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Clayton Alexander McCoy, 32, of Chesterland Ohio, pleaded guilty to transporting explosives with the intent to injure and to possession of an unregistered firearm or explosive device, in connection with an explosion at a home in Carroll County that severely injured the boyfriend of a woman McCoy was interested in.
McCoy took elaborate measures to build an explosive bomb in his Ohio home, which he then drove to Maryland with the intention of killing his rival, according to federal officials, who noted that McCoy knew his victim and his girlfriend of several years through a live-action role-playing battle game/social club.
In October 2020, McCoy expressed romantic feelings for his victim's girlfriend, who did not reciprocate, leading to a series of events that could have been made for a movie ending with his guilty plea in Maryland.
Federal officials say that following his rejection, McCoy came up with a plan to build and deliver a bomb to his victim’s Carroll County home with the intent to kill him in order to remove him as a romantic rival.
McCoy researched the materials and plans for making the victim-operated pipe bomb, traveling to multiple stores to purchase a variety of substances to make explosive powder, as well as other components to manufacture the bomb.
To avoid detection by law enforcement, prosecutors said that McCoy purchased single items from multiple stores and paid for the materials in cash, making shrapnel for the inside of the bomb by using an angle grinder saw to cut scrap metal into small, triangular pieces.
McCoy inserted the homemade shrapnel and BBs, into the metal pipe, to increase the deadliness of the pipe bomb when it exploded.
Then, McCoy came up with the next part of his murderous plan.
McCoy placed the homemade bomb into a white gift box, tied a red ribbon around the box, and armed the firing mechanism so that the bomb would explode when the gift box was opened.
He then placed the gift box containing the bomb into a larger cardboard box with a shipping label that had no return address.
Officials noted that McCoy covered all his bases, making a prototype bomb that he tested in his yard to ensure that it detonated and killed his rival.
On Oct. 30, 2020, McCoy placed the bomb in the back of a pick-up truck, drove seven hours from Ohio into Carroll County, and dropped off the package at approximately 8:30 a.m., which was picked up by his victim’s grandfather.
The grandfather put the package on the kitchen counter, and later that day, the victim opened the cardboard box to find the gift box with the bomb. He texted his girlfriend to ask if she had sent him a present and brought the “gift” into a bedroom.
Prosecutors said that as the victim opened the gift box, the bomb detonated.
He reportedly heard a whistling or hissing sound followed by an explosion.
The victim was struck in the front of his body by shrapnel and sustained injuries to his chest, legs, and front of his body. He was transported to the hospital where he was treated for injuries caused by the shrapnel and explosion.
McCoy’s victim wasn't released until Nov. 17, 2020.
He had to use a walker for two weeks following the explosion and underwent multiple surgeries to remove shrapnel from his body, and another surgery on his hand. Multiple pieces of shrapnel remain inside of him, investigators said.
The explosion also caused an estimated $46,690 of damage to the dwelling and contents of the victim's home, leaving it uninhabitable for months until March 2021.
An insurance company also suffered a loss of $70,061.26 as a direct result of the explosion, officials noted.
In March 2021, a search warrant was executed at McCoy's Ohio home, where investigators seized items used to create the bomb, including the explosive powder.
McCoy initially admitted to knowing the victim but denied knowing where he lived, stating that he heard about the bombing of the Carroll County home through mutual friends but denied having any role in the explosive incident.
During the interview, McCoy named another person from the role-playing group who McCoy claimed did not like his victim. After investigators showed McCoy maps of his movements on the day of the bombing that documented McCoy’s travel from Ohio to Maryland and then back to Ohio, McCoy admitted that he made and delivered the bomb.
When he is sentenced, McCoy faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for transporting explosives with intent to injure and a maximum of 10 years in prison for possession of an unregistered firearm/explosive device.
No sentencing date has been announced.
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