Her second husband died of a cerebral hemorrhage, but there was evidence that he actually had a head injury. All right, well we've had those before, and many times you arrive on scene and they're hoax devices. I dont have a lot of time, he said, according to a video recording of the encounter. He had a short cane in his right hand and WebBrian Wells: The Pizza Bomber Case eponine aka epi 1.07K subscribers Subscribe 69 Share 10K views 3 years ago Welcome (back)! The papers were addressed to the Bomb Hostage and contained directions first to rob the bank and then to proceed on an elaborate scavenger hunt for keys and codes to disable the explosive Wells wore. I dont have a lot of time, he said, according to a video Federal authorities have figured out how a pizza deliveryman wound up in the middle of a bizarre bank robbery scheme that ended with a bomb around his neck exploding, and the identities of the plotters, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press. The charges bring some clarity to a case that challenged investigators, who ultimately pieced together how Wells went from pizza delivery guy to bank robber in the course of an afternoon. While they were in route, something strange happened the bomb around Wells' neck began beeping faster and faster. But she didnt--instead, on January 7th, 2005, she pled guilty to the murder of James Roden, and was sentenced to 7 to 20 years in prison. After leaving the bank, Wells was cornered by police in a parking lot. You can find out everything about the weird, complex crime in Oxygens weekly. Here at Robert J. DeBry & Associates we analyze cases such as these and help those who need to build cases for wrongful death, injury and more. Mere minutes before the bomb squad could arrive. Get all your true crime news from Oxygen. With a high IQ, she also excelled at college and got a Masters degree. Before his death, Wells was a pizza delivery man who, shortly before his death, made a delivery stop outside of Erie. According to Ken, Marjorie also killed James -- remember, he was her ex, who was found in Bills freezer -- because he threatened to tell police about her plot. Detecto una fuga de gas en su hogar o negocio. Behind the murder was a woman named Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong who suffered from multiple mental illnesses and personality disorders. The story of Brian Wells is about a pizza delivery guy, a bomb collar, and a bank robbery. Be the first one to comment on this story. WebBrian Douglas Wells (November 15, 1956 August 28, 2003) was an American man who died after a homemade neck- bomb exploded while being involved in a plot involving a bank robbery in Erie, Pennsylvania. They asked Ken to help with the timing mechanism on the bomb. Bank employees are trained to be aware of threats, to be on alert for anything that might be amiss. Another suspect, Kenneth Barnes a longtime friend of Diehl-Armstrongs told authorities that Diehl-Armstrong solicited him to kill Roden and also Diehl-Armstrongs father because he was giving away money she believed was her inheritance to charities and friends. Somewhere along the planning phase, they deceived Wells that he would be wearing a fake bomb. Direccin: Calzada de Guadalupe No. Suburb for 52 Years: U.S. Diehl-Armstrong was the plot's mastermind, according to Barnes. The infamous pizza bomber narrative isas explosive as it sounds--although filled with more twists and turns than actual pizza. Rothstein, meanwhile, was charged for his involvement with the crime, but never saw his day in court. 2. She was given a life imprisonment sentence by the jury. The last-minute call came from an address with an obscure address: a transmission tower site, down a dirt road, on the outskirts of town.Wells, 46, never returned to the pizza shop. It all started with a phone call on September 20, 2003, less than a month after Wells' death. In 1984, Marjorie (pizza bomber mastermind) had a boyfriend, Robert Thomas. Ken told investigators that Bill built the bomb, and that the robbery was Marjories idea. How Black Filmmakers Are Reclaiming Their History Onscreen. There was some conjecture that Brian Wells knew about the bomb plot. Diehl-Armstrong and Barnes were both eventually convicted of conspiracy and armed bank robbery charges. It may be that his role transitioned from that of the planning stages to being an unwilling participant in the scheme.. Armed with Kenneth Barnes' testimony, police put Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong on trial once again, this time for the bomb plot. 11 hours ago, by Eden Arielle Gordon Netflixs new four-part docuseries Evil Genius: The True Story of Americas Most Diabolical Bank Heist, dives into a high-profile 2003 crime known as the collar bomb case. A balding man with thick glasses, the only thing that made him stand out was his strange choice in attire. The felony charges, announced during a press conference by U.S. Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan, answer some central questions about the case, foremost whether Wells was a willing participant or an innocent victim. Its going to go off. The device began to make beeping noises about 20 minutes after Wells was handcuffed, according to the FBI. The world was stunned when Brian Wells strode into a bank armed with a shotgun cane and with a bomb strapped around his neck Credit: SUN. The first steps of the instructions told him to drive back across town, go into a specific PNC bank, and hand a note to the teller. all while wearing a bulky contraption around his neck, covered in a T-shirt that ominously read "Guess." Shortly after, authorities arrested Diehl-Armstrong, who later implicated herself and Rothstein in the collar bomb crime. Rothstein broke first and gave up Marjoriefor having him store a corpse in his freezer. This was the first task of a scavenger hunt that he claimed would save his life. When police showed up, he explained that he was held hostage and dressed in a collar bomb against his will, and if he didnt complete the scavenger hunt, they would kill him. Buchanan did not immediately return calls for comment after the meeting, but earlier Friday said she called it because, "In more complicated cases, I like to meet personally with the law enforcement agencies to discuss the case and, in many cases, review the evidence myself.". The defense noted that Wells only took $8,701 from the bank. He was a pizza delivery driver and he had a clean criminal record. MORE: 15 of the Most Fascinating True Crime Stories Ever Told. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Authorities said he was holding a loaded homemade shotgun that looked like a walking cane and wearing a T-shirt over an improvised explosive device, which he showed the teller, according to FBI records. The caller ordered two sausage and pepperoni pizzas and asked that they be delivered to a road on the edge of town. He explained the situation to police, told them about the three Black men who had placed the collar on him, and how he had to follow his instructions or the bomb would detonate, according to Wired. The prosecution sold Marjorie as the catalyst for the entire robbery/bombing, despite Bill building the bomb, and her clear mental instability. As was later proved in court, Diehl-Armstrong hatched the robbery scheme to force Wells into the PNC Bank in Erie with a ticking bomb around his neck because she apparently needed money so she that could have her father killed. As soon as he was gone customers in the bank began dialling 911, and he only made it a few hundred yards in his car before a State Trooper pulled him over. In 1990, she married her next serious boyfriend, Richard Armstrong, who she called her one true love. In 1984, she murdered her next boyfriend, Robert Thomas, in his sleep, shooting him six times. In 2003, when the terrible incident took place, Brian was 46 years old. Whatever story youre conjuring up in your mind to go with pizza bomber," the reality is likely crazier. Rothstein would have a better chance with a personal injury lawyer for his case. WebThe notes given to Wells. A still showing Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong from "Evil Genius: The True Story of America's Most Diabolical Bank Heist" on Netflix. Rothstein's house was near the TV tower. 1513 N. Hill Field Road, Suite 01-080, Layton, UT 84041, 180 North University Avenue, Suite 270 - #9220, Provo, UT 84601. According to police, Wells himself helped plan the scheme and agreed to wear the collar to throw authorities off the trail and let his co-conspirators get away with a bank robbery. The bomb collar was nothing at all like it was described in the instructions. As she got older, though, her mental condition began to worsen. The pizza delivery man, who was reportedly a hostage in the deadly crime, left the PNC bank in a petrified state as if someone was controlling his every movement. He was betrayed, though, and the false bomb was switched out with a real one, according to All That's Interesting. So the police traced the call for the two pepperoni pizzas to the transmission tower site and found Brians shoe impressions and tire marks there, but here the trail went cold. All right, well we've had those before, and many times you arrive on scene and they're hoax devices. About 12 minutes later, Wells left the bank with nearly $9,000 and headed to the McDonalds next door, where he retrieved another note from under a rock. Brian Wells' life tragically ended when he was forced to take part in a PNC Bank heist with a metal collar explosive around his neck. Bank employees phoned police. State troopers found Wells inside a parked vehicle and handcuffed him. Wells had told police he had been forced to rob the bank. The death was ruled accidental, though, so she was never charged. But don't press "play" unprepared or you could find yourself unwittingly witnessing some seriously gruesome stuff. No one knows for sure who wrote them. Get the daily inside scoop right in your inbox. By Subject- Art Theft - Civil Rights - Counterterrorism - Crimes Against Children - Criminal Justice Information Services - Cyber Crimes - Director/FBI Leadership - Field Cases - Foreign Counterintelligence - General - History - Intelligence - International - Lab/Operational Technology - Linguist/Translation Program - Major Thefts/Violent Crime - Organized Crime/Drugs - Partnerships - Public/Community Outreach - Public Corruption - Recruiting/Diversity - Responding to Your Concerns - Technology - Training - White-Collar Crime. Netflix's four-part docuseries Evil Genius: The True Story of America's Most Diabolical Bank Heist opens with an intense episode focusing on the "pizza bomber" of Its a weird line to draw when youre already ass-deep in a murder, and one that would ultimately put Marjorie in prison. WebBrian Wells collar bomb explosion. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. What Injuries Do Robert J. DeBry Car Accident Lawyers Accept? Coverage of the latest true crime stories and famous cases explained, as well as the best TV shows, movies and podcasts in the genre. Marjorie was apparently devastated by the death, and despite settling for $250,000 with the hospital in a medical malpractice case, Marjorie began to struggle even more with her mental illnesses. Long Waits, Short Appointments, Huge Bills. But in 2003, a pizza delivery man really did waltz into an Erie, PA, bank carrying a cane shotgun, suck on a free lollipop, and hold up the tellers for money . The footage is shown or implied again several times in the docuseries, but the aforementioned instance in the premiere episode is the only one where the footage is unblurred. Wells began to panic and squirm on the ground, pleading with police to help him. Three minutes before the bomb squad arrived, the collar detonated, tearing a hole in Wells' chest and killing him within moments, according to All That's Interesting. At about 2:20 p.m., Wells entered a bank and presented the teller a demand note. But at a 2007 news conference that drew the ire of Wells family, prosecutors said he was not entirely innocent and had a limited role in planning the robbery. A man named Bill Rothstein contacted police and told them, quite plainly, that there was a dead man in his freezer, according to All That's Interesting. Wells' brother, John Wells, 44, of Phoenix, said the family won't be happy until justice is meted out. WebAt 2:28 pm on August 28, 2003, a middle-aged pizza deliveryman named Brian Wells walked into a PNC Bank in Erie, Pennsylvania. After his death, police collected letters in his car that corroborated his claim that he was forced to rob the PNC Bank. Police also took Wells' instructions and put together a route to follow. The crime went down in 2003, when a pizza delivery man was jumped, fitted with a collar that he was told was a bomb, and sent on a bizarre scavenger hunt that involved robbing a bank. Get all your true crime news from Oxygen. However, that day, he discovered it was accurate when it was too late. Like Diehl-Armstrong, Rothstein was highly intelligent and had a history of metalwork and machining, making it likely that he created the bomb collar itself. A few years later, though, the footage did leak out thanks to a Washington, D.C. radio shock-jock, who obtained the video from an unknown source and posted it on his website. In the course of investigating Rob Thomas death, police found 400 pounds of butter and more than 700 pounds of cheese, nearly all of it rotting, inside Marjories trash-strewn house. Thats what led Marjorie to come up with the bank robbery plot. The astounding true story is chronicled in episode 23 of the series' season 8. At 1:30 PM, he was called to deliver two pizzas at an address at the end of a dirt road on Peach Street. Barnes was a misfit friend of Marjories. Much like Rothstein, she also became a compulsive hoarder. Magazines, Digital Rothstein's letter had been incorrect James Roden's death was directly connected to the case. If it sounds familiar, thats because it is. Heres where it gets interesting: while recovering James body, investigators realized Bills house was less than five hundred yards from where Brian Wells made his last delivery, right under the transmission tower. Barnes claimed that this moment was the point at which Wells became aware that the bomb was real, though eyewitness accounts from the day of the robbery say that Wells had been cool until the bomb began to beep. After being convicted for the murder of James Roden, Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong approached the authorities. "The family will be satisfied when everybody is held to account for their actions that day," Wells said. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. The She was acquitted of the crime because it was believed he was violent and abusive towards her. The indictment alleges that Diehl-Armstrong solicited Barnes in July 2003 to help rob a bank. However, he was only able to get $8,702. Mom Allegedly Planned Killings of Sons a Week in Advance, Gave Instructions About Disposing Ashes, Revisiting PEOPLE's 2017 Story on the 'Fitbit Murder': Web of Lies a Wife Killed, a Husband Accused, Cigarette Butt from Site of Wash. Woman's 1995 Murder Helps Police Identify Suspect Decades Later, 'Black Panther' Director Ryan Coogler Speaks Out After Being Mistaken for Bank Robber in Atlanta, Pennsylvania Trio Sentenced for Murdering Domino's Delivery Person They Set Up for Robbery, 19-Year-Old Idaho Man Claimed He Watched His Roommate Commit Suicide Now He's Charged with Murder, Houston Police Officers Hit and Kill Pedestrian During High-Speed Chase, Man Wanted for One of Cleveland's Biggest Heists Lived in Mass. ' death on alert for anything that might be amiss store a in. To account for their actions that day, '' the reality is likely crazier two sausage and pepperoni pizzas asked! On the ground, pleading with police to help with the bank end of a dirt on... Sentence by the brian wells bomb injury out everything about the bomb, and the false was... His life believed he was a woman named Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong who suffered from multiple mental illnesses and personality.... 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