Mom, 34, Allegedly Killed by the Father of Her Children During a Custody Swap After the Kids’ Christmas Visit

The father shot himself after shooting the woman in front of their three kids, police said

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Latoya Gayle

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NEED TO KNOW

• A woman, 34, was killed in front of her three children during a custody swap after the kids’ Christmas visit with their father
• The incident took place in Pennsylvania on Friday, Dec. 26
• The father shot himself after allegedly shooting the woman and is now in critical condition, police said

A mother is dead and the father of her children is recovering in the hospital after an attempted murder-suicide that took place during a custody swap following the kids’ Christmas visit, authorities said.

At around noon on Friday, Dec. 26, the 34-year-old woman arrived at a home in Upper Darby Township, Penn., to pick up the three children she shared with the man, according to ABC 6, NBC 10 and Fox 29, which cited local police.

The mother and the father, 45 — whose identities have not yet been shared publicly — began arguing over custody of the children when the man allegedly fatally shot the woman, then turning the gun on himself, the outlets reported.

https://people.com/embed?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D7dllINb8vus&id=mntl-sc-block_8-0-iframe&options=e30%3D&docId=11876587

Their children, ages six, four and one, were sitting inside a car at the time of the incident and witnessed the shooting, Timothy M. Bernhardt, the Superintendent of the Upper Darby Township Police, told PEOPLE.

The mother was found sitting in the driver’s seat with a gunshot wound when police arrived at the scene. She was removed from behind the steering wheel so authorities could attempt to perform life-saving measures, but she died.

The children’s father, meanwhile, was found wounded on a nearby sidewalk. He survived the shooting but is in a critical condition at a local hospital, per Bernhardt.

He will face charges if he recovers from his injuries, according to police, Fox 29 reported.

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Bernhardt confirmed a custody order was in place at the time of the shooting incident. He added that the three children had been visiting their father for Christmas.

“They got into some type of argument when the male got out a gun and fired two shots at the female. He got out of the vehicle and shot himself one time,” Bernhardt said, according to Fox 29.

The Superintendent of Police told PEOPLE that all three children “are safe and have been reunited with family” following the tragedy.

“Those children will live with this trauma for the rest of their lives. There is no excuse for this kind of violence, and the damage it causes is permanent,” Bernhardt said.

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“Please keep the children, the responding officers and the surviving family in your thoughts and prayers,” he added.

Woman sentenced to life in prison for custody exchange murder on Christmas Day 2023

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By Hawah Ezell and WCJB Staff

Published: Apr. 28, 2025 at 6:17 PM GMT+7|Updated: Apr. 29, 2025 at 1:07 AM GMT+7

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) – Amanda Janzen, the woman accused of killing Anna Terrill and shooting the father of her child on Christmas Day, was sentenced during a hearing on Monday morning.

Janzen was sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder. She will concurrently serve time for additional charges.

She has been ordered to have no contact with the children until a therapist approves contact, and she cannot contact the victim’s family.

Both victims’ families attended the emotional change of plea hearing on Monday.

On Christmas Day in 2023, Janzen, with 5 children in the vehicle, drove to a Walgreens in Gainesville to meet for a custody exchange with a man she shared an 11-month-old child with.

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Another woman, Anna Terrill, was in the car with the man during the custody exchange. Officers say Janzen pulled out a loaded gun and shot Terrill three times, and the man victim three times. Witnesses heard Janzen say, ‘You made this happen.’ Terrill died from her wounds.

RELATED:Case moving forward in deadly Christmas Day shooting

Janzen led officers on a 13-mile high-speed chase with her 5 children in the car before she was taken into custody.

Her charges include first-degree premeditated murder, attempted murder, fleeing, and child neglect.

Janzen also picked up another new charge while in custody for spitting on a corrections worker.

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Copyright 2025 WCJB. All rights reserved.

Woman gets life sentence for fatal 2023 shooting during custody exchange on Christmas Day

Staff report

Gainesville Sun

• Amanda Marie Janzen, 39, received a life sentence after pleading no contest to eight charges, including second-degree murder.
• Janzen fatally shot Anna Haslup Terrill and wounded the father of one of her children during a custody exchange on Christmas Day 2023.
• The shooting occurred at a Gainesville Walgreens parking lot, followed by a high-speed chase involving multiple law enforcement agencies.

The woman accused of fatally shooting another woman and wounding the father of one of her children during a custody exchange in the parking lot of Gainesville Walgreens on Christmas Day 2023 has been sentenced to life in prison.

Amanda Marie Janzen, 39, entered a plea of no contest and was adjudicated guilty on eight counts, including second-degree murder, for the fatal shooting of 31-year-old Anna Haslup Terrill.

Judge Denise R. Ferrero also found Janzen guilty for attempted homicide, fleeing police and five counts of child neglect. As part of her sentence Janzen is to have no contact with her own children until approved by a licensed therapist and/or court approval.

A restitution hearing in the case has been scheduled for June 2.Local news: FHP: 1 dead, 3 critical following head-on collision in northwest Alachua County

According to the initial Gainesville Police Department report, Janzen drove from her home in Alachua to the Walgreens at 3909 NW 13th St. to turn over her then-11-month-old child to the child’s father, Thomas Lepread Williams, as part of a custody agreement ordered on Dec. 20, 2023.

Janzen and the man had been in an intimate relationship since September 2021 and, shortly after the birth of the child, she had accused him of having an affair with a woman, the report said.

On the day of the shooting, Janzen arrived at the Walgreens with five children in her vehicle just before 2 p.m., according to the report, and waited with a “cocked” firearm for Williams to arrive.

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After the vehicle with Williams arrived, Janzen exited her vehicle and walked around to the driver’s side door where she fatally shot Terrill three times, the report said. She then went back around to the passenger’s side and confronted Williams. He jumped back into the vehicle and was shot by Janzen three times, the report said.

“You made this happen!” Janzen reportedly said while shooting at him.

She then fled the scene north on Northwest 13th Street with the five children still in the vehicle. A nearby Gainesville Police Department officer heard the gunshots and witnessed the fleeing vehicle.

Janzen proceeded to lead officers from GPD, the Alachua Police Department and the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office on 13-mile chase that reached speeds up to 100 mph. After finally coming to a stop, Janzen discarded the loaded firearm from the vehicle. During her arrest, officers found two additional loaded magazines on her, the report said.

The shooting was captured on surveillance video, the report said.

— This article includes information previously published in The Sun.