Keyonna Waddell was found guilty of assault and unlawful possession of weapons after throwing a stick of dynamite into the room where I slept her boyfriend, causing him to lose a hand in the explosion in Deer Park, Long Island (NY).
“The domestic violence can escalate to deadly levels, and this case is a grim reminder of that reality,” District Attorney Raymond Tierney said in a statement. “Thanks to the exceptional work of our prosecutors and the Suffolk County Police Department, a dangerous person has been brought to justice and will face a long prison sentence for this heinous act.”
The events date back to March 22, 2024, when the victim and Waddell had an argument inside the victim’s apartment. After the fight, the victim left the scene and instructed his girlfriend to leave. When the man returned home, Waddell was no longer there, so he went to sleep peacefully, according to the police report.
While the victim was sleeping, He woke up when he heard a whistle and saw a flame on the floor of his bedroom. He got up quickly and noticed that someone had thrown an object that looked like a stick of dynamite into his room. The man tried to turn off the explosive device, but was unable to do so. Then he picked it up and tried to throw it outside, but detonated in his handaccording to court documents.
The victim was taken to a local health center, where he was The remains of his hand and part of his arm were amputated that were left after the explosion, according to authorities. Waddell was arrested a day after the incident.
The investigation revealed that Waddell had threatened her boyfriend with dynamite on several occasions during the months prior to the incident. Now the 35-year-old woman must appear in court again on May 27 for the reading of her sentence, and He faces a sentence of up to 25 years in prison.
In a similar case, early yesterday morning a drunk man broke into the home of his wife – from whom he was separated – and caused a massive gas explosion that left several New York Police (NYPD) officers injured and homeless people in Queens.
In general the domestic and acquainted violence are common problems that are estimated to affect 10 million people in the United States every year. Cases are constant in New York City and neighboring areas, between relatives, roommates, neighbors and couples, even with minor victims. Every day in NYC, an average of about 747 incidents of domestic violence -including assaults, abuses, verbal abuse- and about 65 homicides annually.
Last month Tomeka Kamwani, a nurse and mother of four, was shot to death by her ex-partner, who later took his own life in a home in New Jersey. Additionally, an 18-year-old Dominican teenager was shot by her boyfriend and then he also took his own life in her apartment in Queens (NYC). Also Brendan Trivisonno (38), suspected of killing his Brazilian girlfriend, died as a result of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at his home, ending a several-hour confrontation in Lyndhurst (New Jersey).
Also in April, Jabari Bush was accused of fatally shooting firefighter Terrence Cramer, his ex-girlfriend’s ex-girlfriend, inside the home the couple shared in Connecticut. In March, Eliud García was accused of invading the home of his ex-girlfriend Basilisa Negrón’s daughter in Harlem (NYC) and fatally shooting her.
Also that month, in a dramatic police turnaround after five years of investigationsShaquille Coke (31) was accused of having conspired to disfigure his ex-girlfriend Nafiah Ikram, throwing sulfuric acid in his face on Long Island (NY). Previously, Justin González, a young man wanted by authorities on suspicion of kidnapping his girlfriend at gunpoint in Jersey City (NJ), was caught after leading a frantic chase through Brooklyn with NYPD agents.
Previously, a 75-year-old man was charged with the death of his young wife, who disappeared in July 2025 and whose remains were found in two areas in Queens (NYC). Additionally, a man killed his wife and in-laws and then shot himself inside a home where there were three children in New Jersey.
Also that month, Odeylin González, a woman with a history of drug addiction, was arrested as a suspect in the death of her Latino boyfriend inside the supportive housing building in Queens (NYC) where he lived. In January, a 17-year-old girl was shot to death in her home in New Jersey and prosecutors accused her boyfriend as a suspect. Additionally, Albaro Chacón was sentenced for stabbing the mother of his children in front of them at home, and then attempting to clean up the crime scene on Long Island (NY).
In December, José Melo, a 53-year-old ex-convict DJ, pleaded guilty to fatally stabbing his girlfriend Naket Jadix Trinidad Maldonado, just hours after proposing to her at a nightclub in New Jersey. Also that month, Chilean Fernando Jiménez Meza was sentenced after pleading guilty to shooting three people, killing his girlfriend’s son in a residential complex in Westchester County (NY).
In October, Shawn Lichtfuss was found dead in his cell in New Jersey a day after a jury found him guilty of killing his wife Stefanie Caraway. Also that month, Asif Qureshi was prosecuted for murder in a court in Long Island (NY), a week after his wife was found suffocated with chemical burns on her face in their home.
In 2024, William DiBernardino Jr. was accused of hiring a couple for nearly $40,000 to burn his ex-girlfriend using acid in New Jersey. In January 2020, a young woman was found dead in New Jersey months after being missing; In the meantime, her ex-boyfriend had confessed to the homicide before taking his own life, while he was out on bail on child pornography charges.
- Harassment and violence in teenage dating in New York
If you are a victim or suspect that someone is being abused, especially if it is a minor or elderly:
Seek help
- Call 911, 988 or to (800)-942-6906.
- Send the text “WELL” to 65173.
- National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) and www.thehotline.org
- Review information at https://nycwell.cityofnewyork.us/es/ www.988lineadevida.org https://www.bbc.com/mundo/articles/c87g2n139e9o