IEDs, Firearms Found At Home Of Aliso Viejo Explosion Victim's Ex-Boyfriend
ALISO VIEJO (CBSLA) — The former boyfriend of a woman killed in an explosion in Aliso Viejo was charged Wednesday with possession of an unregistered destructive device, authorities said.
Stephen Beal, 59, of Long Beach, was arrested and made his first court appearance in U.S. District Court in Santa Ana Thursday afternoon.
He has not been charged in connection with Tuesday's explosion, according to FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller.
According to an FBI affidavit filed in federal court, a woman who was injured at the two-story outpatient medical clinic located at 11 Mareblu told investigators the blast occurred when 48-year-old Ildiko Krajnyak opened a brown cardboard box that had been on the floor near the front counter of her day spa.
Investigators who were on scene following the blast discovered "a nine-volt battery, a cellular telephone, melted material that appeared to be duct tape and loose wires", according to the affidavit.
A search of Beal's home later uncovered "two completed improvised explosive devices and three firearms", but investigators say Beal told them "he did not have material to create an explosion that large."
The explosive device went off inside a day spa called Magyar Kozmetika, killing Krajnyak, the spa's owner. The explosion also injured two other women who are believed to be customers. They are expected to survive their injuries.
Since the explosion, which shook several neighboring buildings, police and federal authorities have conducted an intense investigation which on Wednesday turned to Krajnyak's home in Trabuco Canyon and Beal's home in Long Beach.
It was learned Thursday that Beal is a sometime-actor. He split with Krajnyak last month but they remained business partners.
It was also revealed that his first wife died in an accident while carrying furniture 10 years ago.
KCAL9's Stacey Butler spoke to the deceased wife's nephew and he said he was horrified and offended at the suggestion that his uncle had anything to do with her death.