Disturbing photos have emerged of a gunman and his ex-wife before he killed a mother and daughter while trying to find his former love.
Jennifer Petelczyc, 59, and her daughter Gretl, 18, were shot dead by Mark James Bombara, 63, at their home in Floreat, west Perth, on Friday.
Bombara, a property developer, had broken into the house on a quiet, upmarket street looking for his ex-wife Rowena, who is a good friend of Jennifer.
It is understood he tied up the two women after failing to find his ex and then made several threatening phone calls.
He then murdered Mrs Petelczyc and her daughter before committing suicide.
Bombara and Petelczyc died at the property, while paramedics took Gretl to hospital, where she later died.
A photo just seen on Sunday showed Bombara next to his ex-wife.
Jennifer Petelczyc, 59, and her daughter Gretl, 18, were shot dead by Mark James Bombara (pictured with his ex-wife) while searching for his ex-partner.
It is understood that Bombara tied up the two women after failing to find his ex (centre)
A neighbor described Bombara’s (centre) ex-partner as ‘charming’ and him as ‘private’
Other photos show his family smiling happily together.
One neighbor described Bombara’s ex-partner as “lovely” and him as “private.”
Friends of Jennifer said her family was still struggling to come to terms with the loss of her husband and father Jon to cancer in 2019.
They had also recently lost their much-loved dog Sunny, a golden Labrador.
Friday’s tragedy leaves his daughter Liesl as the only survivor in the family.
Close family friend Daele Dobsen told Daily Mail Australia on Saturday that Petelczyc was a devoted mother and lamented that Gretl, who recently obtained her P plates, was just starting out in life.
Dobsen said she did not want Petelczyc and Gretl to be remembered as “victims by association of domestic violence.”
“I want them to be remembered as beautiful members of our community and I am overwhelmed by their loss,” she said.
‘In my friendship with Jenny, I found her to be very kind and generous to me and my family, even opening her home to host my son’s 18th birthday party last year when I couldn’t find a venue.
“Jenny was a devoted mother who would do anything for her daughters.”
The loss of Sunny also weighed heavily on the family, who were ambassadors for the Guide Dog Association, Dobsen said.
“The family took Sunny into the Guide Dog Association, in the end they were able to keep her and loved her beyond measure and were devastated when they lost her,” he said.
Dobsen said Jennifer, Gretl and Liesl were still coming to terms with Jon’s death.
Gretl, who recently obtained her P plates, was just starting out in life after graduating from high school and beginning a sports degree at the University of WA.
The deaths of Petelczyc and Gretl are the latest tragedies to befall the family after father and husband Jon (pictured with Petelczyc) died in 2019.
Friday’s tragedy leaves his daughter Liesl as the only surviving member of the immediate family.
“The girls and their mother were still adjusting to the loss of their father (and) her husband, who was a vital member of the family,” Ms Dobsen said.
‘Jenny was mostly treading water, trying to steer and guide the girls safely on her own. There wasn’t a day that she didn’t think about her husband.
In 2019, Petelczyc wrote that she didn’t know if her heart would “be mended or learn to live in pieces” in her husband’s eulogy.
“Jon, you were the love of my life, I don’t know if my broken heart will mend or learn to live in pieces,” she wrote.
‘If I could choose again, I would still choose you.
‘Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. Eternally yours, Jenny.
Upon hearing of the latest tragedy to befall the family, another friend, Emme Wild, said she was “devastated beyond belief.”
Dobsen said Gretl had excelled in life since graduating from St Hilda’s Anglican School in 2022 and starting her sports degree at the University of WA.
‘Gretl was just beginning her life and was pursuing her love of sport through her studies. She was a talented water polo player and she worked part-time in the area to earn independence,” said Mrs Dobsen.
At a press conference Saturday afternoon, Washington Police Detective Inspector David Gorton revealed that Bombara, a registered gun owner, visited the home looking for his ex-wife before shooting the two women.
Inspector Gorton also confirmed that Bombara’s ex-wife and a daughter were in the care of the homicide squad.
“We are giving them all the support we can,” he said.
“They are obviously very distressed by the circumstances and will be referred appropriately for advice by WA Police.”
More recently, the family dog, Sunny, had also died, family friend Daele Dobsen told Daily Mail Australia.
Petelczyc in the photo with Gretl
Police were called to the home in the city’s northwest around 4:30 p.m. local time on Friday after the gunman opened fire.
A large police presence was at the scene of the shooting.
A police helicopter was sent to the area and circled over the flashpoint of the response.
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