Mistrial declared in Southern California spa bombing case

LOS ANGELES (AP) — 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 seriously injuring two others with a box rigged with explosives.

U.S. District Judge Josephine Staton declared the mistrial Monday 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.

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.