Today's video is about the infamous The bomb exploded before bomb technicians arrived. The impact caused a contusion to his chest and stoppage of his heart. The death was ruled accidental, though, so she was never charged. 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. Sanitiza tu hogar o negocio con los mejores resultados. As far as the public knew, things went quiet on Brian Wells' case. 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 given a life imprisonment sentence by the jury. He had a bomb locked around his neck like a handcuff, resulting in a giant protrusion out the front of his t-shirt. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. She would then use proceeds from the robbery to pay Barnes to kill her father and collect an inheritance, the indictment says. If it sounds familiar, thats because it is. Suburb for 52 Years: U.S. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". From the 1960s to the early 1970s, Rothstein was in a romantic relationship with Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong. As Wells was apprehended by the Erie police, the bomb detonated, making a hole in his chest area and killing Wells on the spot. It was a bank robbery? While they were in route, something strange happened the bomb around Wells' neck began beeping faster and faster. The riveting episode airs exclusively on the popular true crime network Oxygen on Wednesday, December 21, 2022, at 7 pm Eastern Time (ET). The debated question of Wells true involvement, as well as how the investigation unfolded, is re-examined in Netflixs four-part docu series Evil Genius: The True Story of Americas Most Diabolical Bank Heist, which is streaming now. In 2003, one of the most bizarre crimes ever seen began unfolding. He was born on November 15, 1956, to Rose Wells and Harold Wells in Warren, Pennsylvania. He was instructed to get $250,000 within 15 minutes. Wells said he saw three Black men waiting for him. Somewhere along the planning phase, they deceived Wells that he would be wearing a fake bomb. A new Black Mirror episode called Shut Up And Dance also eerily dramatises a similar crime. In fact, the meticulous instructions also included detailed maps, descriptions of the bomb's construction, and very pointed threats to "Bomb Hostage" to follow the rules exactly. His eyes just got real wide, and then they went to the back of his head. your brain will thank you for it. By clicking ACCEPT ALL, you consent to the use of cookies. However, he was only able to get $8,702. So it seemed like Brian had really been jumped, but the police obviously had to get to the bottom of it. Probably not.. According to testimony given during the trial, Wells was deeply in debt to Barnes for crack. 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. While waiting for the bomb squad to arrive, the collar bomb went off, and after a few struggling breaths, Wells died on the pavement he was seated on. A still showing Brian Wells from Netflix's "Evil Genius: The True Story of America's Most Diabolical Bank Heist". Across testimony given by Bill Rothstein, Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong, Kenneth Barnes, and Jessica Hoopsick, none agree with each other 100 percent. "I get a call, 'Hey we got a new bank robbery at 7200 Peach Street, [and there is] a potential bomb utilized during the robbery.' It took eight police a whopping four days to get rid of the mess shed collected, and they filled up at least six dumpsters with trash. Not for himself, but a prostitute with whom he was in a relationship named Jessica Hoopsick. Nothing more complicated than that. It was merely two pipe bombs and kitchen timers, according to Wired. Shortly after, Bill was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Brian had given the police little detail aside from his name and place of work, and the accusation that someone had set him up. Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter. Marjories high school sweetheart was a guy named Bill Rothstein. Watch tonight's episode of "The Price of Duty" to find out more about the case. The story feels almost too insane to be real if it were a fictional movie plot, you might think: "Eh, this feels like a bit of a stretch.". In July 2007, four years after the robbery, federal prosecutors announced that Barnes and Diehl-Armstrong were believed to have been responsible, along with other conspirators including Wells, who was involved in a limited extent with the planing.. He was a pizza delivery driver and he had a clean criminal record. Buchanan met for about three hours Friday with federal investigators about the evidence compiled so far. "I get a call, 'Hey we got a new bank robbery at 7200 Peach Street, [and there is] a potential bomb utilized during the robbery.' , Awesome, Youre All Set! There are plenty of amateur sleuths who suspect that Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong was telling the truth and she wasn't the mastermind. 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. Heres what to know about the collar bomb case: On Aug. 28, 2003, Wells was working as a pizza deliveryman when he walked into a PNC Bank in Erie, Pa. at about 2:20 p.m. and handed the teller a note demanding $250,000. 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. Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong died of breast cancer in 2017 while still in prison. After Marjorie broke off the engagement, she really began struggling with her mental disorders, including bipolar and depression. 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The defense noted that Wells only took $8,701 from the bank. The story of Brian Wells is about a pizza delivery guy, a bomb collar, and a bank robbery. The caller ordered two sausage and pepperoni pizzas and asked that they be delivered to a road on the edge of town. 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. 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. 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 Subscribe at iTunes or Google Play. She said the investigators set her up and the government framed her, and that Bill was the true mastermind.. The police arrested Marjorie for the shooting. 78340, San Luis Potos, Mxico, Servicios Integrales de Mantenimiento, Restauracin y, Tiene pensado renovar su hogar o negocio, Modernizar, Le podemos ayudar a darle un nuevo brillo y un aspecto, Le brindamos Servicios Integrales de Mantenimiento preventivo o, Tiene pensado fumigar su hogar o negocio, eliminar esas. Brian Douglas Wells was 46-years-old and wasn't a bank robber. They detained Wells and placed him outside of a police vehicle, where he sat on the ground in a parking lot. Bill went to the police station for questioning, and explained how he and Marjorie had been friends for years, and that she would often call on him for help, which is how he ended up with a dead dude in his freezer. 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. While waiting for the bomb squad to arrive, the collar bomb went off, and after a few struggling breaths, Wells died on the pavement he was seated on. The client, Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong, is serving seven to 20 years in state prison for pleading guilty but mentally ill to killing her boyfriend, James Roden, in 2003. Im not lying. The Price of Duty 102: Face to Face with the Pizza Bomber. 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. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? The Bizzare Collar Bomb Bank Robbery A free documentary about Brian Wells by Buzzfeed Unsolved Netwoemrk. The case involved nearly 1,000 interviews and as many leads, Buchanan said. The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections said Hoopsick had been in the state prison system for theft between May 2012 and July 2014, when she was paroled. Kenneth Barnes had already pleaded guilty as part of his deal in 2008, according to All That's Interesting. With cameras pointed at handcuffed Brian Douglas Wells as he was sitting on the road surrounded by the police cars, 15 minutes before the bomb squad arrived, the WebBrian Wells collar bomb explosion. He walked up to a bank teller and handed her a note, informing her that he needed $250,000 in a bag. As it so happened, Rothstein also lived in the house right next to the broadcast tower where Wells claimed to be fitted with the bomb collar. Wells' family has said they believe he was just a victim, and have criticized the pace of the investigation. She was unable to access more than $8,702, which he took. Not only was his life at stake, but the lives of those around him and his family and friends. 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. The true crime documentary revisits this so-called diabolical plot, which resulted in the death of an on-duty pizza delivery driver, who robbed a PNC Bank in Erie, Pa. with a bomb clamped around his neck. But in subsequent years, authorities uncovered an intricate criminal plot and concluded Wells was no pure victim. Hoopsick, who was never officially deemed a conspirator, could not be reached for comment by TIME. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. 9. 8. He passed away in jail owing to diabetes on June 20, 2019. 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. Instead, it was Bill Rothstein pulling all the strings. She was deemed disabled due to her psychological condition, and got disability payments from Social Security, on top of the hospital pay out and help from her father, who bought her a house. Only link At 1:30 PM, he was called to deliver two pizzas at an address at the end of a dirt road on Peach Street. They found that the bomb was indeed initiated before Brian walked into the bank, and it had an inbuilt timer, as well as a booby trap that would trigger it if anyone attempted to remove it. 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. 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. Police arrested Diehl-Armstrong for the murder of James Roden, for which she was sentenced to 20 years in prison, according to All That's Interesting. The total was $8,702, far short of a quarter million dollars, according to Wired. On August 28, 2003, a man wearing a white Guess brand t-shirt and carrying a cane (later proven to be a homemade shotgun shaped like a cane) walked into a PNC bank in Erie, Pennsylvania, according to Wired. On September 21st, three weeks after the robbery/bombing, the police received a phone call. Wells was handcuffed and left on the pavement. This led to even more twists being revealed. He was reportedly the putative creator of the collar bomb. With a high IQ, she also excelled at college and got a Masters degree. 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. 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. Acellphone was inside the case but wasn't wired to anything. 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. Bill Rothstein couldnt bring himself to chop up James Rodens body. Thats what led Marjorie to come up with the bank robbery plot. Get all your true crime news from Oxygen. On August 28, 2003 at about 1:30 p.m., the co-conspirators used a pay phone to order two pizzas for delivery to a remote TV tower site, which happened to be next door to one of the conspirators houses. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". But that attire wasn't his choice at all. WebMarjorie Diehl-Armstrong, the Pizza Bombers mastermind, has been identified. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! This is an FBI handout photo of the collar device used to secure a bomb to Brian Wells' neck. Im watching the Evil Genius doc on Netflix. . 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. Wells family was present for this announcement and vocally protested the allegation. 10. Either way, Barnes said that Wells and Roden knew the full details of the plot and had been killed to ensure their silence. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. 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. It just got weirder and weirder as the years went on, and there are still some unanswered questions, too. 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. Officers had to restrain her, and they found James in the freezer as described. Fisher says this is why Rothstein alerted police to the body in his freezer and why his "suicide" note very explicitly mentioned Brian Wells. At about 2:20 p.m., Wells entered a bank and presented the teller a demand note. 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. 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. However, that day, he discovered it was accurate when it was too late. Rothstein would have a better chance with a personal injury lawyer for his case. Somos una empresa dedicada a la prestacin de servicios profesionales de Mantenimiento, Restauracin y Remodelacin de Inmuebles Residenciales y Comerciales. 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. 25 minutes later, the collar bomb began to beep, a sound that escalated until the moment it exploded, killing Wells. The bomb went off and Brian died with his chest crushed. The entire plan was executed under her supervision. All Rights Reserved. Shortly after, authorities arrested Diehl-Armstrong, who later implicated herself and Rothstein in the collar bomb crime. However, after only 2 years, in 1992, Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong of! Unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing cases... Total was $ 8,702, which he took she really began struggling with her disorders! 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