1 day ago. Does anyone have the actual video of the bomb going off or any aftermath pictures? She is alleged to have supplied two egg timers that were used in the collar bomb. Afterward, police recovered several pages of handwritten instructions from Wells car. On the stand, Marjorie gave a long and rambling testimony (possibly a symptom of bipolar). An odd but smart guy, and a retired television repairman. 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. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. , Here's a Warning About That Crazy-Disturbing Scene in Netflix's Evil Genius, The "Stranger Things" Prequel Stage Play Dives Deep Into Vecna's Origin Story, Can't Wait For "Daisy Jones & The Six"? It was a bank robbery? Rothstein would have a better chance with a personal injury lawyer for his case. 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 sentence would begin as soon as she finished serving her time, or was paroled, for killing James Roden. They arrested Rothstein and brought him in for questioning. Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for the Netflix docuseries Evil Genius. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? While some might expect the Netflix series to tread lightly around the violent death of Brian Wells, Evil Genius is a particularly jarring reminder that there are no guidelines restricting gruesome images from being shown onscreen. Later on, it was disclosed that a woman named Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong planned the entire crime. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". As far as the public knew, things went quiet on Brian Wells' case. But that attire wasn't his choice at all. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Diehl-Armstrong was the plot's mastermind, according to Barnes. 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. Police even suspected he might not have been aware that the bomb was real until it started beeping. 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. But in 2003, a pizza delivery man really did waltz into an Erie, PA, bank carrying a cane shotgun, suck on a free lollipop, and hold up the tellers for money . 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. On August 28, 2003, pizza guy Brian Wells took one last delivery on his route in Erie, Pennsylvania, before finishing his shift. He was also a part of the pizza collar bomb case. Marjories high school sweetheart was a guy named Bill Rothstein. Rothstein's house was near the TV tower. Previously, investigators made only one of these pages available to the media. He found it, according to All That's Interesting. That night Marjorie refused to talk with investigators, but Bill was very chatty. 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." 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. Wells' family has said they believe he was just a victim, and have criticized the pace of the investigation. Horrifyingly, this last bit was captured on camera. For cases such as these Personal Injury lawyers are used to build cases and file for compensation. by Sarah Wasilak 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. 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. You have reached your limit of free articles. 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. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". Brian Douglas Wells was 46-years-old and wasn't a bank robber. They lived together for nine years without event. Acellphone was inside the case but wasn't wired to anything. 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 Ken pled guilty to his role in the conspiracy and was sentenced to 45 years in prison, and on the stand, he testified against Marjorie.Ken also said that he and Marjorie had followed Brian to the bank, watching from a vehicle parked across the street. 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. Rothstein broke first and gave up. 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. Diehl-Armstrong also said she wasnt responsible. Not only was his life at stake, but the lives of those around him and his family and friends. She is in an all-female prison near Fort Worth, Texas. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. Wells would be the delivery driver. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. If youre a fan of the Netflix show Black Mirror, the latest season has an episode where the plot revolves around an unseen person controlling others to do their bidding. It just got weirder and weirder as the years went on, and there are still some unanswered questions, too. Watch on What happened? His family disputes this and the bizarre, arcane details of the case have inspired international news coverage in the nearly 15 years since the bank robbery. "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.' They might be kidnappings, disappearances, or, yes, murders. 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. But then in August of 2003, the peace would be disturbed when Marjories neighbor heard gunshots coming from the house.. 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. We know all the details that led up to the death of Brian Wells and all the parties involved," the official said. Only link State troopers found Wells inside a parked vehicle and handcuffed him. 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. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. How Black Filmmakers Are Reclaiming Their History Onscreen. After Marjorie broke off the engagement, she really began struggling with her mental disorders, including bipolar and depression. 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. Rothstein's letter had been incorrect James Roden's death was directly connected to the case. 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. Until something clearly went wrong, that is. Your login session has expired. 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. for having him store a corpse in his freezer. Pieces of the collarbomb fragmented and shot everywhere. Thats what led Marjorie to come up with the bank robbery plot. Posted on July 30, 2011 by Vincit Omnia Veritas. But before he could make it back to the puppet master, he was apprehended by police, and died when the bomb exploded. No one was charged as authorities struggled to determine who was behind the plot and whether Wells was an innocent victim or willing participant. The bank teller went through emotional distress and would need a personal injury lawyer for her case. Mere seconds later, it exploded, leaving a 5-inch gash in Wells chest. Marjorie said he had fallen, and the coroner corroborated, saying the death was accidental. Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong died of breast cancer in 2017 while still in prison. 7. The entire plan was executed under her supervision. (She mistakenly believed he was wealthy.). 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. Kenneth Barnes was reportedly a retired TV repairman, a drug dealer, and a friend of Diehl-Armstrong's. He was another genius who was in Mensa. 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. She would then use proceeds from the robbery to pay Barnes to kill her father and collect an inheritance, the indictment says. Suburb for 52 Years: U.S. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Either way, Barnes said that Wells and Roden knew the full details of the plot and had been killed to ensure their silence. At about 2:20 p.m., Wells entered a bank and presented the teller a demand note. Long Waits, Short Appointments, Huge Bills. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. It beeped for about 10 seconds before it detonated, killing Wells and stunning an audience that had gathered to watch the bizarre situation unfold. He handed the teller a note demanding $250,000. 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. She was unable to access more than $8,702, which he took. According to testimony given during the trial, Wells was deeply in debt to Barnes for crack. 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. He passed away in jail owing to diabetes on June 20, 2019. He had worked for 10 years at Mamma Mia's Pizza-Ria in Erie and was a Pennsylvania native, not a criminal mastermind. 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. 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. Whoever put the bomb collar on Brian Wells never intended for him to live through the day. Compatriots of the plotters were watching him every step of the way and could remotely detonate the bomb if he didn't follow instructions. On August 27, 2003, Diehl-Armstrong, Barnes, Wells and other unindicted co-conspirators met to discuss the next days plot. His eyes just got real wide, and then they went to the back of his head. 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. She is in an all-female prison near Fort Worth, Texas. The men jumped him, forced the bomb collar on him, and gave him several pages of instructions and the shotgun-cane. By Subject- Art Theft - Civil Rights - Counterterrorism - Crimes Against Children - Criminal Justice Information Services - Cyber Crimes - Director/FBI Leadership - Field Cases - Foreign Counterintelligence - General - History - Intelligence - International - Lab/Operational Technology - Linguist/Translation Program - Major Thefts/Violent Crime - Organized Crime/Drugs - Partnerships - Public/Community Outreach - Public Corruption - Recruiting/Diversity - Responding to Your Concerns - Technology - Training - White-Collar Crime. Police had surrounded Wells, 46, a short time after he robbed a PNC Bank branch outside Erie in northwestern Pennsylvania. . 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. On October 12th, 2010, Marjorie stood trial for the robbery/bombing. 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. After Rodens murder, police cleared out Marjories house (pictured above), looking for clues. Please consult us at Robert J. DeBry & Associates for a professional, experienced lawyer. He had a short cane in his right hand and He died of lymphoma less than a year after his phone call to police. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. Prosecutors believe the 2003 murder of her boyfriend was intended to keep him from disclosing the emerging bank robbery plot. 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. By bragging, Bill willingly admitted to police he fit the exact profile of their bomb maker they were looking for. A 46-year-old pizza delivery man with a bomb fastened around his neck robbed a Pennsylvania bank in August 2003, walking out with more than $8,000 in cash. After Brian Wells was dead, police picked up two key pieces of evidence: The instructions provided by his attackers and the remnants of the bomb itself. Police also took Wells' instructions and put together a route to follow. Behind the murder was a woman named Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong who suffered from multiple mental illnesses and personality disorders. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! He knew this because he was going to be the one killing her dad--but for the fee of $250,000. 14 hours ago, by Monica Sisavat The vault was on a time delay, and it would take longer than the 15 minutes allotted in his note. The police arrested Marjorie for the shooting. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! The riveting episode airs exclusively on the popular true crime network Oxygen on Wednesday, December 21, 2022, at 7 pm Eastern Time (ET). The bomb was attached to the collar, authorities said. For better treatment in prison, Diehl-Armstrong would finally tell everything she knew about Brian Wells, the pizza bomber. Born in 1949, Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong had lived in Erie, Pennsylvania all her life. 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. Philly.com says prosecutors had a witness, a prostitute who alleged that Brian often paid $15 to 20 to have sex with her at Bills house, but its only an allegation. In July 2004, investigators tried to get a confession from Bill on his deathbed, but he passed without uttering a useful word. At 1:30 PM, he was called to deliver two pizzas at an address at the end of a dirt road on Peach Street. The police called in the bomb squad. Heres where it gets interesting: while recovering James body, investigators realized Bills house was less than five hundred yards from where Brian Wells made his last delivery, right under the transmission tower. 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. Her second husband died of a cerebral hemorrhage, but there was evidence that he actually had a head injury. Compatriots of the investigation James Roden was paroled, for killing James Roden 's death was directly connected the! Right hand and he died of lymphoma less than a year after phone! Live through the day after Rodens murder, police cleared out Marjories house ( pictured above,! Real wide, and much more a retired TV repairman, a drug dealer, and died the. Robert J. 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