Stephen Beal: Long Beach man gets life in prison for killing ex-girlfriend in Aliso Viejo spa bombing
LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA: On Friday, January 19, a Long Beach man, convicted in connection with a bombing at an Aliso Viejo day spa that resulted in the death of his ex-girlfriend, received a life sentence.
Stephen Beal, aged 64, faced a potential life term in federal prison, with a mandatory minimum of 30 years, as per the US Attorney's Office.
The court imposed two concurrent life sentences, along with an additional 30 years as per NBC Los Angeles.
What happened at Magyar Kozmetica spa?
In July, Stephen Beal was found guilty in connection with the May 2018 incident, where a homemade bomb detonated at a Magyar Kozmetica spa in Aliso Viejo.
The explosion resulted in the death of 48-year-old Ildiko Krajnyak, who co-owned the business with Beal.
Prosecutors argued that the bombing was orchestrated as part of a revenge plot, triggered by Krajnyak's rejection of Beal and her involvement with other men.
As stated by the US Attorney for the Central District of California during a news conference following the sentencing, “Mr Beal will never be able to get out to harm innocent victims again."
How did IIdiko Krajnyak die?
IIdiko Krajnyak lost her life when she opened a cardboard box near the spa's front desk. The explosive device within was triggered, causing a powerful blast that demolished the building and inflicted serious injuries on two other individuals.
A mother and cosmetologist, Kranjyak had recently returned to California after visiting her family in Hungary.
The impact of the explosion was so intense that human remains were discovered outside the building, as reported by authorities.
According to an affidavit filed by an FBI agent, Beal reached out to law enforcement that day, informing investigators that he and Kranjyak were business partners who had recently concluded a romantic relationship.
Evidence against Stephen Beal amid bomb explosion
In March 2019, Beal was apprehended following an investigation that linked wire fragments found at the spa scene to wire discovered at his residence.
Security camera footage from a week before the bombing captured him purchasing the specific type of battery used in the explosive device.
Defense attorneys contended that their client had a rocket-building hobby and asserted that the wires and other materials had no association with the bomb.
Initially arrested shortly after the explosion for possessing an unregistered destructive device, Beal was not immediately identified as a suspect in the blast.
This charge was later dropped as prosecutors questioned whether materials found at his Long Beach home constituted a "destructive device".
Beal remained free for nearly 10 months until his re-arrest following a thorough analysis of the evidence.
Beal's first trial in 2022 ended in a mistrial when the federal jury reached an impasse.
He was retried in 2023, and the second jury convicted him of four felonies, including the use of a weapon of mass destruction resulting in death.
Additionally, Beal was found guilty of malicious destruction of a building resulting in his ex-girlfriend's death, use of a destructive device during and in relation to a crime of violence, and possession of an unregistered destructive device.
