A New York woman has been convicted in a violent domestic assault case involving the use of an explosive device, after prosecutors said she planted a lit stick of dynamite near her sleeping boyfriend—resulting in catastrophic injuries when it detonated in his hand.
Keyonna Waddell, 35, was found guilty Friday of assault and criminal possession of a weapon following a jury trial stemming from a March 22, 2024 incident in Suffolk County. Authorities say the attack followed a verbal dispute between Waddell and the victim earlier that evening.
According to Raymond Tierney, the couple had argued at the victim’s apartment before both parties left the premises. The victim later returned home and went to sleep, believing he was alone.
Prosecutors allege that Waddell re-entered the apartment and placed a lit explosive device inside the bedroom while the victim slept. He was awakened by a “hissing sound” and saw flames, which led him to discover a burning stick of dynamite. In an attempt to prevent further damage, he tried to extinguish the fuse and then remove the device from the apartment.
The device detonated before he could do so.
“He felt searing pain and realized that his hand was gone,” Tierney said in a statement describing the victim’s account. The blast resulted in the traumatic loss of the victim’s hand and part of his arm, requiring emergency surgery.
The victim reportedly fled the residence and encountered Waddell leaving the scene on foot shortly after the explosion.
Investigators later determined that Waddell had allegedly threatened the victim with dynamite multiple times in the months leading up to the attack, a detail prosecutors emphasized to establish intent and premeditation.
Waddell was arrested the following day and subsequently charged with serious felony offenses related to the use of an explosive weapon. Her conviction exposes her to a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison under New York law.
She is scheduled to be sentenced on May 27.
Legal analysts note that the case underscores the severity with which courts treat the use of explosive devices in interpersonal violence, often elevating charges and sentencing exposure due to the inherently indiscriminate and destructive nature of such weapons. The conviction also highlights the intersection of domestic violence and weapons offenses, an area of increasing prosecutorial focus in jurisdictions across the United States.
