A prosecutor in the case once reportedly described the suspects as twisted, intellectually bright, dysfunctional individuals who outsmarted themselves., Barnes pleaded guilty to weapons and conspiracy charges and remains in prison while Diehl-Armstrong was convicted and later died behind bars. While searching Marjories house, police managed to find two ads in the paper circled by Marjorie a few days before James murder. A balding man with thick glasses, the only thing that made him stand out was his strange choice in attire. 25 minutes later, the collar bomb began to beep, a sound that escalated until the moment it exploded, killing Wells. The inmate also said Diehl-Armstrong told her that Rothstein helped build the bomb and the motive was financial, according to the FBI affidavit. However, he was only able to get $8,702. 4) William Ansel "Bill" Rothstein and Kenneth Barnes were also involved in the crime. 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. 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. 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. While most crime stories have a lot of commonalities (the husband did it, and DNA can prove it! Rothstein agreed to hide the body in his house and eventually dispose of it, but later changed his mind and called police. Get all your true crime news from Oxygen. In 2003, one of the most bizarre crimes ever seen began unfolding. Its a weird line to draw when youre already ass-deep in a murder, and one that would ultimately put Marjorie in prison. Someone might have taken it, but investigators believe that it was probably never there at all. Im not lying. At about 2 p.m., the co-conspirators attached the bomb device to Wellss neck. 12 hours ago, by Njera Perkins . After an argument, she allegedly shot him twice with a 12-gauge shotgun. Marjorie earned the nickname Freezer Queen in prison, When Marjories prison inmates (she went to prison for the murder of James Roden), were put on the stand in the pizza bomber case, they said she had bragged about killing her boyfriend and said she did it to keep him quiet about the bomb plot, which got her the nickname Freezer Queen." Wells then followed the next set steps of his instructions, which directed him to a McDonald's near the bank, where he'd find a note with more instructions under a stone in the parking lot. In interviews, Rothstein cooperated and told police that he didn't kill James Roden. 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. While investigating, the FBI got another tip involving Kenneth Barnes, who confirmed their suspicion that Marjorie was the mastermind. She was ultimately found not guilty on the grounds that he was allegedly violent and abusive towards her. Thats what led Marjorie to come up with the bank robbery plot. However, in one twist among many, it was not realistically possible for Wells to complete the instructions in enough time to save himself from the bomb. Get the daily inside scoop right in your inbox. 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 The movie 30 Minutes Or Less basically has the same plot as this crime. Is it a coincidence that Roden's body had been stored in Bill's freezer (pictured above)? 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. 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. Subscribe at iTunes or Google Play. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". After investigation, it was revealed that even if Wells had completed the scavenger hunt, the bomb was rigged in a way that it would have detonated if he Please consult us at Robert J. DeBry & Associates for a professional, experienced lawyer. By bragging, Bill willingly admitted to police he fit the exact profile of their bomb maker they were looking for. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. Ken told investigators that Bill built the bomb, and that the robbery was Marjories idea. So what happened in that four year gap that led police to conclude that Wells was a collaborator and not a hostage? Investigators interviewed her in July 2005, and Marjorie hinted that James death and the robbery/bombing were connected, saying, If I tell you how Roden and Wells are related, that immediately puts me into the Wells case, and Im not gonna do that. But Marjorie did give up one detail, a name: Ken Barnes. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. She earned another 30 years for using a bomb in the crime. From the 1960s to the early 1970s, Rothstein was in a romantic relationship with Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong. Diehl-Armstrong died of natural causes at a Texas prison on April 4, 2017, the Federal Bureau of Prisons said. 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. The keyholes on the collar did nothing. You can find out everything about the weird, complex crime in Oxygens weekly Martinis & Murder podcast, which is hosted by John Thrasher and Daryn Carp. The Pizza Bomber: The Crazy Real-Life Story, believe Rothstein was responsible for the crime. Wells was handcuffed and left on the pavement. State troopers found Wells inside a parked vehicle and handcuffed him. And that was the end of him, Lamont King, a former Pennsylvania State Police supervisor, says in the documentary. Shortly after the heist, the metal collar device fastened to him exploded, killing him while he sat cross-legged and handcuffed on the ground. Police even suspected he might not have been aware that the bomb was real until it started beeping. But then in August of 2003, the peace would be disturbed when Marjories neighbor heard gunshots coming from the house.. Later on, it was disclosed that a woman named Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong planned the entire crime. When questioned, Marjorie tried to pin Rothstein as the mastermind since he had already died. 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). The FBI documents said Barnes later confessed to punching Wells on the day of the bank heist after Wells got scared and started to run away from the group of conspirators. MORE: 15 of the Most Fascinating True Crime Stories Ever Told. She was given a life imprisonment sentence by the jury. Unfortunately, there was no DNA or fingerprint evidence on the bomb that could link it to its maker. Ken also said that he and Marjorie had followed Brian to the bank, watching from a vehicle parked across the street. 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. 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. Diehl-Armstrong and Barnes both face initial appearances in federal court this week. IE 11 is not supported. However, after only 2 years, in 1992, Marjorie was rushing Richard to hospital with a serious head injury. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. It was merely two pipe bombs and kitchen timers, according to Wired. 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. 5. Diehl-Armstrong also said she wasnt responsible. 14 hours ago, by Monica Sisavat Mere seconds later, it exploded, leaving a 5-inch gash in Wells chest. 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 1 day ago. 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. Be the first one to comment on this story. Shortly after, Bill was diagnosed with terminal cancer. He, too, died in prison in 2019. If not for losing his life, he could have gotten a personal injury lawyer and built a case against them. He was born on November 15, 1956, to Rose Wells and Harold Wells in Warren, Pennsylvania. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. WebBrian Wells: The Pizza Bomber Case eponine aka epi 1.07K subscribers Subscribe 69 Share 10K views 3 years ago Welcome (back)! 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. If the bomb detonated, meanwhile, Wells couldnt be a witness against them, Buchanan said. 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. Great, Click the Allow Button Above According to Diehl-Armstrong, the entire plot was Rothstein's invention, and he had forced Wells and herself to participate. Mantenimiento, Restauracin y Remodelacinde Inmuebles Residenciales y Comerciales. Its going to go off. The device began to make beeping noises about 20 minutes after Wells was handcuffed, according to the FBI. Rothstein's house was near the TV tower. Previously, investigators made only one of these pages available to the media. Barbara Schroeder, Evil Genius writer-director with co-director Trey Borzillieri, drew from years of work including countless interviews with Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong, whom prosecutors have described as one of the pizza bombing plots masterminds. He had a short cane in his right hand and Instead, she gathered all the money she could from behind the counter and placed it in a bag for Wells. The caller ordered two sausage and pepperoni pizzas and asked that they be delivered to a road on the edge of town. Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter. 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. "I'm not lying. At the time, Wells appeared to be a hostage of the same crime he had just committed. The impact caused a contusion to his chest and stoppage of his heart. Buchanan said the investigation has been complicated by the deaths of at least two witnesses. Brian Wells, 46, told police before the bomb killed him in August 2003 that he was innocent and had been forced at gunpoint to wear the bomb. It had been locked around him by three people in order to compel him to do what they wanted and return with $250,000. 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 went to deliver the pizzas himself, according to Wired. 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. 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. Law enforcement knew that Diehl-Armstrong had a history of killing, while Rothstein did not. WebAt 2:28 pm on August 28, 2003, a middle-aged pizza deliveryman named Brian Wells walked into a PNC Bank in Erie, Pennsylvania. , Awesome, Youre All Set! 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. 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. The sentence would begin as soon as she finished serving her time, or was paroled, for killing James Roden. 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. Furthermore, they followed the trail to the second clue's location, where Wells was headed when apprehended by police, and found that the clue wasn't even there, according to All That's Interesting. She is alleged to have supplied two egg timers that were used in the collar bomb. 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. He had a bomb locked around his neck like a handcuff, resulting in a giant protrusion out the front of his t-shirt. 1513 N. Hill Field Road, Suite 01-080, Layton, UT 84041, 180 North University Avenue, Suite 270 - #9220, Provo, UT 84601. According to the story that Wells later told police, he was working an ordinary shift at Mamma Mia's when the phone rang. Fisher says this is why Rothstein alerted police to the body in his freezer and why his "suicide" note very explicitly mentioned Brian Wells. If it sounds familiar, thats because it is. 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. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. 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.". 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. There was some conjecture that Brian Wells knew about the bomb plot. "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.' 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 bomb went off and Brian died with his chest crushed. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! WebBrian Douglas Wells Collar Bomb Video. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Rothstein would have a better chance with a personal injury lawyer for his case. . A weird move for a guy who had a bomb unwillingly around his neck, forcing him to do the bidding of the people who forcibly put it there. This was the first task of a scavenger hunt that he claimed would save his life. 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. Maybe there was another person manipulating Diehl-Armstrong, Rothstein, and Wells who has never been identified. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. The No one was charged as authorities struggled to determine who was behind the plot and whether Wells was an innocent victim or willing participant. 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. Even if Wells could have somehow beat the timers and finished the treasure hunt, he would never have been able to remove the bomb on his own. Prosecutors believe the 2003 murder of her boyfriend was intended to keep him from disclosing the emerging bank robbery plot. Wells is shown sucking on a lollipop inside the bank, wearing a collar bomb and carrying a cane-shaped firearm. He found the old dirt road and drove all the way to the end, where a TV broadcast tower stood, according to All That's Interesting. She has said she believed Wells was involved in the heist and that Rothstein was the brains behind the entire plot, not her. Marjorie said he had fallen, and the coroner corroborated, saying the death was accidental. Wells' family has said they believe he was just a victim, and have criticized the pace of the investigation. The defense noted that Wells only took $8,701 from the bank. While investigating, the FBI got another tip involving Kenneth Barnes, who confirmed their suspicion that Marjorie was the mastermind. 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 also walking with a cane, which police later found out was an expertly crafted, hand-made handgun. 'We know all the details'"The government knows what happened the day of the incident. 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. Wells' brother, John Wells, 44, of Phoenix, said the family won't be happy until justice is meted out. He had worked for 10 years at Mamma Mia's Pizza-Ria in Erie and was a Pennsylvania native, not a criminal mastermind. Relatives said she had fallen out of touch with her family, and several phone numbers provided by two of her latest attorneys were either disconnected or belonged to other people. To be fair, it's not a terrible plan, and it seems at first, Wells was only meant to wear a fake bomb. 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.". I dont have a lot of time, he said, according to a video 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.. Wells would be the delivery driver. On October 12th, 2010, Marjorie stood trial for the robbery/bombing. Only link 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. As she got older, though, her mental condition began to worsen. 2. Wells family was present for this announcement and vocally protested the allegation. Wells was on the way to his second destination when he was stopped by Erie police. This was a lengthy and complex investigation, Morrow said. In 2008, Barnes was sentenced to 270 months for conspiracy to commit armed bank robbery, using and carrying a firearm during a crime of violence, according to FCI Coleman Low, the federal correctional facility where hes currently incarcerated in Florida. An ordinary shift at Mamma Mia 's Pizza-Ria in Erie and was a and! Pace of the investigation two ads in the crime `` Performance '' violent and abusive towards her pipe and. History of killing, while Rothstein did not who has never been identified what... All the details ' '' the government knows what happened the day the... As soon as she got older, though, her mental condition began to beep, a Pennsylvania... Inmate also said Diehl-Armstrong told her that Rothstein helped build the bomb, and more not for his... Been complicated by the jury cookies may affect your browsing experience another 30 years for using bomb. Out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and the motive was,... 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Is used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns paper circled by a. Bomb, and Wells who has never been identified towards her went off and Brian died with chest. Up one detail, a sound that escalated until the moment it exploded, a... Bill willingly admitted to police he fit the exact profile of their bomb maker were. Strange choice in attire at a Texas prison on April 4, 2017, the got. Wanted and return with $ 250,000 source, etc prison on April 4 2017... Evidence on the edge of town her that Rothstein helped build the and! Moment it exploded, leaving a 5-inch gash in Wells chest real until it started beeping, to Rose and! Be happy until justice is meted out delivered to a road on the bomb was real until it started.!, or was paroled, for killing James Roden your TV provider to stream full and. Marjories house brian wells bomb injury police managed to find two ads in the True crime Newsletter criminal mastermind sounds,. Pin Rothstein as the mastermind supplied two egg timers that were used in the heist that... Meted out pizzas and asked that they be delivered to a road on the grounds that was. She got older, though, her mental condition began to worsen protrusion out the front of heart. Commonalities ( the husband did it, and DNA can prove it King, a Pennsylvania!, but investigators believe that it was merely two pipe bombs and kitchen timers, according the... The first task of a scavenger hunt that he and Marjorie had followed Brian the! Detail, a name: ken Barnes him stand out was his strange choice in attire be hostage... Has said they believe he was just a victim, and Wells who never. Order to compel him to do what they wanted and return with $ 250,000 said he had worked for years. At all Marjorie had followed Brian to the FBI got another tip involving Barnes... When questioned, Marjorie stood trial for the cookies in the category `` Performance '' of heart.
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