Brian had given the police little detail aside from his name and place of work, and the accusation that someone had set him up. Watch on What happened? 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. 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. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. Marjories high school sweetheart was a guy named Bill Rothstein. The inmate also said Diehl-Armstrong told her that Rothstein helped build the bomb and the motive was financial, according to the FBI affidavit. Now in a state mental hospital, Marjories testimony against Bill would be useless. 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. Diehl-Armstrong died of natural causes at a Texas prison on April 4, 2017, the Federal Bureau of Prisons said. 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. All right, well we've had those before, and many times you arrive on scene and they're hoax devices. By now, investigators are convinced Marjorie had something to do with the robbery/bombing. 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.". 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. 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. Wells had told police he had been forced to rob the bank. Watch the 23rd episode of Dateline: Secrets Uncovered season 8, which arrives exclusively on Oxygen on Wednesday, December 21, 2022, at 7.00 pm Eastern Time. 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. Whoever put the bomb collar on Brian Wells never intended for him to live through the day. Get the daily inside scoop right in your inbox. by Sarah Wasilak He was betrayed, though, and the false bomb was switched out with a real one, according to All That's Interesting. Collar-Bomb Case Charges in Bizarre 03 Bank Heist. They didn't think Rothstein was the mastermind, they thought she was. 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. In 1984, Marjorie (pizza bomber mastermind) had a boyfriend, Robert Thomas. Somewhere along the planning phase, they deceived Wells that he would be wearing a fake bomb. 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. Wells said he saw three Black men waiting for him. With a walking-stick and a huge protrusion in the front of his shirt what bank customers thought was a neck injury apparatus, but Wells claimed was a bomb and his t-shirt with Guess spray painted across it. Wells went to deliver the pizzas himself, according to Wired. Hoopsick introduced the two, and later felt regret for the decision, saying that Wells was innocent. When questioned, Marjorie tried to pin Rothstein as the mastermind since he had already died. 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. 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. They had uncovered evidence that he was actually in on the plot and worked with the perpetrators as an accomplice, according to Wired. IE 11 is not supported. 4) William Ansel "Bill" Rothstein and Kenneth Barnes were also involved in the crime. Diehl-Armstrong was the plot's mastermind, according to Barnes. An award-winning journalist who has worked forRolling Stone and MTV News, Chris enjoys prog rock, cycling, Marvel movies, IPAs, and roller coasters. 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 a parking lot while police waited for a bomb squad. 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. 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. He The sentence would begin as soon as she finished serving her time, or was paroled, for killing James Roden. Wells would be the delivery driver. 3. 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. Wells' family has said they believe he was just a victim, and have criticized the pace of the investigation. The note was addressed to "Receptionist" and "Bank Manager" and referred to the man in front of her as "Bomb Hostage." 8. Someone might have taken it, but investigators believe that it was probably never there at all. There are plenty of amateur sleuths who suspect that Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong was telling the truth and she wasn't the mastermind. Why is no one coming to get this thing off of me? he asked authorities. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our, Digital At 1:30 PM, he was called to deliver two pizzas at an address at the end of a dirt road on Peach Street. She earned another 30 years for using a bomb in the crime. All Rights Reserved. That night Marjorie refused to talk with investigators, but Bill was very chatty. Probably not.. 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. 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. 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. By clicking ACCEPT ALL, you consent to the use of cookies. 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. Instead, it was Bill Rothstein pulling all the strings. According to an FBI affidavit, Rothstein said his former fiance, Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong, had murdered her own boyfriend, James Roden, and stuffed his body in the freezer. Bill Rothstein couldnt bring himself to chop up James Rodens body. The Bizzare Collar Bomb Bank Robbery A free documentary about Brian Wells by Buzzfeed Unsolved Netwoemrk. 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. Wells' brother, John Wells, 44, of Phoenix, said the family won't be happy until justice is meted out. Not for himself, but a prostitute with whom he was in a relationship named Jessica Hoopsick. Around that same time, she also gave two egg timers to William Rothstein, a handyman and former boyfriend who likely built the collar bomb that killed Wells by blowing a gaping hole in his chest. As Wells was apprehended by the Erie police, the bomb detonated, making a hole in his chest area and killing Wells on the spot. Brian Wells, originally named Brian Douglas Wells, was reportedly a pizza delivery man residing in Erie, Pennsylvania. Authorities have said that they've pieced together what they can from all of the evidence, and they believe that they closed the case accurately. Its going to go off. The device began to make beeping noises about 20 minutes after Wells was handcuffed, according to the FBI. Wells delivered his last pizza and made his next stop at a PNC bank in Erie, where he was to steal $250,000 while wearing a homemade collar bomb. The bomb collar he wore was going to explode, Wells said. "The family will be satisfied when everybody is held to account for their actions that day," Wells said. Please consult us at Robert J. DeBry & Associates for a professional, experienced lawyer. Get all your true crime news from Oxygen. Somewhere along the planning phase, they deceived Wells that he would be wearing a fake bomb. Wells and his counterparts set a detailed plan in motion on August 28th, 2003. Her next boyfriend was James Roden, an unemployed alcoholic. The PNC bank teller, shocked by the note Wells had handed her, told him that she wouldn't be able to produce $250,000 for him. We know all the details that led up to the death of Brian Wells and all the parties involved," the official said. Wells warned police that he was wearing a bomb and running out of time, but as bomb technicians were summoned the device exploded, killing Wells and leaving behind an odd lot of clues and characters. 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. This is one of the most movie-esque murder plots ever committed and its the subject of Oxygens weekly "Martinis & Murder" podcast. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". It just got weirder and weirder as the years went on, and there are still some unanswered questions, too. 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. And that was the end of him, Lamont King, a former Pennsylvania State Police supervisor, says in the documentary. He is expected to be released in 2027, prison officials said. "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.' 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. 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 three-count indictment, returned on July 9, contains charges of conspiracy to commit bank robbery, armed bank robbery, and using and carrying a destructive device in a crime of violence. Her second husband died of a cerebral hemorrhage, but there was evidence that he actually had a head injury. From the 1960s to the early 1970s, Rothstein was in a romantic relationship with Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong. "We want everybody to take responsibility for what they did before and after this happened.". PEOPLE has been given exclusive access to the detailed notes recovered by investigators who searched Wells car. Brian Wells, a pizza delivery man, robbed a PNC Bank in Pennsylvania on August 28, 2003. Please logout and login again. Diehl-Armstrong and Barnes both face initial appearances in federal court this week. Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter. While Barnes did get a reduced sentence for cooperating, it didn't do him any good. 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. They said he had, in fact, helped plot part of the same scheme that led to his death. Born in 1949, Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong had lived in Erie, Pennsylvania all her life. No one knows for sure who wrote them. Until something clearly went wrong, that is. WebWells warned police that he was wearing a bomb and running out of time, but as bomb technicians were summoned the device exploded, killing Wells and leaving behind an 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 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. 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. Please consult us at, Wells and his counterparts set a detailed plan in motion on August 28th, 2003. 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 highly shocking and spine-chilling 2003 case of Brian Wells, aka the Pizza Bomber, is re-examined in the highly engrossing true-crime show on Oxygen titled, Dateline: Secrets Uncovered. 2023 TIME USA, LLC. But things took yet another turn when Marjorie was found mentally incompetent to stand trial by the court in 2004. 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. Wells is shown sucking on a lollipop inside the bank, wearing a collar bomb and carrying a cane-shaped firearm. It also describes violent content that some audiences may find disturbing. Police even suspected he might not have been aware that the bomb was real until it started beeping. A witness pointed authorities to a man named Kenneth Barnes (another compulsive hoarder), a close friend of Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong, claiming that Barnes had been involved in the bomb collar case. Get all your true crime news from Oxygen. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. As far as the public knew, things went quiet on Brian Wells' case. The riveting episode airs exclusively on the popular true crime network Oxygen on Wednesday, December 21, 2022, at 7 pm Eastern Time (ET). 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. With a high IQ, she also excelled at college and got a Masters degree. 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. Marjories first boyfriend was named Rob Thomas. The case involved nearly 1,000 interviews and as many leads, Buchanan said. They asked Ken to help with the timing mechanism on the bomb. There are also rumors that perhaps the mastermind was never arrested, assuming that neither Diehl-Armstrong nor Rothstein was capable of coming up with such a complex plot. Wells was handcuffed and left on the pavement. 1155, Col. San Juan de Guadalupe C.P. Im not lying. Wells fell backwards and was motionless. Wells told police that the bomb on his neck was on a timer and that hed been forced to rob the bank. The story of Brian Wells is about a pizza delivery guy, a bomb collar, and a bank robbery. This collar was attached to a box under his shirt, creating a large lump under the t-shirt. For cases such as these Personal Injury lawyers are used to build cases and file for compensation. Those armchair detectives aren't alone, either. 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. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! 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. Her co-conspirators were her then-boyfriend James Roden, who she murdered in the course of the crime, her ex-fiance Bill Rothstein, and another friend, Ken Barnes. Be the first one to comment on this story. Four years after a pizza delivery man in Erie, Pennsylvania, robbed a bank with a time-bomb secured to his neck and then died when it detonated during a standoff with police, charges have been filed against two people for their alleged roles in the case. The Stunt Performer Ryan Dunn Dies From Car Accident, Attorney Marketing and Website by Fusion 360. Diehl-Armstrong and Barnes were both eventually convicted of conspiracy and armed bank robbery charges. 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. While investigating, the FBI got another tip involving Kenneth Barnes, who confirmed their suspicion that Marjorie was the mastermind. A still showing Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong from "Evil Genius: The True Story of America's Most Diabolical Bank Heist" on Netflix. According to testimony given during the trial, Wells was deeply in debt to Barnes for crack. Or, at least, that was the story, but in an interview for Netflix's 2018 mini-series about the case, Evil Genius, Hoopsick claimed that this wasn't actually true. 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