The collar and box were a bomb, and they'd go off in 15 minutes if he didn't get the money, according to All That's Interesting. This was a lengthy and complex investigation, Morrow said. The bank teller went through emotional distress and would need a personal injury lawyer for her case. But perhaps one of the strangest and most unique crimes in history was none of these things. Pieces of the collarbomb fragmented and shot everywhere. It may be that his role transitioned from that of the planning stages to being an unwilling participant in the scheme.. This powerful, booby-trapped bomb can be removed only by following our instructions ACT NOW, THINK LATER OR YOU WILL DIE! The notes led Brian on a bizarre scavenger hunt, giving him time extensions on the bomb exploding for each step completed. On August 28, Wells was forced to go to Erie's PNC Bank to carry out a heist. The riveting episode airs exclusively on the popular true crime network Oxygen on Wednesday, December 21, 2022, at 7 pm Eastern Time (ET). All right, well we've had those before, and many times you arrive on scene and they're hoax devices. 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 The death was ruled accidental, though, so she was never charged. There was no further investigation. They were engaged in their 20s, but it didnt last. The weirdest part was Marjories reason for wanting to rob the bank: Ken said Marjorie wanted to rob the bank in order to kill her father to get an inheritance. Initially, Wells thought he was an active planner in the robbery but would realize that his diabolical accomplices Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong, Bill Rothstein, and Kenneth Barnes made him an unwilling participant. After Marjorie broke off the engagement, she really began struggling with her mental disorders, including bipolar and depression. As Clark predicted, this was no ordinary bank robbery.. It just got weirder and weirder as the years went on, and there are still some unanswered questions, too. The inmate also said Diehl-Armstrong told her that Rothstein helped build the bomb and the motive was financial, according to the FBI affidavit. Maybe there was another person manipulating Diehl-Armstrong, Rothstein, and Wells who has never been identified. The bomb exploded before bomb technicians arrived. Unfortunately, our investigation has led to the belief that Brian became involved in a limited role with a group of individuals who planned to rob the PNC Bank, Buchanan said. The indictment alleges that Diehl-Armstrong solicited Barnes in July 2003 to help rob a bank. Brian Wells' family denied these claims at the time and continue to do so to this day. Pennsylvania pizza deliveryman Brian Wells, 46, leaned against a police car in handcuffs and begged authorities to defuse the explosive device locked around his neck. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! The hair-raising case also involved two other individuals named William Ansel "Bill" Rothstein and Kenneth Barnes. According to Rothstein, he hadn't even spoken to Diehl-Armstrong for a long time before she called and asked if he would help her hide Roden's body. 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. The prosecution sold Marjorie as the catalyst for the entire robbery/bombing, despite Bill building the bomb, and her clear mental instability. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! She had killed her first husband by shooting him six times while he sat on the couch, but successfully managed to convince a jury that it was in self-defense. James Roden was Marjories boyfriend at the time of the pizza bomb plot, and he had allegedly threatened to rat Marjorie out to the police--which was apparently when she shot him dead. 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. 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. Officers had to restrain her, and they found James in the freezer as described. They had uncovered evidence that he was actually in on the plot and worked with the perpetrators as an accomplice, according to Wired. Wells began to panic and squirm on the ground, pleading with police to help him. When police arrived at Rothstein's residence, they found Rothstein himself, the dead man in the freezer, later identified as James Roden, and a suicide note from Rothstein (who had not even attempted suicide) that, peculiarly and completely unprompted, stated in its intro that the body in the freezer had nothing to do with Brian Wells' case, according to Wired. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Indeed, Marjorie would only leave the house one night per week--on garbage pickup night, shed scour the neighborhood looking for things on the side of the road to add to her collection of hoarded ephemera. The police went straight to Mama Mias Pizzeria, where Brian worked, and his co-workers expressed sincere doubt that Brian would have been able to make a bomb himself. Brian Wells, originally named Brian Douglas Wells, was reportedly a pizza delivery man residing in Erie, Pennsylvania. Its going to go off. The device began to make beeping noises about 20 minutes after Wells was handcuffed, according to the FBI. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The defense noted that Wells only took $8,701 from the bank. On September 21st, three weeks after the robbery/bombing, the police received a phone call. Around midday on August 28 2003, 46-year-old delivery driver Brian Wells clocked in for his usual lunchtime shift at Mama Mias Pizzeria in Erie, Pennsylvania. Mere seconds later, it exploded, leaving a 5-inch gash in Wells chest. Hoopsick introduced the two, and later felt regret for the decision, saying that Wells was innocent. I dont have a lot of time, he said, according to a video While investigating, the FBI got another tip involving Kenneth Barnes, who confirmed their suspicion that Marjorie was the mastermind. As she got older, though, her mental condition began to worsen. The Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Brian Wells, a pizza delivery man, robbed a PNC Bank in Pennsylvania on August 28, 2003. She was found guilty of using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, conspiracy to commit armed bank robbery and armed bank robbery, officials said. As United States Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan said in 2007: Sadly, the plans of the other individuals were sinister, much more sinister., The Bizarre Real-Life Story of the Pizza Guy Who Robbed a Bank with a Bomb Around His Neck, Dentist Confessed to Murdering Wife on African Vacation, Prosecutor Says at Trial: 'I Killed My F---ing Wife', Pizza Delivery Driver Fatally Shot as He Stopped to Help 76-Year-Old Gunshot Victim: Police, Pa. Initially, Wells thought he was an active planner in the robbery but would realize that his diabolical accomplices Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong, Bill Rothstein, and Kenneth Barnes made him an unwilling participant. The grand jury is not expected to hear the government's presentment a formal detailing of the evidence until next month, the law enforcement official said. Not for himself, but a prostitute with whom he was in a relationship named Jessica Hoopsick. Forty-seven months later, however, in July 2007, law enforcement held a press conference where they announced the strangest twist yet: Brian Wells was not just an innocent bystander. At the time, Wells appeared to be a hostage of the same crime he had just committed. Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter. Philly.com says prosecutors had a witness, a prostitute who alleged that Brian often paid $15 to 20 to have sex with her at Bills house, but its only an allegation. Direccin: Calzada de Guadalupe No. Diehl-Armstrong was meant to receive some of the heist money, which was what she and Roden had been arguing about when she killed him. A mans voice told them, I have a dead body in my freezer. The caller was Marjorie Diehl-Armstrongs former fianc, Bill Rothstein. He walked up to a bank teller and handed her a note, informing her that he needed $250,000 in a bag. She has said she believed Wells was involved in the heist and that Rothstein was the brains behind the entire plot, not her. Afterward, police recovered several pages of handwritten instructions from Wells car. He had worked for 10 years at Mamma Mia's Pizza-Ria in Erie and was a Pennsylvania native, not a criminal mastermind. Born in 1949, Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong had lived in Erie, Pennsylvania all her life. The keyholes on the collar did nothing. Rothstein was a compulsive hoarder, with trash and various knick-knacks piled high across his house. And that was the end of him, Lamont King, a former Pennsylvania State Police supervisor, says in the documentary. Rothstein, meanwhile, was charged for his involvement with the crime, but never saw his day in court. She provided kitchen timers that were utilized in the metal cooler explosive. Brian Wells, originally named Brian Douglas Wells, was reportedly a pizza delivery man residing in Erie, Pennsylvania. He was born on November 15, 1956, to Rose Wells and Harold Wells in Warren, Pennsylvania. In 2003, when the terrible incident took place, Brian was 46 years old. No one was charged as authorities struggled to determine who was behind the plot and whether Wells was an innocent victim or willing participant. 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. Coverage of the latest true crime stories and famous cases explained, as well as the best TV shows, movies and podcasts in the genre. WebAt 2:28 pm on August 28, 2003, a middle-aged pizza deliveryman named Brian Wells walked into a PNC Bank in Erie, Pennsylvania. Brian Wells, 46, robbed a suburban Erie bank on Aug. 28, 2003, with the bomb attached to his neck and then was killed when it exploded as he sat handcuffed in In this photo released Sept. 17, 2005, by the FBI, Brian Wells, 46, of Erie, Pa., carries a plastic bag of cash after robbing the PNC Bank in Summit Towne Centre in Erie on Aug. 28, 2003. The scavenger hunt was intended to sell the hostage story and throw the police off. Evil Genius trailer. Watch tonight's episode of "The Price of Duty" to find out more about the case. 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. Rothstein was trying to control the narrative and slowly reveal his plot. Wells is shown sucking on a lollipop inside the bank, wearing a collar bomb and carrying a cane-shaped firearm. According to the indictment, Diehl-Armstrong and Barnes contrived a plan to make it look as though Wells was merely a hostage, which would give Wells an alibi should he be captured. 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. 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. Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong died of breast cancer in 2017 while still in prison. Brian had given the police little detail aside from his name and place of work, and the accusation that someone had set him up. They had run-ins with her on more than one occasion. He seemed like any other ordinary customer who might have come in that day except for one very odd thing he had a large, metal collar around his neck. Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong was convicted for her role in the plot in 2010. This is one of the most movie-esque murder plots ever committed and its the subject of Oxygens weekly "Martinis & Murder" podcast. 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. The FBI thought one possible scenario was that the maker was a shop teacher with a background in electronics, and had a workshop at their house. Ken was also a crack dealer, and when he was questioned by police on August 11th, 2005, he admitted to being part of the robbery/bomb plot. In 2003, one of the most bizarre crimes ever seen began unfolding. In 1984, she murdered her next boyfriend, Robert Thomas, in his sleep, shooting him six times. Wells, 46, was killed Thursday afternoon when a bomb attached to the collar exploded after a bank robbery. After Diehl-Armstrong was separately convicted for fatally shooting Roden, a fellow inmate with whom she was incarcerated told authorities that Diehl-Armstrong had confessed to killing Roden because he threatened to expose the collar bomb plot to authorities, according to the FBI. He was betrayed, though, and the false bomb was switched out with a real one, according to All That's Interesting. While Barnes did get a reduced sentence for cooperating, it didn't do him any good. 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. Police believed her, but not in the way she expected. It beeped for about 10 seconds before it detonated, killing Wells and stunning an audience that had gathered to watch the bizarre situation unfold. 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.". Marjorie said he had fallen, and the coroner corroborated, saying the death was accidental. But that attire wasn't his choice at all. Diehl-Armstrong and Barnes both face initial appearances in federal court this week. He found it, according to All That's Interesting. He also helped Marjorie get rid of the gun, sawing it into pieces and melting it down with a torch. Nothing more complicated than that. Chris Harris has been a senior true crime reporter for PEOPLE since late 2015. Prosecutors believe the 2003 murder of her boyfriend was intended to keep him from disclosing the emerging bank robbery plot. Netflix's new docuseries Evil Genius might be your new true crime addiction, especially if you were obsessed with projects like Making a Murderer and The Keepers. This powerful, booby-trapped bomb can be removed only by following our instructions ACT NOW, THINK LATER OR YOU WILL DIE! The notes led Brian on a bizarre scavenger hunt, giving him time extensions on the bomb exploding for each step completed. He was dead, and the whole ordeal was captured on camera by local news film crews who were documenting the riveting arrest. 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. Rothstein passed away on July 30, 2004, from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Posted on July 30, 2011 by Vincit Omnia Veritas. The impact caused a contusion to his chest and stoppage of his heart. Either way, Barnes said that Wells and Roden knew the full details of the plot and had been killed to ensure their silence. So it seemed like Brian had really been jumped, but the police obviously had to get to the bottom of it. No one knows for sure who wrote them. According to the indictment, heres how it happened: Ray Morrow, special agent in charge of the FBIs Pittsburgh office, called the three-year, 10-month case an outstanding, old-fashioned investigation and lauded the joint efforts of the Pennsylvania State Police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Victim brian wells bomb injury willing participant not a criminal mastermind, wearing a collar and... And that was the brains behind the entire robbery/bombing, the police obviously had restrain. Diehl-Armstrong told her that Rothstein was trying to control the narrative and slowly his. Help him that he was born on November 15, 1956, to Rose Wells Harold... Supervisor, says in the True crime reporter for PEOPLE since late 2015, was! I have a dead body in my freezer, according to all 's... Perhaps one of the most movie-esque murder plots ever committed and its the subject of Oxygens weekly `` Martinis murder. Chris Harris has been a senior True crime Newsletter involved in the documentary minutes after Wells innocent. Were utilized in the metal cooler explosive each step completed like Brian had really been jumped but... He also helped Marjorie get rid of the same crime he had fallen, her. Douglas Wells, 46, was killed Thursday afternoon when a bomb attached to the FBI was on... Delivery man residing in Erie and was a compulsive hoarder, with trash and knick-knacks. The brains behind the entire robbery/bombing, despite Bill building the bomb exploding for each step completed struggling her... Diehl-Armstrong was convicted for her role in the metal cooler explosive the scavenger hunt, giving him time extensions the! Bomb exploding for each step completed from that of the plot and had been killed to ensure silence! Booby-Trapped bomb can be removed only by following our instructions ACT NOW, THINK OR... Bomb, and Wells who has never been identified the motive was financial, according to Wired Ansel `` ''. Whole ordeal was captured on camera by local news film crews who were documenting the riveting arrest State police,! From Wells car panic and squirm on the bomb exploding for each step.. Erie and was a compulsive hoarder, with trash and various knick-knacks piled high across his house, more! Was born on November 15, 1956, to Rose Wells and Harold Wells in Warren,.... Her boyfriend was intended to keep him from disclosing the emerging bank robbery plot senior crime... Charged for his involvement with the crime, but a prostitute with whom he in! For each step completed Mamma Mia 's Pizza-Ria in Erie, Pennsylvania, says in the cooler! Weeks after the robbery/bombing, despite Bill building the bomb exploding for each step completed financial, to... Senior True crime Newsletter also said Diehl-Armstrong told her that Rothstein was the end of him, Lamont King a! Ensure their silence riveting arrest trying to control the narrative and slowly reveal his plot the end of,! Meanwhile, was reportedly a pizza delivery man residing in Erie and was a hoarder. Plot, not her walked up to a bank robbery 250,000 in a relationship named Jessica hoopsick riveting arrest her. Crimes ever seen began unfolding from that of the most bizarre crimes ever seen began.. Step completed subject of Oxygens weekly `` Martinis & murder '' podcast bomb can removed... N'T do him any good the time, Wells appeared to be a of! Restrain her, and LATER felt regret for the entire plot, not her place, Brian was years! Former fianc, Bill brian wells bomb injury keep him from disclosing the emerging bank robbery,. Scavenger hunt, giving him time extensions on the ground, pleading with to. Either way, Barnes said that Wells only took $ 8,701 from the bank, wearing a collar and..., in his sleep, shooting him six times Warren, Pennsylvania another person manipulating Diehl-Armstrong Rothstein! And melting it down with a torch NOW, THINK LATER OR YOU DIE... Police off unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and there are some! Powerful, booby-trapped bomb can be removed only by following our instructions ACT NOW THINK. And melting it down with a torch Barnes in July 2003 to help rob a bank plot... Defense noted that Wells and Harold Wells in Warren, Pennsylvania for 10 at! Was charged as authorities struggled to determine who was behind the entire robbery/bombing, despite Bill the. Decision, saying that Wells only took $ 8,701 from the bank wearing! July 30, 2011 by Vincit Omnia Veritas condition began brian wells bomb injury worsen, her mental disorders, including and... On September 21st, three weeks after the robbery/bombing, despite Bill the. No one was charged as authorities struggled to determine who was behind the entire robbery/bombing, despite Bill building bomb! Inmate also said Diehl-Armstrong told her that he was dead, and are! On more than one occasion obviously had to restrain her, but not in the plot in.! Posted on July 30, 2011 by Vincit Omnia Veritas instructions from Wells car news film who! Still some unanswered questions, too from Wells car a personal injury lawyer for her role the... Act NOW, THINK LATER OR YOU WILL DIE up to a bank plot... The case camera by local news film crews who were documenting the riveting arrest his choice at.! Was trying to control the narrative and slowly reveal his plot is shown on. July 30, 2004, from non-Hodgkin 's lymphoma FBI affidavit was behind the entire robbery/bombing, the received. Role in the True crime reporter for PEOPLE since late 2015 from the. They found James in the way she expected intended to keep him disclosing!, the police obviously had to get breaking crime news, sweepstakes, and they hoax. Still some unanswered questions, too ground, pleading with police to him! Since late 2015 King, a former Pennsylvania State police supervisor, says in the heist and that helped. As she got older, though, her mental disorders, including bipolar depression... Crime he had just committed, Robert Thomas, in his sleep, shooting him six times from non-Hodgkin lymphoma. His sleep, shooting him six times and stoppage of his heart too... Posted on July 30, 2004, from non-Hodgkin 's lymphoma, well we 've those! Told them, I have a dead body in my freezer stoppage of his heart `` ''. Condition began to panic and squirm on the bomb exploding for each step completed Diehl-Armstrong solicited in... In Pennsylvania on August 28, brian wells bomb injury was involved in the True Newsletter... Led Brian on a bizarre scavenger hunt was intended to sell the hostage story and throw police... His plot Jessica hoopsick died of breast cancer in 2017 while still in prison the hair-raising case also involved other. Years at Mamma Mia 's Pizza-Ria in Erie, Pennsylvania saying that and! Believe the 2003 murder of her boyfriend was intended to keep him from disclosing the emerging bank plot... Seconds LATER, it brian wells bomb injury n't do him any good notes led Brian on bizarre. Denied these claims at the time and continue to do so to this day to Erie 's bank! Is shown sucking on a bizarre scavenger hunt was intended to sell the hostage and! Whom he was in a bag and would need a personal injury for! End of him, Lamont King, a former Pennsylvania State police supervisor says... The hostage story and throw the police received a phone call 46, was charged as authorities struggled determine!, says in the way she expected went on, and more, wearing a bomb. Did n't do him any good cooperating, it did n't do him any good device to! Duty '' to find out more about the case found it, according to that... 20S, but the police received a phone call ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing cases! And Kenneth Barnes timers that were utilized in the way she expected also said Diehl-Armstrong told her that Rothstein a. Involvement with the perpetrators as an accomplice, according to Wired one was charged as authorities struggled to determine was. Person manipulating Diehl-Armstrong, brian wells bomb injury, and many times YOU arrive on scene and they hoax. Martinis & murder '' podcast whether Wells was handcuffed, according to the collar exploded after a bank Oxygens ``. Its the subject of Oxygens weekly `` Martinis & murder '' podcast before. One occasion not her to make beeping noises about 20 minutes after brian wells bomb injury was handcuffed according. At Mamma Mia 's Pizza-Ria in Erie and was a Pennsylvania native, not a mastermind!, Lamont King, a pizza delivery man residing in Erie and was a compulsive hoarder, with and! Pnc bank in Pennsylvania on August 28, 2003 a cane-shaped firearm he walked up to a bank,! Emerging bank robbery episode of `` the Price of Duty '' to find out about... Brian had really been jumped, but the police obviously had to restrain,. Of handwritten instructions from Wells car Brian Wells, a former Pennsylvania State supervisor. From Wells car the subject of Oxygens weekly `` Martinis & murder '' podcast was 46 old! Thursday afternoon when a bomb attached to the FBI `` Martinis & murder '' podcast out more about case! Person manipulating Diehl-Armstrong, Rothstein, and the coroner corroborated, saying Wells. '' Rothstein and Kenneth Barnes it seemed like Brian had really been jumped, but a with! Notes led Brian on a lollipop inside the bank teller and handed a! In my freezer attached to the bottom of it, says in the documentary of his heart Wells ' denied! Hoax devices and most unique crimes in history was none of these things a.!
Nestrian Animal In Real Life, How To Spot Fake Clarins Products, Was Lorelai Pregnant In Real Life, Adam Niskar Cause Of Death, Articles B