The daughter of a Perth gunman who killed two women while searching for his estranged wife has described him as a “devious, ruthless manipulator” during an inquest into the deaths.
Mark James Bombara, 63, shot Jennifer Petelczyc, 59, and her 18-year-old daughter, Gretl, at their home on May 24, 2024, before taking his own life.
The WA Coroners Court heard Bombara had become fixated on his wife, Rowena, after their 35-year marriage ended a month earlier. He had gone to the Petelczyc family home looking for her, but she was not there.
Bombara’s daughter, Ariel, said the “absolute terror and fear” experienced by Jennifer and Gretl should “devastate” the community.
“I hope our collective rage at what my father did to them is the wake-up call we need to spark real change, as these unprecedented rates of family and domestic violence cannot continue,” she told the court.
She rejected the portrayal of her father as “the gentle, sad old man” and a victim of poor health, saying he had “conned many into believing” that description.
“He was a devious, ruthless manipulator who felt so entitled to my mum’s energy and enduring unpaid labour,” Ariel said. “The punishment for her leaving his abuse could be nothing other than her murder.”
When Bombara discovered that Rowena was not at Jennifer’s home, he killed the two women as “the next best punishment”, his daughter said.
“I would never have predicted that he wouldn’t do his due diligence in confirming mum’s location before attempting her murder,” she said.
Ariel apologised to Liesl, Jennifer’s surviving daughter, saying: “I am so deeply, truly sorry for what my father has done to you.”
She also criticised police for allowing Bombara to retain 13 firearms despite multiple warnings about his mental state and potential for violence.
“For the rest of my life I will feel like I pulled the pin on the grenade that landed on someone else’s family,” she said.
Ariel told the inquest she had heard Bombara kill the Petelczycs during a telephone call. She apologised to her mother for not “being able to save her from this grief”.
“Her scream after hearing those shots, and her wails … will haunt me for the rest of my life,” she said.
Bombara’s rampage at the Petelczycs’ home was captured in CCTV footage and recorded in eight emergency calls.
Acting State Coroner Sarah Linton is expected to hand down her findings on a date to be fixed.
