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Margate Man Tried to Kill Lover's Husband With a Pipe Bomb, Feds Say

On Tuesday, a West Palm Beach federal jury heard all about a Margate man's masterful plot to try and murder his lover's husband by blowing him up with a homemade iPhone-controlled car bomb he learned how to build from watching YouTube. Shockingly, things did not go according to plan. Richard...
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On Tuesday, a West Palm Beach federal jury heard all about a Margate man's masterful plot to try and murder his lover's husband by blowing him up with a homemade iPhone-controlled car bomb he learned how to build from watching YouTube.

Shockingly, things did not go according to plan.

Richard Heyn, 47, is now facing up to 20 years in prison, if convicted.

Despite a mountain of evidence, such as surveillance footage, internet history, and DNA, Heyn is denying the charges.

Heyn, authorities say, hatched a plan to plant a pipe bomb under Dmitry Roytbak's SUV, which he would activate with an iPhone.

The prosecution called Joseph Varani, a digital investigative analyst with the Department of Justice, to the stand to tell the jury how Heyn's phone revealed Google searches for "remote-control transmitter and receiver," "homemade remote detonator" and "best [remote-control] car available at Walmart and Target.

Other internet history showed Heyn searched for "Will a metal cylinder packed with black powder explode?" And looked up YouTube videos on pipe bombs and explosions.

Authorities also say they spotted Heyn on the local Walmart's surveillance footage just a few days after the Google search was made, shopping for radio-control toy, which he eventually allegedly used to build the pipe bomb.

Heyn told investigators that he bought the toy, and then donated it to a charity.

Heyn's DNA was also reportedly found on the device.

Things unraveled for Heyn, however, when on the afternoon of August 28, 2011, Roytbak returned to his Boca Raton home after walking his dog, and spotted something strange sticking out from under his parked SUV.

Turns out, it was a pipe bomb. And Heyn allegedly planned on using it after having had an affair with Roytback's wife, Lana, for two years.

Heyn and Lana had met at a car dealership where they worked.

Heyn has admitted to investigators about the affair, but has always denied the allegations, saying that Lana and Dmitry were the ones who planted the bomb to frame him. Heyn contends that the couple wanted the affair to end, and that they wanted to get rid of him.

During the initial investigation in 2011, Lana was considered a suspect. She apparently failed a voice stress test, but prosecutors said the test was unreliable. They also said they had no evidence to suggest she was in on the plot, or that there was a scheme to frame Heyn.

According to the Sun-Sentinel, Lana had more than $500,000 worth of insurance policies on her husband, including a death and dismemberment policy.

The trial is scheduled to resume Wednesday before U.S. District Judge Kenneth Marra, and the prosecution may rest then.

Send your story tips to the author, Chris Joseph. Follow Chris Joseph on Twitter



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