AP

Mistrial declared in Southern California spa bombing case

Aug 22, 2022, 2:36 AM | Updated: 3:19 pm

FILE - The home occupied by Stephen Beal in Long Beach, Calif., is pictured on May 16, 2018. A judg...

FILE - The home occupied by Stephen Beal in Long Beach, Calif., is pictured on May 16, 2018. A judge has declared a mistrial in a case against a man charged with blowing up his ex-girlfriend's Southern California spa business, killing her and injuring two others with a box rigged with explosives. U.S. District Judge Josephine Staton declared the mistrial on Monday, Aug. 22, 2022, after jurors deadlocked on the case against Beal. (AP Photo/Amanda Lee Myers, File)

(AP Photo/Amanda Lee Myers, File)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A judge on Monday declared a mistrial in a case against a man charged with blowing up his ex-girlfriend’s Southern California spa business, killing her and seriously injuring two others with a box rigged with explosives.

U.S. District Judge Josephine Staton declared the mistrial after jurors said they were deadlocked on the case against Stephen Beal, said Ciaran McEvoy, a spokesperson for the U.S. attorney’s office in Los Angeles.

A retrial has been scheduled for October 18, McEvoy said.

Beal, 63, was charged with killing Ildiko Krajnyak on May 15, 2018, with a package bomb sent to her Aliso Viejo spa, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Los Angeles.

Krajnyak, 48, was killed in the fiery blast when she opened the box. Two clients — a mother and daughter — who she had just treated 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.

Beal, a partner in the salon business, was jealous Krajnyak had been dating someone else and developed a “plan to destroy her,” U.S. Attorney Annamartine Salick said in opening statements. He allegedly slipped into the building with the packages while she was in Hungary was visiting family.

“This is a case about infatuation, obsession and control,” Salick said. “When Ildiko rejected his infatuation and starting dating another man, the defendant realized he could not control her.”

Defense lawyers said the FBI made a snap judgment by focusing on Beal and ignored other evidence and suspects.

“They started with a conclusion and worked their way backwards,” defense attorney Craig Harbaugh said.

Beal was charged with use of a weapon of mass destruction resulting in death, malicious destruction of a building resulting in death, and use of a destructive device during and in relation to a crime of violence.

Beal was arrested soon after the bombing, but explosives charges were eventually dropped when prosecutors questioned whether material found at his Long Beach home constituted a “destructive device.”

Beal claimed that explosive material found at his house were for his model rockets.

But nearly 10 months later, after what authorities called an “exhaustive” investigation, Beal was rearrested and charged.

Investigators linked Beal to fragments from the bomb, including a battery, a wire and boxes similar to the one that contained the deadly explosive. A battery used in the improvised explosive was tied to a purchase Beal made near his house.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP

Image: A cargo ship is stuck under the part of the structure of the Francis Scott Key Bridge after ...

Associated Press

Authorities identify 2 bodies recovered at site of Baltimore bridge collapse

A major bridge in Baltimore snapped and collapsed after a container ship rammed into it early Tuesday, and several vehicles fell into the river below.

1 day ago

Photo: Mountaineer Jim Whittaker has died at 95....

Gene Johnson, The Associated Press

Lou Whittaker, among the most famous American mountaineers, has died at age 95

Lou Whittaker, a legendary American mountaineer who helped lead ascents of Mount Everest, K2 and Denali, has died at age 95.

1 day ago

File photo: Former Sen. Joe Lieberman speaks in Washington on Jan. 18, 2024....

Associated Press

Former Sen. Joe Lieberman, Democrats’ VP pick in 2000, dead at 82

Former U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, who nearly won the vice presidency on the Democratic ticket with Al Gore in 2000, has died.

1 day ago

islamic state attack...

Vanessa Gera, The Associated Press

What we know after the Islamic State group claims responsibility for Moscow massacre

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for an attack on a suburban Moscow concert hall that killed at least 133 people.

4 days ago

Moscow shooting...

The Associated Press

Russia: 60 dead, 145 injured in concert hall raid; Islamic State group claims responsibility

Assailants burst into a concert hall in Moscow on Friday and sprayed the crowd with gunfire, killing over 60 people, injuring more than 100.

6 days ago

Photo: Britain's Kate, Duchess of Cambridge visits 282 (East Ham) Squadron, RAF Air Cadets, Cornwel...

Associated Press

Kate Middleton announces she has cancer, is undergoing chemotherapy

Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, says she is undergoing chemotherapy to treat cancer. She has been out of view since Christmas.

6 days ago

Mistrial declared in Southern California spa bombing case