Man sentenced to life plus 30 years in 2018 California spa bombing that killed his ex-girlfriend
Also: Long Beach Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Bombing Aliso Viejo Spa in Attack that Killed His Ex-Girlfriend and Injured Two Others (U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California)
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Source: Associated Press
Man sentenced to life plus 30 years in 2018 California spa bombing that killed his ex-girlfriend
BY STEFANIE DAZIO
Updated 4:14 PM EST, January 19, 2024
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Southern California man was sentenced Friday to two concurrent life sentences, plus 30 years, for blowing up his ex-girlfriend’s spa business with a package bomb in 2018, killing her and seriously injuring two others.
Friday’s hearing concluded a case against Stephen Beal, 64, that was fraught with missteps for investigators and prosecutors since the May 15, 2018 bombing in an Aliso Viejo spa, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Los Angeles.
Ildiko Krajnyak, 48, was killed in the fiery blast when she opened a box with a homemade bomb inside that Beal had slipped into the spa while she was in Hungary visiting family. Two clients she had just treated — a mother and daughter — were knocked off their feet. The blast destroyed the business and tore a large hunk from the building. Body parts were found in the parking lot.
“Mr. Beal will never be able to get out to harm innocent victims again,” said E. Martin Estrada, the U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, at a news conference after the sentencing.
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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/southern-california-spa-bombing-3d4195e1c5323fa5a1b7de20c638d3ee
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Source: U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California
Long Beach Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Bombing Aliso Viejo Spa in Attack that Killed His Ex-Girlfriend and Injured Two Others
Friday, January 19, 2024
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California
LOS ANGELES – A Long Beach man was sentenced today to life plus an additional 30 years in federal prison for building and planting a package bomb that detonated inside an Aliso Viejo day spa in May 2018, killing his ex-girlfriend, severely injuring two spa clients, and causing significant damage to a commercial office building.
Stephen William Beal, 64, was sentenced by United States District Judge Josephine L. Staton, who said at today’s hearing, “The cold, calculated nature of this crime is chilling.”
At the conclusion of a four-week trial, a federal jury in July 2023 found Beal guilty of four felonies: use of a weapon of mass destruction resulting in death, malicious destruction of a building resulting in death, use of a destructive device during and in relation to a crime of violence, and possession of an unregistered destructive device.
Judge Staton sentenced Beal to life imprisonment on the first two counts, a consecutive 30-year prison sentence on the third count, and a 10-year concurrent sentence on the fourth count.
“Mr. Beal callously murdered a loving mother, maimed two other victims, and put at risk many others in the vicinity, including children and teachers at a nearby preschool,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “Mr. Beal’s wanton disregard for the lives of others warranted the severe sentence that the court imposed, which should send a clear message that our community will not tolerate such acts of violence. We send our prayers to the victims and our heartfelt thanks to the first responders and investigators whose tireless work uncovered Mr. Beal’s dastardly crime.”
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The bomb exploded at a commercial office building in Aliso Viejo at approximately 1:05 p.m. on May 15, 2018. The explosion instantly killed 48-year-old Ildiko Krajnyak – who owned Magyar Kozmetika, a day spa located in the office building – and permanently injured two of her clients: a mother and her daughter.
One of the surviving victims testified at trial that she saw Krajnyak standing behind her desk opening a cardboard box immediately before the explosion. The surviving victim pulled her mother from the rubble, and together they escaped the burning building through a blown-out wall. The survivors suffered second- and third-degree burns, and one lost an eye.
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Read more: https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/pr/long-beach-man-sentenced-life-prison-bombing-aliso-viejo-spa-attack-killed-his-ex