perfect world.
I'm guessing she was on some serious medications which are known to be dangerous and can have horrible side effects. including thoughts of suicide and homicide. i read in an article that her hosptital stay after her arrest was because of a prior mental condition. if this is the case then i place blame on the pharmacutical companies and the doctors who prescribed these drugs to her. it should be made public exactly what drugs she was on and what was in her system at the time of the murders. then something needs to be done. not only that but Julie was a fan of Ekhart tolle who has some very weird philosophies. Tolle writes that death is just an illusion of no great significance. The stripping away of 'self' recommended by Tolle also sounds to me like a kind of psychological dissociation. These spiritual and philosophical ideas, in the mind of a mentally ill person, could perhaps be quite dangerous.
I agree with Anonymous, and would like to hear this sentiment expressed more often - when we hear about these (increasingly numerous) killings. It has to be the increase in pharmaceutical use and the public has the right to know the names of these drugs and who is taking them! This is mentioned very RARELY in the media, yet after the fact we learn that it was a factor in the Columbine shootings and many others. FULL DISCLOSURE, stop protecting the drug companies, stop over- medicating people!
if parents killed their kids for talking back, we wouldn't have any adults in this world! Lots of women have mental breakdowns, I'm sensing drugs and alcohol perhaps. Maybe hubby was ready to 'leave' her. I wonder if the police arrived before she finished her plan.
From what I have been told, Julie did not go through with her plan to commit suicide because she simply couldn't bring herself to do it.
Pending divorce? Children justifying in her opinion husband's sentiments on lack of parenting and being an effective spouse?
Then what happened..
This woman is clearly exhibiting signs of catatonic schizophrenia. Her facial contortions and stunned look are classic symptoms.
Schizophrenia is not an illness that manifests suddenly. I am surprised that no one around her noticed a change....although it sounds like the daughter had cried out for help late last year.
Tragic.
she looks in the video more like classic symptoms of meth crank! in this town there are plenty of these people they do the same weird thing with the face and stiffness. we call it meth lock jaw. what socker moms dont do meth? ha! they sure do, helps them clean their houses anally
They noticed the change. Read the latest update. It's the first on the suggested list.
this is a very sad situation. My heart goes out to this family. this woman definitely snapped. It could be very difficult for one parent to raise children in this society. Children today could be extremely and disobedient. I say let's hear her side of the story and don't judge her actions prematurely. He who is without sin cast the first stone. Remember, none of us fits that bill.
Anonymous
cast the first stone. None of us humans
You know whats in store for this woman, she just bought a ticket striaght to Hell. If she did not want her kids then she should have gave them up.
The mother is evil, and perfectly sane - she did not have a mental breakdown. Both the mother and the father should be held accountable for these terrible murders. The mother should receive the death penalty, as abuse of a child is the worst of all possible crimes, and there is no excuse in this world to kill. If you are too incompetent to raise a child, you should not have one. All you parents out there, here is a message. It is tough to raise a child. It takes patience, sacrifice, and lots and lots of unconditional love. Never, never hit a child. Violence only teaches more violence. When you had that romp in bed, you became accountable to someone other than yourself, and for the rest of your life, you have the responsibility to protect that child. If you cannot handle this, put the child up for adoption to parents that can.
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