(SUFFOLK COUNTY, N.Y.) – Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney today announced that Keyonna Waddell, 35, of Deer Park, was sentenced to 18 years in prison after she was found guilty of Assault in the First Degree and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the First Degree, for throwing an explosive device into her boyfriend’s bedroom while he slept, causing him to lose his hand when he attempted to throw it out the window.
“This sentence is a measure of justice for a victim who survived an act of unspeakable domestic violence in his own home,” said District Attorney Tierney. “Suffolk County will always hold those accountable who act with such calculated violence.”
The evidence at trial established that on March 22, 2024, the victim and Waddell had an argument inside his apartment. The victim left his apartment and instructed Waddell to leave as well. When the victim returned home, Waddell did not appear to be there, and the victim went to bed. The victim later awoke to the hissing sound of what appeared to be a stick of dynamite. After attempts to extinguish the explosive device failed, the victim picked the device up to throw it out through a window when it detonated in his hand. The victim, who at this point realized most of his hand was gone, ran to the end of the driveway and observed Waddell fleeing on foot.
The victim was transported to Nassau University Medical Center where doctors amputated the remainder of his hand and part of his arm. Waddell was arrested on March 23, 2024, following an investigation, which revealed that Waddell had threatened the victim with dynamite several times in the months leading up to the incident.
On April 24, 2026, Waddell was convicted of Assault in the First Degree, a Class B violent felony, and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the First Degree, a Class B violent felony, after a jury trial heard before Supreme Court Justice Richard I. Horowitz.
On May 27, 2026, Waddell was sentenced to 18 years in prison followed by five years of post-release supervision. She was represented by Eric Besso, Esq.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Dana Castaldo of the Child Abuse and Domestic Violence Bureau and Jacob DeLauter of the Major Crime Bureau, with assistance from Assistant District Attorney Carlos Benitez of the Major Crime Bureau. The investigation was conducted by Detective John Caraccia of the Suffolk County Police Department’s First Squad, with assistance by Research Analysts Thomas Kolacki and Brooke Baade.
