Ildiko Krajnyak Was Killed by a Package Bomb at Her California Day Spa. Inside the Twisty Case — and the Murderer's Shocking Identity By Jordana Comiter

Ildiko Krajnyak was killed when a bomb exploded in her California day spa in 2018. Years later, her ex-boyfriend and business partner was found guilty of planting it.

In May 2018, the mother and skin care expert was killed when a bomb exploded at her day spa in Aliso Viejo, Calif. Following the incident — which also left two surviving victims injured — Krajnyak’s ex-boyfriend and business partner, Stephen Beal, was arrested, released and then arrested again months later in connection with the explosion.

Beal — whose wife died nearly a decade earlier in what officials said was a “mysterious case,” per NBC News — was eventually found guilty of four felonies. In January 2024, he was sentenced to life plus an additional 30 years in federal prison for building and planting the package bomb, per a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Krajnyak’s murder and the case that followed were revisited in NBC’s Dateline episode, “Death at the Spa,” which originally aired in February 2024. Dateline airs Fridays at 9 p.m. ET.

Here’s everything to know about the bomb explosion that killed Ildiko Krajnyak.

Krajnyak and Beal were exes and colleagues who had disputes over money

Krajnyak, a mom and skin care expert in her 40s, and Beal, a widower who dabbled in acting and building model rockets, met in the summer of 2016 through a dating app, per the Los Angeles Times. According to the outlet, Krajnyak had recently filed for bankruptcy.

Over the next nearly year and a half, the pair traveled together and eventually became colleagues when they decided to open a day spa together in Aliso Viejo.

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Per the outlet, authorities said Krajnyak and Beal’s relationship soured when they had disputes over money and their exclusivity. They decided to stay business partners following their split, and Beal continued to pay the $1,500 monthly rent for the spa space and half its operating cost.

A bomb exploded at the day spa in May 2018, killing Krajnyak and injuring two clients

At approximately 1:05 p.m. on May 15, 2018, a bomb went off inside a commercial office building in Aliso Viejo. The explosion instantly killed Krajnyak, who owned Magyar Kozmetika, a day spa located in the building, and permanently injured two of her clients, too.

The surviving, injured victims were a mother and a daughter. One of them later testified that she saw Krajnyak standing behind her desk and opening a cardboard box right before the explosion went off.

Then, the surviving victim pulled her mother from the rubble and they escaped the burning building via a blown-out wall, per a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. As a result, the survivors suffered second- and third-degree burns and one of them lost an eye.

Beal was arrested, then released, then arrested again

Two days after the explosion, Beal was arrested on suspicion of possessing an unregistered destructive device. Investigators found about 130 lbs. of explosives and related materials in his residence, primarily in his garage, per a federal criminal complaint obtained by PEOPLE at the time of the arrest.

Beal allegedly explained that he was a former “model rocket hobbyist.”

Authorities alleged in the complaint that they also recovered two cardboard tubes described as similar to improvised explosives, with 30-inch fuses. But when asked about the recovered items, Beal allegedly said that he had “not made any bombs,” per the complaint.

Two days later, the charges against Beal were dropped and he was free to go. By March 2019, though, he was arrested again in connection with the explosion.

Beal was found guilty in July 2023

In July 2023, following a multi-week trial, Beal was found guilty by a federal jury 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.

During the trial, several more details came to light about Krajnyak and Beal’s relationship. According to the Los Angeles Times, Beal’s texts to his ex in early 2018 allegedly reflect him being increasingly anxious about whether she would leave him. The prosecutor claimed that Beal threatened to die by suicide when Krajnyak said she wanted some space, per the outlet.

Beal was sentenced to life in prison in January 2024

On Jan. 19, 2024, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced that Beal — who was then 64 years old — had been sentenced to life plus an additional 30 years in federal prison for building and planting the package bomb that went off in the day spa years earlier.

During the sentencing, U.S. District Judge Josephine L. Staton said that the “cold, calculated nature” of the crime is “chilling.”

Estrada went on to say that 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.”

He continued, “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.”