A Long Island jury has convicted a woman accused of carrying out a violent attack that left her boyfriend permanently injured after an explosive device detonated inside his home.
According to Fox News, Keyonna Waddell, 35, of Deer Park, was found guilty of first-degree assault and first-degree criminal possession of a weapon stemming from a March 2024 incident, according to prosecutors in Suffolk County.
Authorities said the case followed months of escalating threats.
“Domestic violence can escalate to deadly levels, and this case is a sobering reminder of that reality,” Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney said in a statement.
Prosecutors detailed how the situation unfolded inside the victim’s apartment.
On March 22, 2024, Waddell and her boyfriend argued. After the dispute, the man left and told her to leave the apartment. When he later returned home, he believed she was gone and went to sleep.
That assumption proved wrong.
While sleeping, the man was jolted awake by a hissing sound. He saw a flame on the floor of his bedroom and realized an explosive device had been thrown inside.
According to officials, it was a handmade stick of dynamite.
The victim tried to react quickly, attempting to grab the device and throw it out the window. Before he could get it out, it detonated.
The blast caused catastrophic injuries, blowing off most of his hand.
Despite the explosion, he managed to escape the home and run into the driveway. It was there, authorities said, that he saw Waddell fleeing the scene.
Emergency responders rushed the man to a hospital. Due to the severity of his injuries, doctors were forced to amputate the remainder of his hand and part of his arm.
Waddell was arrested the following day.
Prosecutors said she had threatened the victim with dynamite multiple times in the months leading up to the attack, underscoring the escalating nature of the violence.
Her sentencing is scheduled for May 27, and she faces a potential sentence of up to 25 years in prison.
“Thanks to the outstanding work of our prosecutors and the Suffolk County Police Department, a dangerous individual has been held accountable and will face a lengthy prison sentence for this horrific act,” Tierney said.
