The total was $8,702, far short of a quarter million dollars, according to Wired. Marjorie said he had fallen, and the coroner corroborated, saying the death was accidental. 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 . An odd but smart guy, and a retired television repairman. After an argument, she allegedly shot him twice with a 12-gauge shotgun. On August 28, Wells was forced to go to Erie's PNC Bank to carry out a heist. Everything Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong was telling them seemed to implicate her more than Bill Rothstein, according to Wired. I dont have a lot of time, he said, according to a video recording of the encounter. However, he was only able to get $8,702. 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 . Long Waits, Short Appointments, Huge Bills. 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.". 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. 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 astounding true story is chronicled in episode 23 of the series' season 8. Minutes later, with police surrounding him nearby, that man, Brian Wells, pleaded for help. It all started with a phone call on September 20, 2003, less than a month after Wells' death. 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. While investigating, the FBI got another tip involving Kenneth Barnes, who confirmed their suspicion that Marjorie was the mastermind. The story of Brian Wells is about a pizza delivery guy, a bomb collar, and a bank robbery. He also helped Marjorie get rid of the gun, sawing it into pieces and melting it down with a torch. Buchanan plans to meet once more with investigators to discuss evidence, witness availability and other logistical details before indictments are sought. 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. 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. 9 hours ago, by Njera Perkins The inmate also said Diehl-Armstrong told her that Rothstein helped build the bomb and the motive was financial, according to the FBI affidavit. Whatever story youre conjuring up in your mind to go with pizza bomber," the reality is likely crazier. 11 hours ago, by Eden Arielle Gordon 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. According to Rothstein, he hadn't even spoken to Diehl-Armstrong for a long time before she called and asked if he would help her hide Roden's body. If not for losing his life, he could have gotten a personal injury lawyer and built a case against them. Wells said he saw three Black men waiting for him. Rothstein broke first and gave up. Ken told investigators that Bill built the bomb, and that the robbery was Marjories idea. Brian had given the police little detail aside from his name and place of work, and the accusation that someone had set him up. 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. Its a weird line to draw when youre already ass-deep in a murder, and one that would ultimately put Marjorie in prison. He claimed to have been attacked by a group of black men who he said tied the bomb to his body, court documents show. In 1990, she married her next serious boyfriend, Richard Armstrong, who she called her one true love. WebBrian Douglas Wells (November 15, 1956 August 28, 2003) was an American man who died after a homemade neck- bomb exploded while being involved in a plot involving a bank robbery in Erie, Pennsylvania. They were engaged in their 20s, but it didnt last. You have reached your limit of free articles. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! She had killed her first husband by shooting him six times while he sat on the couch, but successfully managed to convince a jury that it was in self-defense. After Marjorie broke off the engagement, she really began struggling with her mental disorders, including bipolar and depression. 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. Diehl-Armstrong and Barnes were both eventually convicted of conspiracy and armed bank robbery charges. 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. 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. Behind the murder was a woman named Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong who suffered from multiple mental illnesses and personality disorders. Diehl-Armstrong also said she wasnt responsible. Roden's killing led police to question Diehl-Armstrong in the Wells case because Roden's body was found in the freezer of a man named William Rothstein, who has since died. But things took yet another turn when Marjorie was found mentally incompetent to stand trial by the court in 2004. As Clark predicted, this was no ordinary bank robbery.. The case involved nearly 1,000 interviews and as many leads, Buchanan said. 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. 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. Detecto una fuga de gas en su hogar o negocio. 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. When authorities arrived, Brian was found standing in a parking lot outside his car. Probably not.. 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. The law enforcement official told the AP that Buchanan would not disclose what the investigators concluded, but would say that the government is confident they know how and why Wells died. 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 Rothstein broke first and gave up Marjoriefor having him store a corpse in his freezer. On August 28, 2003, pizza guy Brian Wells took one last delivery on his route in Erie, Pennsylvania, before finishing his shift. That night Marjorie refused to talk with investigators, but Bill was very chatty. Police had surrounded Wells, 46, a short time after he robbed a PNC Bank branch outside Erie in northwestern Pennsylvania. On September 21st, three weeks after the robbery/bombing, the police received a phone call. Watch tonight's episode of "The Price of Duty" to find out more about the case. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our, Digital As she got older, though, her mental condition began to worsen. She had also been diagnosed with cancer, the Erie Times-News reported at the time. Does anyone have the actual video of the bomb going off or any aftermath pictures? The three Black men that Wells claimed forced the collar on him never existed. How Black Filmmakers Are Reclaiming Their History Onscreen. Law enforcement knew that Diehl-Armstrong had a history of killing, while Rothstein did not. She conspired to rob the bank to get money so that she could pay a man named Kenneth Barnes to take the life of her own father. 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. As Wells was apprehended by the Erie police, the bomb detonated, making a hole in his chest area and killing Wells on the spot. Your login session has expired. Wells' family said he These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Mere minutes before the bomb squad could arrive. But before he could make it back to the puppet master, he was apprehended by police, and died when the bomb exploded. She was acquitted of the crime because it was believed he was violent and abusive towards her. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. 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. Please consult us at Robert J. DeBry & Associates for a professional, experienced lawyer. Now in a state mental hospital, Marjories testimony against Bill would be useless. There are plenty of amateur sleuths who suspect that Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong was telling the truth and she wasn't the mastermind. By now, investigators are convinced Marjorie had something to do with the robbery/bombing. Brian Wells, a pizza delivery man, robbed a PNC Bank in Pennsylvania on August 28, 2003. Fisher says this is why Rothstein alerted police to the body in his freezer and why his "suicide" note very explicitly mentioned Brian Wells. Authorities said Wells then admitted to being the PNC bank robber. At 1:30 PM, he was called to deliver two pizzas at an address at the end of a dirt road on Peach Street. To be fair, it's not a terrible plan, and it seems at first, Wells was only meant to wear a fake bomb. The robbery was merely a setup for her to acquire $250,000 to pay a hitman Barnes himself. About 12 minutes later, Wells left the bank with nearly $9,000 and headed to the McDonalds next door, where he retrieved another note from under a rock. The device was attached to his neck like a large handcuff, and was beeping. Authorities said he was holding a loaded homemade shotgun that looked like a walking cane and wearing a T-shirt over an improvised explosive device, which he showed the teller, according to FBI records. But then in August of 2003, the peace would be disturbed when Marjories neighbor heard gunshots coming from the house.. They detained Wells and placed him outside of a police vehicle, where he sat on the ground in a parking lot. Wells and his counterparts set a detailed plan in motion on August 28th, 2003. 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 vault was on a time delay, and it would take longer than the 15 minutes allotted in his note. 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. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". The Pizza Bomber: The Crazy Real-Life Story, believe Rothstein was responsible for the crime. Truth is stranger than fiction in the case ofMarjorie Diehl-Armstrong and Brian Wells. Marjorie passed away at the age of 68 on April 4, 2017, from breast cancer while she was in jail. Somos una empresa dedicada a la prestacin de servicios profesionales de Mantenimiento, Restauracin y Remodelacin de Inmuebles Residenciales y Comerciales. At about 2 p.m., the co-conspirators attached the bomb device to Wellss neck. 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. He, too, died in prison in 2019. Bill said that six weeks earlier, Marjorie had called him in a panic, saying shed shot and killed her boyfriend, James Roden. 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. 46 year old Brian Douglas Wells worked as a pizza delivery man at Mama Mia Pizzeria in Erie, Pennsylvania. Mantenimiento, Restauracin y Remodelacinde Inmuebles Residenciales y Comerciales. It just got weirder and weirder as the years went on, and there are still some unanswered questions, too. She is alleged to have supplied two egg timers that were used in the collar bomb. The entire plan was executed under her supervision. Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong had once been a very different person. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Witnesses at the scene alleged that he walked out of the bank calmly and seemingly unperturbed. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. 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