Man Charged With Attempted Murder in Bombing of House : Crime: Police say a child custody battle may have been the motive in the explosion that injured a Simi Valley couple.

Ventura County prosecutors filed two counts of attempted murder Tuesday against a Moorpark man in connection with the weekend pipe bombing of a Simi Valley residence.

James R. McKeever, 43, also was charged with two counts of exploding a destructive device, which seriously hurt one of the residents, Charlene Mayer, 33. She was hospitalized with a leg injury.

McKeever was arrested Sunday, a day after a pipe bomb was flung through a bedroom window of the house. It landed on a bed and exploded. Mayer’s husband, John Monroe, 34, suffered minor shrapnel wounds.

Police believe the motive for the bombing may have stemmed from a child custody battle. McKeever’s wife is Monroe’s former wife, and court records indicate that Monroe and his ex-wife have fought over custody of their 7-year-old son.

McKeever was in a wheelchair when he appeared in court for arraignment on the charges. The case was continued to Dec. 8 while attorneys from the public defender’s office review it.

In a telephone interview from jail, McKeever declined to talk about the charges but said that he was in a wheelchair because the stress of the arrest has aggravated a longstanding back problem.

He said he previously worked as a computer repairman but injured his back in 1984 and has been disabled since. He said he was scheduled for back surgery before his arrest. He is being housed in the jail infirmary with bail set at $250,000.

McKeever, described by police as a onetime friend of Monroe, is also charged with special allegations of intentionally inflicting great bodily injury and using a deadly weapon. If convicted, he faces a possible life sentence in prison with the possibility of parole.

Deputy Dist. Atty. James Ellison declined to comment about whether other people would be arrested in connection with the bombing. He would not discuss the motive.

He said that Monroe and his ex-wife currently share custody of their son, who spends one week at a time with each parent. The boy was not with his father when the bomb exploded early Saturday morning, he said.

Mayer and Monroe had moved into their Simi Valley rental house less than two weeks ago, after living in Moorpark, relatives said. Monroe owns an auto restoration business in Chatsworth and Mayer works at a Simi Valley drugstore.

After the explosion, Mayer was taken to Simi Valley Hospital, where she underwent surgery on her leg. The hospital declined to release information about her condition Tuesday, at the family’s request. Ellison said she had large open wounds on her leg.

He said investigators have determined that the bomb was made from a gallon-size plastic bleach bottle, propane gas and galvanized pipe.

Monroe and his ex-wife, Karen, were married in 1981, court records show. They separated in 1989 when she and the boy moved in with her parents. Monroe sought custody, and the two have fought over the issue since then, records say.