LOS ANGELES – The Latest on the case against a Southern California man who had faced explosives charges after a blast killed his former girlfriend (all times local):
12 p.m.
A Southern California man arrested on suspicion of having explosives after a blast killed his ex-girlfriend at her day spa has been freed after prosecutors dropped the charge.
A spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office says Stephen Beal was released from jail Sunday after a judge approved dismissing a single charge a day earlier.
Beal was arrested during the investigation of the May 15 bombing that killed Ildiko Krajnyak in her Orange County spa, but he was never named as a suspect in the blast.
Prosecutors say further review by the FBI raised questions about whether explosive material they found in Beal's home can be considered a "destructive device" under the law.
The Orange County district attorney's office says it will release an update on the investigation later in the day.
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10:15 a.m.
Prosecutors are asking a court to dismiss charges against a Southern California man arrested on suspicion of having explosives after a blast killed his former girlfriend at her day spa.
Prosecutors filed papers Saturday in U.S. District Court to toss a single count of possessing an unregistered destructive device against Stephen Beal.
Beal was arrested during the investigation of the bombing that killed Ildiko Krajnyak on May 15 in her Orange County spa, but he was never named as a suspect in the blast.
Investigators said at the time of his arrest that they had discovered improvised explosive devices in his Long Beach home.
Court papers say further review by the FBI raises questions about whether the material found in his home can be considered a "destructive device."
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This item has been corrected to show that the court papers were filed Saturday, not Tuesday.
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