In her youth, she was very well-liked and considered to be highly intelligent. For better treatment in prison, Diehl-Armstrong would finally tell everything she knew about Brian Wells, the pizza bomber. At a news conference announcing the indictments, Mary Beth Buchanan, the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania at the time, said Wells had also been part of the plot. She was acquitted of the crime because it was believed he was violent and abusive towards her. 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. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. Get all your true crime news from Oxygen. The bomb exploded before bomb technicians arrived. But the case has been solved and indictments are expected, likely by next month, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because U.S. Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan was to make an official announcement at a Friday afternoon news conference. But perhaps one of the strangest and most unique crimes in history was none of these things. They asked Ken to help with the timing mechanism on the bomb. Unfortunately, there was no DNA or fingerprint evidence on the bomb that could link it to its maker. 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. 4) William Ansel "Bill" Rothstein and Kenneth Barnes were also involved in the crime. The bank teller went through emotional distress and would need a personal injury lawyer for her case. Fisher says this is why Rothstein alerted police to the body in his freezer and why his "suicide" note very explicitly mentioned Brian Wells. Hoopsick, who was never officially deemed a conspirator, could not be reached for comment by TIME. Around the 10-minute mark of the first episode, viewers are greeted by the actual video footage of the bomb which is locked around Brian Wells's neck like a And that was the end of him, Lamont King, a former Pennsylvania State Police supervisor, says in the documentary. Brian had given the police little detail aside from his name and place of work, and the accusation that someone had set him up. Wells was handcuffed and left on the pavement. Now in a state mental hospital, Marjories testimony against Bill would be useless. The riveting episode airs exclusively on the popular true crime network Oxygen on Wednesday, December 21, 2022, at 7 pm Eastern Time (ET). WebMarjorie Diehl-Armstrong, the Pizza Bombers mastermind, has been identified. 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. "We want everybody to take responsibility for what they did before and after this happened.". ), each is a little different in its own unique way. He was dead, and the whole ordeal was captured on camera by local news film crews who were documenting the riveting arrest. 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. An award-winning journalist who has worked forRolling Stone and MTV News, Chris enjoys prog rock, cycling, Marvel movies, IPAs, and roller coasters. But before he could make it back to the puppet master, he was apprehended by police, and died when the bomb exploded. Instead, she gathered all the money she could from behind the counter and placed it in a bag for Wells. They said that if he followed the instructions on the paper, he would be able to disarm the bomb and would be unhurt, but he had a time limit he had to follow. They might be kidnappings, disappearances, or, yes, murders. Meanwhile, here are some truly mind-blowing facts about the case to whet your whistle. However, he was only able to get $8,702. The bomb collar he wore was going to explode, Wells said. A 46-year-old pizza delivery man named Brian Wells, from Erie, Pennsylvania, was murdered in cold blood with a metal collar explosive tied around his 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. She earned another 30 years for using a bomb in the crime. Chris Harris has been a senior true crime reporter for PEOPLE since late 2015. 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. If not for losing his life, he could have gotten a personal injury lawyer and built a case against them. 11 hours ago, by Eden Arielle Gordon 5. 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. Either way, Barnes said that Wells and Roden knew the full details of the plot and had been killed to ensure their silence. According to police, a month before the robbery Diehl-Armstrong had asked her friend Kenneth Barnes if he knew how to build a pipe bomb. She had also been diagnosed with cancer, the Erie Times-News reported at the time. In 1984, she murdered her next boyfriend, Robert Thomas, in his sleep, shooting him six times. At about 2 p.m., the co-conspirators attached the bomb device to Wellss neck. He was born on November 15, 1956, to Rose Wells and Harold Wells in Warren, Pennsylvania. Watch on What happened? The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". Can A Car Accident Lawyer Help Me Maximize Compensation? A 46-year-old pizza delivery man named Brian Wells, from Erie, Pennsylvania, was murdered in cold blood with a metal collar explosive tied around his neck right after he was forced to rob a PNC bank. It all started with a phone call on September 20, 2003, less than a month after Wells' death. The note was addressed to "Receptionist" and "Bank Manager" and referred to the man in front of her as "Bomb Hostage." 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. Prosecutors believe the 2003 murder of her boyfriend was intended to keep him from disclosing the emerging bank robbery plot. With a high IQ, she also excelled at college and got a Masters degree. 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. Ken told investigators that Bill built the bomb, and that the robbery was Marjories idea. There was some conjecture that Brian Wells knew about the bomb plot. The entire thing was caught on local news cameras, but contrary to popular belief, Wells' death was not broadcast live. Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong was convicted for her role in the plot in 2010. Mere minutes before the bomb squad could arrive. In 2003, one of the most bizarre crimes ever seen began unfolding. Buchanan met for about three hours Friday with federal investigators about the evidence compiled so far. All right, well we've had those before, and many times you arrive on scene and they're hoax devices. Brian Wells' family denied these claims at the time and continue to do so to this day. On top of her sentence for killing her boyfriend, Diehl-Armstrong, 68, was serving a life sentence after being convicted for her role in the robbery. Kenneth Barnes was reportedly a retired TV repairman, a drug dealer, and a friend of Diehl-Armstrong's. If not for losing his life, he could have gotten a personal injury lawyer and built a case Wells is shown sucking on a lollipop inside the bank, wearing a collar bomb and carrying a cane-shaped firearm. 3. It also threatened bank employees and customers, then contained detailed, step-by-step instructions for gathering the money and giving it to the so-called Bomb Hostage. It had been locked around him by three people in order to compel him to do what they wanted and return with $250,000. Acellphone was inside the case but wasn't wired to anything. Bill Rothstein (pictured above) helped Marjorie hide the body in his freezer, but drew a line at chopping up the body to get rid of it, and wound up calling the police instead. Everyone can be their own personal Sherlock Holmes, and you don't even have to go outside. WebBrian Douglas Wells Collar Bomb Video. The FBI did not respond to requests for comment, and the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania declined to discuss the documentarys findings. Retired FBI agents Jim Fisher and Jerry Clark, who was prominently featured in Evil Genius, also believe Rothstein was responsible for the crime. Rothstein, who died in 2004, was never charged but denied involvement and offered to police unprompted that he had nothing to do with the Wells case.. Rothstein would have a better chance with a personal injury lawyer for his case. An odd but smart guy, and a retired television repairman. Brian Wells, originally named Brian Douglas Wells, was reportedly a pizza delivery man residing in Erie, Pennsylvania. But that attire wasn't his choice at all. Marjorie was later convicted for her monstrous crimes, which included armed bank robbery, conspiracy to commit armed robbery, and the use of a deadly device. She was convicted with conspiracy to commit bank robbery with the utilization of a destructive device, and she was sentenced to life in prison on February 28th 2011. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". for having him store a corpse in his freezer. This is an FBI handout photo of the collar device used to secure a bomb to Brian Wells' neck. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? There are plenty of amateur sleuths who suspect that Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong was telling the truth and she wasn't the mastermind. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Get all your true crime news from Oxygen. Brian Douglas Wells was 46-years-old and wasn't a bank robber. Police brought him in for questioning and he soon confessed to a version of events that law enforcement already suspected to be true and also copped that Wells was in on the plot, according to All That's Interesting. Brian Wells is the pizza man who walked into a PNC bank in Erie, Pennsylvania, and handed the teller a note demanding $250,000 (pictured above). Before his death, Wells was a pizza delivery man who, shortly before his death, made a delivery stop outside of Erie. 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. As Wells was apprehended by the Erie police, the bomb detonated, making a hole in his chest area and killing Wells on the spot. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. 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. They turned their attention to the bomb instead. This was because of a technical issue, not a moral one, but the news station held the footage back and later turned it over to authorities. You can find out everything about the weird, complex crime in Oxygens weekly. 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. The story of Brian Wells is about a pizza delivery guy, a bomb collar, and a bank robbery. The official synopsis for Oxygen's Dateline: Secrets Uncovered episode, titled, Death Trap, reads: The bone-chilling case dates back to August 2003. (She mistakenly believed he was wealthy.). However, instead of bombs, information is the explosive motivator. Around the 10-minute mark of the first episode, viewers are greeted by the actual video footage of the bomb which is locked around Brian Wells's neck like a twisted sort of necklace exploding, sending shards of shrapnel into his chest and killing him. all while wearing a bulky contraption around his neck, covered in a T-shirt that ominously read "Guess." Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. While they were in route, something strange happened the bomb around Wells' neck began beeping faster and faster. State troopers found Wells inside a parked vehicle and handcuffed him. 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. If the bomb detonated, meanwhile, Wells couldnt be a witness against them, Buchanan said. 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. Kenneth Barnes had already pleaded guilty as part of his deal in 2008, according to All That's Interesting. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! Namely, why Wells, a pizza guy with no criminal record, agreed to participate despite knowing that Diehl-Armstrong was dangerous. Rothstein broke first and gave up. On September 21st, three weeks after the robbery/bombing, the police received a phone call. He found it, according to All That's Interesting. But in subsequent years, authorities uncovered an intricate criminal plot and concluded Wells was no pure victim. In January, Hoopsick was sentenced over a drug charge but paid a $100 fine and did not have to serve time, according to Michael Dejohn, her public defender at the time. 46 year old Brian Douglas Wells worked as a pizza delivery man at Mama Mia Pizzeria in Erie, Pennsylvania. Detecto una fuga de gas en su hogar o negocio. Authorities said Wells then admitted to being the PNC bank robber. Behind the murder was a woman named Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong who suffered from multiple mental illnesses and personality disorders. So smooth. Brian Douglas Wells (November 15, 1956 August 28, 2003) was an American man who died after being forced to be involved in a complex plot involving a bank robbery, a scavenger hunt, and a homemade explosive device. Wells was killed when an explosive collar detonated while he was surrounded by police in his hometown of Erie, Pennsylvania. Wells family was present for this announcement and vocally protested the allegation. 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