Alabama man sentenced to prison for helping friend bomb ex-boyfriend’s truck

Published 7:00 am Saturday, November 6, 2021

An Alabama man who pleaded guilty to helping a friend set and detonate an explosive device in her ex-boyfriends truck has been sentenced in federal court.

Sylvio Joseph King, 48, was sentenced to nine years in federal prison after he previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy and the malicious use of an explosive device.

Ashley Nicole Haydt, 36, who was the friend he helped, was convicted last month on the same charges. King testified in Haydt’s trial. She awaits her sentencing hearing, which is scheduled for Feb. 1, 2022.

King reportedly worked with Haydt and the two struck a friendship. Haydt reportedly told King of her hatred of the ex-boyfriend and about custody issues with her ex.

King reportedly purchased gunpowder, a pipe and other materials to make a remote-control bomb. On Oct. 23, 2017, King reportedly placed an explosive device in the ex-boyfriend’s truck and detonated the device while the victim was driving to work. The ex-boyfriend survived the blast.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Houston County Sheriff’s Office, the Dothan Police Department, and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, with assistance from the FBI and the Alabama Fire Marshal’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brandon Bates and Chelsea Phillips prosecuted the case.