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. But at first, no one noticed the man, whose name was Brian Douglas Wells. However, that day, he discovered it was accurate when it was too late. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. Para nosotros usted es lo ms importante, le ofrecemosservicios rpidos y de calidad. According to the story that Wells later told police, he was working an ordinary shift at Mamma Mia's when the phone rang. 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. He, too, died in prison in 2019. Police believed her, but not in the way she expected. This is an FBI handout photo of the collar device used to secure a bomb to Brian Wells' neck. 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. Get all your true crime news from Oxygen. Rothstein broke first and gave up. He passed away in jail owing to diabetes on June 20, 2019. 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. FBI analysis found that the bomb was not amateur work--it was very well designed. Get all your true crime news from Oxygen. "I'm not lying. Mere minutes before the bomb squad could arrive. The inmate also said Diehl-Armstrong told her that Rothstein helped build the bomb and the motive was financial, according to the FBI affidavit. 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. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. After leaving the bank, Wells was cornered by police in a parking lot. On August 28th, Wells entered the Erie, Pennsylvania branch of PNC Financial Services, wearing a bomb around his neck and carrying an unusual shotgun shaped like a walking stick. He was another genius who was in Mensa. Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong had once been a very different person. 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. 12 hours ago, by Njera Perkins 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. So smooth. 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. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. The story of Brian Wells is about a pizza delivery guy, a bomb collar, and a bank robbery. Diehl-Armstrong and Barnes were both eventually convicted of conspiracy and armed bank robbery charges. I dont have a lot of time, he said, according to a video A still showing Brian Wells from Netflix's "Evil Genius: The True Story of America's Most Diabolical Bank Heist". This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The police called in the bomb squad. Afterward, police recovered several pages of handwritten instructions from Wells car. There was no further investigation. D'Ambrosio did not immediately return a message left at his office Friday. Kara Rhodes, Erie Times News reporter, was at the scene; "The bomb went off and there was just silence, it was eerily silent." 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 I dont have a lot of time, he said, according to a video recording of the encounter. Buchanan said the investigation has been complicated by the deaths of at least two witnesses. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. While the Troopers kept their distance from Wells, waiting for the bomb squad to arrive and confirm the bomb story, the device around Wells neck suddenly stopped beeping. He was born on November 15, 1956, to Rose Wells and Harold Wells in Warren, Pennsylvania. She was acquitted of the crime because it was believed he was violent and abusive towards her. At about 2:20 p.m., Wells entered a bank and presented the teller a demand note. 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.. In July 2007, a month shy of the four-year anniversary of Wells' death by collar bomb, the US attorney's office in Erie called a news conference about "a major development" in the case. Standing before a bank of TV cameras, US attorney Mary Beth Buchanan announced that the investigation was over. Marjorie said he had fallen, and the coroner corroborated, saying the death was accidental. But then in August of 2003, the peace would be disturbed when Marjories neighbor heard gunshots coming from the house.. Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for the Netflix docuseries Evil Genius. Behind the murder was a woman named Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong who suffered from multiple mental illnesses and personality disorders. While Barnes did get a reduced sentence for cooperating, it didn't do him any good. It was also Diehl-Armstrong who swapped the fake bomb for a real one. Police had surrounded Wells, 46, a short time after he robbed a PNC Bank branch outside Erie in northwestern Pennsylvania. But don't press "play" unprepared or you could find yourself unwittingly witnessing some seriously gruesome stuff. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Can A Car Accident Lawyer Help Me Maximize Compensation? She was also not unknown to Erie, PA law enforcement. "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.' Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. 1155, Col. San Juan de Guadalupe C.P. The men jumped him, forced the bomb collar on him, and gave him several pages of instructions and the shotgun-cane. 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. While most crime stories have a lot of commonalities (the husband did it, and DNA can prove it! Whoever put the bomb collar on Brian Wells never intended for him to live through the day. Everyone can be their own personal Sherlock Holmes, and you don't even have to go outside. Rothstein died of terminal cancer before he could face any charges, according to multiple news reports. Instead, she gathered all the money she could from behind the counter and placed it in a bag for Wells. How Black Filmmakers Are Reclaiming Their History Onscreen. 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. Fisher says this is why Rothstein alerted police to the body in his freezer and why his "suicide" note very explicitly mentioned Brian Wells. Kenneth Barnes had already pleaded guilty as part of his deal in 2008, according to All That's Interesting. He was dead, and the whole ordeal was captured on camera by local news film crews who were documenting the riveting arrest. 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. The state troopers kept a safe distance as Wells repeatedly warned them that the bomb would blow. Please logout and login again. "The family will be satisfied when everybody is held to account for their actions that day," Wells said. If not for losing his life, he could have gotten a personal injury lawyer and built a case against them. Netflixs new four-part docuseries Evil Genius: The True Story of Americas Most Diabolical Bank Heist, dives into a high-profile 2003 crime known as the collar bomb case. 11 hours ago, by Eden Arielle Gordon Thats what led Marjorie to come up with the bank robbery plot. At the time, Wells appeared to be a hostage of the same crime he had just committed. The scavenger hunt was intended to sell the hostage story and throw the police off. They believe that he was an unfortunate hostage and merely forced to go along with the plot. Law enforcement knew that Diehl-Armstrong had a history of killing, while Rothstein did not. 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. Rothstein had put a real bomb on Wells, though, so there were fewer people to split the money with, and he told police about the body in his freezer for the same reason. 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 collar was attached to a box under his shirt, creating a large lump under the t-shirt. So if you plan to watch Evil Genius but want to avoid witnessing a real person's tragic death, be sure to shut your eyes around 10 minutes in to the first episode . In 2003, one of the most bizarre crimes ever seen began unfolding. TAMPA Austin Wells has been dealt a tough break. By the end of 2004, Marjorie was determined as knowing the difference between right and wrong, and therefore declared competent able to stand trial. Stunt Performer Ryan Dunn Dies From Car Accident, Attorney Marketing and Website by Fusion 360. Wells is shown sucking on a lollipop inside the bank, wearing a collar bomb and carrying a cane-shaped firearm. Evil Genius trailer. Until something clearly went wrong, that is. It was a bank robbery? However, after only 2 years, in 1992, Marjorie was rushing Richard to hospital with a serious head injury. Magazines, Digital Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. 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. Diehl-Armstrong died of natural causes at a Texas prison on April 4, 2017, the Federal Bureau of Prisons said. Federal prosecutors on Wednesday announced an indictment against Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong, 58, and Kenneth Barnes, 53, for allegedly helping to plot and carry out the botched scheme that culminated on August 28, 2003, when Brian Wells was stopped by police after robbing an Erie bank. 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. The note was addressed to "Receptionist" and "Bank Manager" and referred to the man in front of her as "Bomb Hostage." 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. When questioned, Marjorie tried to pin Rothstein as the mastermind since he had already died. 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. Bill said he went to Marjories, wrapped the body in tarps, and dragged it to his van, before taking it home and putting it in the freezer. Marshals, 'Happy-Go-Lucky' Girl, 13, Allegedly Killed by Man Who's Accused of Sexually Assaulting 2 Women, 'Victims Are Getting Lost in All This':Mallory Beach Family Attorney on Murdaugh Murder Mysteries, Alex Murdaugh's Lawyer Admits Botched Suicide Plot, Says Client Was Depressed After Murders of Wife, Son, 2nd Former Iowa Schools Employee Found Dead Amid Allegations of Sexual Misconduct with Students, Woman Accused of Killing Her Friend, Then Framing Victim's Husband, Who Spent Years in Prison. Diehl-Armstrong was the plot's mastermind, according to Barnes. by Sarah Wasilak The crime went down in 2003, when a pizza delivery man was jumped, fitted with a collar that he was told was a bomb, and sent on a bizarre scavenger hunt that involved robbing a bank. Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong died of breast cancer in 2017 while still in prison. Wells made off with $9,000, the most the teller could give him. 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 The astounding true story is chronicled in episode 23 of the series' season 8. He walked up to a bank teller and handed her a note, informing her that he needed $250,000 in a bag. Instead, it was Bill Rothstein pulling all the strings. Brian had given the police little detail aside from his name and place of work, and the accusation that someone had set him up. Only link Posted on July 30, 2011 by Vincit Omnia Veritas. 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. The entire plan was executed under her supervision. She was unable to access more than $8,702, which he took. 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.". The collar bomb exploded, leaving a 5-inch gash on his chest. 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. On October 12th, 2010, Marjorie stood trial for the robbery/bombing. 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