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

Ildiko Krajnyak was killed when a bomb detonated inside her California day spa in 2018. Years later, her ex-boyfriend and business partner, Stephen Beal, was convicted of building and planting the device.

In May 2018, the mother and skin care professional died when an explosion ripped through her day spa in Aliso Viejo, Calif. Two clients survived but were seriously injured. Investigators later focused on Beal, who was initially arrested, released, and then taken into custody again months later as the case developed.

Beal — whose wife had died nearly a decade earlier in what officials described as a “mysterious case,” per NBC News — was ultimately convicted of four federal felonies. In January 2024, he was sentenced to life in prison plus an additional 30 years, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The case was revisited in NBC’s Dateline episode, “Death at the Spa,” which first aired in February 2024. Dateline airs Fridays at 9 p.m. ET.

Here’s what to know about the bombing that killed Ildiko Krajnyak.

Krajnyak and Beal were former partners — and later business co-owners

Krajnyak, a skin care expert in her 40s, and Beal, a widower with interests that included acting and model rocketry, 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 year and a half, they traveled together and later decided to open a day spa in Aliso Viejo, becoming business partners as well as a couple.

Per the outlet, investigators said the relationship eventually deteriorated amid disputes involving money and expectations around exclusivity. Even after splitting up, they remained connected through the business. Beal continued paying the spa’s $1,500 monthly rent and covered half of its operating costs.

The May 2018 explosion killed Krajnyak and seriously injured two clients

At around 1:05 p.m. on May 15, 2018, a bomb detonated inside a commercial office building in Aliso Viejo. Authorities said Krajnyak, who owned Magyar Kozmetika in the building, was killed instantly. Two clients — a mother and daughter — survived but suffered permanent injuries.

One of the survivors later testified that she saw Krajnyak behind the desk opening a cardboard box moments before the blast. According to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the daughter pulled her mother from the rubble and they escaped through a wall that had been blown out. Both suffered second- and third-degree burns, and one victim lost an eye.

Beal was arrested, released, and arrested again as the investigation continued

Two days after the blast, Beal was arrested on suspicion of possessing an unregistered destructive device. Investigators recovered roughly 130 pounds of explosives and related materials from his home — mainly in his garage — per a federal criminal complaint obtained by PEOPLE at the time.

Beal allegedly told investigators he was a former “model rocket hobbyist.” The complaint also alleged that authorities found two cardboard tubes described as resembling improvised explosive devices, fitted with 30-inch fuses. Beal allegedly said he had “not made any bombs,” per the complaint.

Two days later, the charges tied to that arrest were dropped and he was released. By March 2019, however, Beal was arrested again in connection with the spa explosion.

A federal jury convicted Beal in July 2023

After a multi-week trial, a federal jury found Beal guilty in July 2023 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.

At trial, more details about the couple’s dynamic were discussed. The Los Angeles Times reported that texts sent by Beal in early 2018 allegedly showed increasing anxiety about whether Krajnyak would leave him. Prosecutors also alleged that Beal threatened suicide when she asked for space, per the outlet.

Beal was sentenced in January 2024

On Jan. 19, 2024, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced that Beal, then 64, was sentenced to life in federal prison plus an additional 30 years for building and planting the package bomb.

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

An official added 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,” and said the sentence should send a message that the community will not tolerate such violence.