Palm Springs fertility bombing accomplice jumps to his death in prison

A man accused of being an accomplice to the Palm Springs fertility clinic bomber has died in custody. Daniel Jongyon Park, 32, of Kent, Washington, reportedly jumped from a high balcony inside the prison facility, sources told the LA Times. 

Park, who was found unresponsive and pronounced dead at a hospital, was accused of supplying chemicals to the bombing terror suspect, Guy Edward Bartkus, who died in the May 17 explosion outside the American Reproductive Centers fertility clinic in Palm Springs, California. The FBI probed the incident as an intentional act of terrorism.

The FBI arrested Park on June 3 at JFK Airport in New York. Investigators said Park shipped 180 pounds of ammonium nitrate to Bartkus in January. He allegedly shipped another 90 pounds just days before the explosion.

The blast destroyed the American Reproductive Centers fertility clinic, which had to be completely gutted. It also shattered the windows of the surrounding buildings. Officials said no embryos were damaged.

Park was facing a maximum of 15 years in federal prison on charges of providing material support to Bartkus. Akil Davis, the FBI’s assistant director in charge, said that authorities found "an explosive recipe that was similar to the Oklahoma City bombing" in Park's home.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement after Park's arrest, "This defendant is charged with facilitating the horrific attack on a fertility center in California. Bringing chaos and violence to a facility that exists to help women and mothers is a particularly cruel, disgusting crime that strikes at the very heart of our shared humanity. We are grateful to our partners in Poland who helped get this man back to America and we will prosecute him to the fullest extent of the law."

On May 17, Bartkus drove a vehicle containing a bomb to the fertility clinic and detonated the device. The explosion destroyed the clinic's structure, injured numerous individuals, and killed Bartkus. The Department of Justice said the attack was "driven by [Bartkus'] pro-moralism, anti-natalism, and anti-pro-life ideology."