This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. 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.. Diehl-Armstrong had a history with police, as mentioned earlier. Her next boyfriend was James Roden, an unemployed alcoholic. Authorities, according to the Plain Dealer, have described Rothstein as helping plan the robbery and bombing. It also describes violent content that some audiences may find disturbing. The world was stunned when Brian Wells strode into a bank armed with a shotgun cane and with a bomb strapped around his neck Credit: SUN. The official synopsis for Oxygen's Dateline: Secrets Uncovered episode, titled, Death Trap, reads: The bone-chilling case dates back to August 2003. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. Why is no one coming to get this thing off of me? he asked authorities. 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. Witnesses at the scene alleged that he walked out of the bank calmly and seemingly unperturbed. 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. Thats what led Marjorie to come up with the bank robbery plot. However, that day, he discovered it was accurate when it was too late. 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. Much like Rothstein, she also became a compulsive hoarder. 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. The Price of Duty 102: Face to Face with the Pizza Bomber. 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. The entire thing was caught on local news cameras, but contrary to popular belief, Wells' death was not broadcast live. Rothstein was trying to control the narrative and slowly reveal his plot. Wells reportedly needed money for his own debts. Viewers of Dateline: Secrets Uncovered have been buzzing with curiosity to learn all about the strange 2003. 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. At 3:18pm the bomb exploded. The people that Wells had met with by the broadcast tower were Diehl-Armstrong, Rothstein, and Barnes. The robbery was merely a setup for her to acquire $250,000 to pay a hitman Barnes himself. They were engaged in their 20s, but it didnt last. The story of Brian Wells is about a pizza delivery guy, a bomb collar, and a bank robbery. . While Barnes did get a reduced sentence for cooperating, it didn't do him any good. State troopers found Wells inside a parked vehicle and handcuffed him. He walked out about 12 minutes later with $8,702. Rothstein broke first and gave up. Rothstein would have a better chance with a personal injury lawyer for his case. She has said she believed Wells was involved in the heist and that Rothstein was the brains behind the entire plot, not her. In this photo released Sept. 17, 2005, by the FBI, Brian Wells, 46, of Erie, Pa., carries a plastic bag of cash after robbing the PNC Bank in Summit Towne Centre in Erie on Aug. 28, 2003. Watch on What happened? Everything Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong was telling them seemed to implicate her more than Bill Rothstein, according to Wired. . Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. They didn't think Rothstein was the mastermind, they thought she was. Rothstein passed away on July 30, 2004, from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. 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. Not for himself, but a prostitute with whom he was in a relationship named Jessica Hoopsick. Please consult us at, Wells and his counterparts set a detailed plan in motion on August 28th, 2003. If not for losing his life, he could have gotten a personal injury lawyer and built a case against them. Wells began to panic and squirm on the ground, pleading with police to help him. They had run-ins with her on more than one occasion. 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. An award-winning journalist who has worked forRolling Stone and MTV News, Chris enjoys prog rock, cycling, Marvel movies, IPAs, and roller coasters. PEOPLE has been given exclusive access to the detailed notes recovered by investigators who searched Wells car. She was acquitted of the crime because it was believed he was violent and abusive towards her. 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. Brian Wells didnt leave the bank without picking up a lollipop from the counter first. In July 2004, investigators tried to get a confession from Bill on his deathbed, but he passed without uttering a useful word. The three Black men that Wells claimed forced the collar on him never existed. Rothstein would have a better chance with a personal injury lawyer for his case. Barnes has said much the same. Compatriots of the plotters were watching him every step of the way and could remotely detonate the bomb if he didn't follow instructions. Brian Wells, a pizza delivery man, robbed a PNC Bank in Pennsylvania on August 28, 2003. You have reached your limit of free articles. Wells would be the delivery driver. 11 hours ago, by Eden Arielle Gordon Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong had once been a very different person. No one was charged as authorities struggled to determine who was behind the plot and whether Wells was an innocent victim or willing participant. WebBrian Wells: The Pizza Bomber Case eponine aka epi 1.07K subscribers Subscribe 69 Share 10K views 3 years ago Welcome (back)! TAMPA Austin Wells has been dealt a tough break. Police also took Wells' instructions and put together a route to follow. 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. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Evil Genius trailer. So smooth. How Black Filmmakers Are Reclaiming Their History Onscreen. Namely, why Wells, a pizza guy with no criminal record, agreed to participate despite knowing that Diehl-Armstrong was dangerous. Wells told police before he died that he had been accosted by gunmen who locked the bomb on his neck and forced him to rob the bank when he went to deliver a pizza to a TV tower on a dead-end road. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". 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 being convicted for the murder of James Roden, Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong approached the authorities. As Clark predicted, this was no ordinary bank robbery.. Please select the topics you're interested in: Would you like to turn on POPSUGAR desktop notifications to get breaking news ASAP? WebMarjorie Diehl-Armstrong, the Pizza Bombers mastermind, has been identified. A cane-shaped shotgun found in Brian Wells' car. He desperately bargained with the police, telling them he had a bob around his neck that was put there by some people who jumped him when he was making a pizza delivery. 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. Fisher says this is why Rothstein alerted police to the body in his freezer and why his "suicide" note very explicitly mentioned Brian Wells. 5. 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.". 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. Ken also said that he and Marjorie had followed Brian to the bank, watching from a vehicle parked across the street. The scavenger hunt was intended to sell the hostage story and throw the police off. Your login session has expired. Diehl-Armstrong and Barnes both face initial appearances in federal court this week. 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. Kara Rhodes, Erie Times News reporter, was at the scene; "The bomb went off and there was just silence, it was eerily silent." 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. The bomb was attached to the collar, authorities said. Until something clearly went wrong, that is. And that was the end of him, Lamont King, a former Pennsylvania State Police supervisor, says in the documentary. 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. 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. But the case has been solved and indictments are expected, likely by next month, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because U.S. Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan was to make an official announcement at a Friday afternoon news conference. The collar bomb exploded, leaving a 5-inch gash on his chest. Bill said that six weeks earlier, Marjorie had called him in a panic, saying shed shot and killed her boyfriend, James Roden. She said the investigators set her up and the government framed her, and that Bill was the true mastermind.The jury reached a verdict on November 1st , 2010, finding Marjorie guilty. 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. Does anyone have the actual video of the bomb going off or any aftermath pictures? 1 day ago, by Chanel Vargas 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. At the time, Wells appeared to be a hostage of the same crime he had just committed. Behind the murder was a woman named Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong who suffered from multiple mental illnesses and personality disorders. Diehl-Armstrong and Barnes were both eventually convicted of conspiracy and armed bank robbery charges. D'Ambrosio did not immediately return a message left at his office Friday. Retired FBI agents Jim Fisher and Jerry Clark, who was prominently featured in Evil Genius, also believe Rothstein was responsible for the crime. 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. Wells made off with $9,000, the most the teller could give him. 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. your brain will thank you for it. 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). With a high IQ, she also excelled at college and got a Masters degree. She would not say if Rothstein, who died of cancer in July 2004, was one of those witnesses. They believe that he was an unfortunate hostage and merely forced to go along with the plot. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. 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. On the stand, Marjorie gave a long and rambling testimony (possibly a symptom of bipolar). This was the first task of a scavenger hunt that he claimed would save his life. They had uncovered evidence that he was actually in on the plot and worked with the perpetrators as an accomplice, according to Wired. Diehl-Armstrong was meant to receive some of the heist money, which was what she and Roden had been arguing about when she killed him. But don't press "play" unprepared or you could find yourself unwittingly witnessing some seriously gruesome stuff. Near the end of 2005, police received the final clue that led them to conclude that Brian Wells participated in the robbery. MORE: 15 of the Most Fascinating True Crime Stories Ever Told. 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. 7. The men jumped him, forced the bomb collar on him, and gave him several pages of instructions and the shotgun-cane. However, instead of bombs, information is the explosive motivator. Brian Wells' family denied these claims at the time and continue to do so to this day. When questioned, Marjorie tried to pin Rothstein as the mastermind since he had already died. Sanitiza tu hogar o negocio con los mejores resultados. After Marjorie broke off the engagement, she really began struggling with her mental disorders, including bipolar and depression. 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