A mother-of-two shot dead along with her daughter by her partner’s crazed ex-husband was struggling to decide whether she should share her worries about the killer with her children, a friend has revealed.
Mark Bombara, 63, broke into Jennifer Petelczyc’s Floreat home, in Perth’s upmarket western suburbs, about 4.30pm on Friday, looking for his ex-wife, Rowena.
Unable to find his ex-wife, Bombara shot dead his 53-year-old friend and her daughter Gretl Petelczyc, 18, before turning the gun on himself.
A friend of Petelczyc’s family told Daily Mail Australia that the mother-of-two had confessed to him that she feared for her family’s safety after learning that Bombara, a registered gun owner, was driving with a glock under the seat. from his car, looking for his ex-wife.
Bombara had been staying on and off with the Petelczycs since fleeing their $4.58 million Mosman Park marital home in April amid the couple’s bitter separation.
The family friend said Petelczyz, one of her best friends, told her mother she wasn’t sure if she should tell her children that Bombara was a threat to their safety.
Mark Bombara, 63, broke into Jennifer Petelczyc’s home in Floreat, in Perth’s upmarket western suburbs, about 4.30pm on Friday, looking for his ex-wife, Rowena. Unable to find her, Bombara fatally shot her friend Jennifer Petelczyz, 53, and her daughter Gretl, 18 (pictured together), before turning the gun on himself.
Mark James Bombara had been searching for his former partner, Rowena, who had stayed with Ms Petelczyc after their bitter divorce (Bombara and Rowena are pictured together)
She said her mother urged Petelczyc to tell her two daughters, Gretl, 18, and Liesl, 23, about her concerns because they were now adults, prompting the widow to reveal that the family was in danger and advise to the girls not to open the door. door.
The family friend said Petelczyc had frequently visited his parents, seeking legal advice from his father, a lawyer, on ways he could protect Rowena and his daughters.
She said that the last time her parents saw Mrs. Petelczyc, two weeks ago, shortly before leaving on vacation, her father yelled at her as she walked down the driveway: “Don’t forget to report him (Bombara drives with a gun) to police”.
Mrs Petelczyc replied “I will” before turning around and heading home.
The family friend said they are not sure if Petelczyc had reported the matter to police.
WA Police told Daily Mail Australia they had been unable to locate records indicating Ms Petelczyc made a report to police.
The family friend said that if Bombara, who was part of a local gun club, was reported to police, he doesn’t understand how he would have been allowed to keep his firearm if there were concerns of violence.
Over the past six months, Bombara had become increasingly erratic, the friend said.
The friend said he understands the property developer, who shared four children with his ex-wife, had suffered mini strokes and diabetes but had not received treatment, which had led to significant personality changes.
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. Her mother had been deliberating about telling her daughters about the threat Bombara posed.
Friday’s tragedy leaves her daughter Liesl as the only surviving member of the immediate family (Gretl and Liesl appear together)
It is unclear how Bombara gained access to the home on Friday afternoon; However, neighbors reported seeing the family’s alarm light flashing, suggesting she had broken in.
Daily Mail Australia understands that after Bombara entered, he met Ms Petelczyc and her daughter in separate rooms and shot them both in the head.
It is also understood he shot himself several times in the chest before fatally hitting his head.
The friend described Mrs Petelczyc as a brave woman who unconditionally protected the people she loved.
She said Petelczyc had been working hard to support her daughters after losing her husband, Jon, to pancreatic cancer in 2019.
He said Jon, a businessman, had worked his entire life to retire in 2020, but tragically died just months after achieving his dream.
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.
A neighbor described Bombara’s ex-partner Rowena (centre) as “lovely” and him as “private”
He was so obsessed with achieving his goal that he named his company Business Consultants 2020 and every family member’s license plate included the number.
The loss of Mr Petelczyc had a profound impact on the family and local community, who are now recovering from yet another tragedy.
In 2017, Petelczyc made headlines after voluntarily purchasing a defibrillator to keep in the family’s car garage in case someone in the neighborhood ever needed it.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Petelczyc, who worked in a local surgeon’s office, were active members of the community.
She participated in council meetings and they both previously served on the board of their daughters’ school, St Hilda’s Anglican School for Girls, where Ms Bombara’s daughters were also students.
Meanwhile, Gretl was an avid water polo player and had begun studying sports at the University of Western Australia, where her sister was also studying.
Bombara is understood to have tied up the two women after failing to find Rowena (centre)
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.”
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