Floreat killer 'viewed wife as property', daughter tells inquest

Ariel Bombara apologised directly to the family of the two women her father killed, telling the WA inquest that Mark Bombara decided murdering his wife's best friend was the next best punishment when he could not find Rowena. Jennifer Petelczyc, 59, and her 18-year-old daughter Gretl were shot dead at their Floreat home in May 2024, after which Bombara turned the gun on himself.

She rejected any suggestion her father's actions were driven by medical or mental health problems. According to Ariel Bombara, he was a manipulator who saw his wife as his property and would never have let her leave him. She also addressed Liesl Petelczyc, Jennifer's daughter and Gretl's sister, who was out babysitting when he stormed the house, saying her mother and sister did not deserve to be killed.

Ariel Bombara said she tried to warn police at least four times that her father was a real and imminent threat with access to firearms, after helping her mother flee weeks before the murders. An internal police investigation found appropriate action was not taken, and eight officers have since faced disciplinary action. She told the court she had thought about the events every day for two and a half years.

Rowena Bombara spoke publicly for the first time since the killings, describing herself as heartbroken over the loss of her best friend Jennifer and Gretl, who she said had a wonderful sense of humour and her whole life ahead of her. She said she knew what would happen if Mark found her, which is why she deliberately never stayed with Jenny in her home. She also recalled hearing her friend's murder over the phone.

Acting state coroner Sarah Linton said there was not a dry eye in the room when Rowena Bombara finished her statement, and that she did not have the words to express her sorrow for the families. Suppression orders bar media from publishing images of Rowena Bombara and Liesl Petelczyc. The inquest continues, with findings expected next year.