ALEXANDRIA, LA – A federal jury slammed the door shut on Daniel Aikens, 40, of Alexandria, Louisiana, finding him guilty on eight counts related to a string of brazen bombings across central Louisiana in 2019 and 2020. The verdict, delivered Friday, caps a relentless investigation by the ATF and local law enforcement, revealing a calculated and dangerous individual who terrorized communities for months.
The first explosion ripped through Cloyd’s Beauty School in Monroe on September 12, 2019. A victim was injured, suffering burns to his hands and face while simply placing boxes into a trash can. Investigators pieced together fragments of a homemade device – a pressure cooker and a rocket motor purchased from a Hobby Lobby in West Monroe just two days prior. The trail went cold, but crucial video footage and DNA evidence collected at the scene would later prove vital. The bomber remained a ghost, until he struck again.
This time, it was a Texaco gas station in Alexandria on December 20, 2019, followed by a chillingly direct attack on Payday Today, also in Alexandria, on January 2, 2020. Aikens didn’t just detonate a bomb near the business; he called the store, claiming responsibility and escalating the threat into a terrifying extortion attempt. He demanded $10,000, threatened to detonate a second device, and then, in a particularly disturbing twist, recited the employee’s home address and revealed she had three children – all to coerce compliance. The employee, thankfully, didn’t give in.
“What this investigation shows is that when federal, state and local law enforcement partners collaborate to investigate heinous criminal activity, justice is more often than not inevitable,” declared U.S. Attorney Brandon B. Brown. “This is an extremely dangerous individual and we are fortunate more persons were not injured.” Evidence presented at trial linked Aikens to the purchase of materials used in the devices, and crucially, to the phone call made during the Payday Today incident. Metal pipe fragments recovered from the scene confirmed the use of a pipe bomb.
Aikens was convicted of 3 counts of Making a Destructive Device, 3 counts of Possession of a Destructive Device in violation of the National Firearms Act (NFA), 1 count of Use of an Explosive to Commit a Federal Felony, and 1 count of Conveying Malicious False Information. He now faces a potentially lengthy prison sentence, with Senior District Judge Dee D. Drell scheduled to deliver the punishment on March 3, 2023. Brown stated his office will “seek a lengthy prison sentence,” given Aikens’ actions and “failure to accept responsibility.”
The investigation spanned multiple jurisdictions and relied heavily on the expertise of ATF agents, who meticulously analyzed bomb fragments and traced the origins of the materials. The case serves as a grim reminder of the dangers posed by homemade explosives and the dedication of law enforcement to bringing those responsible to justice. The Western District of Louisiana is a little safer tonight, but the scars of Aikens’ actions will undoubtedly linger.
Related Federal Cases
- Jose Daniel Molina, Illegal Firearm Possession, Louisiana 2018 · Illinois
- John Michael Murphy, Loaded Shotgun Possession, Louisiana 2023 · Illinois
- Brady D. Alsup, Felon in Possession of Firearms, Louisiana 2023 · Illinois
- Brad Milligan, Explosives Trafficking, Louisiana 2024 · Louisiana
- Kenneth D. Mayweather, Gun Possession, Louisiana 2024 · Louisiana
Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free
Browse More
