The journalists, eager to get a view of the scene, asked Rothstein if he could lead them through his yard. 5 The Bizarre Collar Bomb Bank Robbery (S4 E2) -8.4 Shane and Ryan discuss the complex case of the collar bomb bank robbery. As police called in the bomb squad and then took cover, Wells sat on a parking lot of an eyeglass shop near the bank. Wells had told police he had been forced to rob the bank. Brian Wells was either an innocent rube or the co-conspirator in one of the most complex and disturbing bank robberies in American history. But, Rothstein said, he couldn't go through with the plan to grind up the body, and he called 911 because he was afraid of what Diehl-Armstrong might do to him. This deadly bank robbery was just the beginning. Several people ultimately were convicted in the complicated and convoluted crime, including Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong, who helped plot the caper in an apparent attempt to get money to pay a hitman to kill her father. But even with holes, his account corroborated much of what the agents had already heard. But something about this man doesn’t quite add up. Now Playing: {{itm.title}} She was sentenced to life plus 30 years for armed bank robbery and using a destructive device in a crime. It looked like he was trying to scoot backward, to somehow escape the bomb strapped to his neck. Case of bomb-wearing bank robber pizza delivery man occurred in 2003 Man who allegedly knew about the bomb and the robbery was allowed to go … PNC Bank, Erie, Pennsylvania, 2003, robbery by pizza delivery man Brian Douglas Wells wearing a neck collar bomb Large value US robberies [ edit ] Manhattan Savings Institution, 1878, $2.5 million ($66.2 million today) including $12,000 in cash, with the rest in securities. Back in high school, according to former classmates, Diehl-Armstrong was known for her dazzling intelligence, and she still possessed an almost encyclopedic knowledge of literature, history, and the law. This now notorious and well- known case, dubbed the pizza bomber or collar bomb heist, is the subject of one of Netflix’s most binge-worthy true crime documentaries: Evil Genius: The True Story of America’s Most Diabolical Bank Heist . Here the story takes an even more extraordinary twist. Several times she blurted out "Liar!" It seemed to provoke as many questions as it answered. Several people ultimately were convicted in the complicated and convoluted crime, including Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong, who helped plot the caper in an apparent attempt to get money to pay a hitman to kill her father. Can VR make porn profitable—and make the tech world, The tech industry's key ingredient, silicon, is extremely expensive—but. It ripped a hole in the chest of Brian Wells and he died right there. Pennsylvania's "collar bomb" case – which made national headlines in 2003 and led Erie police and the FBI on a dead-end scavenger hunt beginning with a bank robbery … He also is claiming that he isn’t behind the bomb. Collar bomb device that Wells wore around his neck. When they got there, they found the jar, but it was empty. It had wires running through it that connected to nothing—decoys to throw off would-be disablers—and stickers bearing deceptive warnings. Wells was caught before he got to that clue, but the investigators picked up the thread, locating the container with the orange tape. Diehl-Armstrong's trial promised to clear up the mysteries that had surrounded the collar bomb case. Wells fidgeted. I became aware of him the day that he died. Brian Wells was either an innocent rube or the co-conspirator in one of the most complex and disturbing bank robberies in American history. To revist this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. And Wells, the purported victim, was another. Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window) She pleaded guilty but … By this time, the prosecutor—Marshall Piccinini, a fast-talking, silver-haired assistant US attorney—had already built an impressive case. While she insisted that she was not in any way involved in the plot, she admitted that she knew about it, that she had supplied the kitchen timers that were used in the bomb, and that she was within a mile of the bank at the time of the robbery. Rothstein died of natural causes in 2003 and as such was never charged. Rothstein was one of them. For those who closely tracked the case, the government's long-awaited announcement was severely unsatisfying. And the scavenger hunt went from a clever piece of misdirection to a real-life race against the clock. Barnes insisted he was kept in the dark about several aspects of the plot. He says they held him at gunpoint, attached the bomb around his neck, and then instructed him to carry out the robbery. Later, the FBI find a set of complex notes in Wells’s car which reveal that he had just 55 minutes to complete a series of tasks, including the bank robbery, before the device would explode. The bomb was rigged such that any attempt to remove it would set it off. "It's in the freezer. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Condé Nast. He also is claiming that he isn’t behind the bomb. She yelled. ‘Let Them Eat Cake’: What Really Led to Marie Antoinette’s Execution. Whoever had set this macabre ordeal in motion, it seemed, had called it off once the cops had appeared—and had probably been watching them every step of the way. The breakthroughs and innovations that we uncover lead to new ways of thinking, new connections, and new industries. He escaped punishment. If he succeeds, he lives. With Ryan Bergara, Shane Madej. Over the previous weeks, they had met with four separate informants who revealed that Diehl-Armstrong had talked about the crime in intimate detail. They force Wells to the ground and proceed to handcuff his hands behind his back. In fact, she asserted, he had masterminded the whole thing. Rothstein seemed oblivious to the investigation unfolding beyond his backyard. "The behavior seen in this crime was choreographed by 'Collarbomber' watching on the sidelines according to a written script in which he attempted to direct others to do what he wanted them to do... Because of the complex nature of this crime, the [FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit] believes there were multiple motives for the offender, and money was not the primary one." Upon the completion of each task, Wells was to be given more time before the device exploded.eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'historyhit_com-large-leaderboard-2','ezslot_18',144,'0','0'])); But what really happened here?eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'historyhit_com-leader-1','ezslot_6',162,'0','0'])); This long and complicated story involved an even longer investigation – but ultimately Wells was, it transpires, in on the robbery. It turned out that the quiet pizza man had a relationship with a prostitute. To all appearances, it was excruciating for her to listen to people like this discredit her. In the frantic hours after Wells was killed, the cops tried completing the hunt themselves. 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. She seemed to be exactly the kind of person—murderous, eccentric, and intent on demonstrating her intellectual gifts—who might devise an overly complicated bank heist. But what is particularly unusual about this robbery is that Wells, who is also carrying what appears to be a cane, has a large bulge underneath his t-shirt. It is the essential source of information and ideas that make sense of a world in constant transformation. In late summer 2003, Wells walked into an Erie, Pa., bank wearing a bomb attached to his neck by an elaborate, locked metal collar. According to court records, she suffered from bipolar disorder. Failure or disobedience would result in certain death. When Diehl-Armstrong met with federal investigators for a series of interviews, that's exactly what she appeared to be doing. The scavenger hunt, he was told, was simply a ruse to fool the cops; if he got caught, he could point to the menacing instructions as evidence that he was merely following orders. He retrieved a two-page note from the flower bed, which directed him up Peach Street to a wooded area several miles away, where a container with orange tape would hold the next set of instructions. For seven years, the FBI was engaged in a scavenger hunt of its own, one that the Collar Bomber seemed to have planned as intricately as the one that had ensnared Wells. "You have only 15 minutes." In late summer 2003, Wells walked into an Erie, Pa., bank wearing a bomb attached to his neck by an elaborate, locked metal collar. A man just robbed a bank and claims to have a bomb on him that can detonate at any minute. He didn't get far. Suspect pleads guilty in collar bomb case – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. After the incident—which later became known as the “collar bomb” or “pizza bomber” case—authorities said Wells had been lured into robbing the bank. by larrymlease February 3, 2021. written by larrymlease February 3, 2021. Bill Rothstein may have appeared to be just a man who owned a house next to a TV tower. Directed by Ryan Bergara. He also gave the impression that he was a man with nothing to hide. First a federal judge ruled Diehl-Armstrong mentally unfit to stand trial. BOMB SHOCK. Her moods swung sharply, and she appeared unable to control her nonstop, rapid-fire speech. Suddenly, the device started to emit an accelerating beeping noise. The team of federal agents investigating the collar bomb mystery hadn't been paying much attention to the Roden murder. Psychiatrists deemed her mentally incompetent seven times before a judge finally ruled she was fit to be tried in the Thomas case. The plot ended in the death of 46-year-old Brian Wells when a bomb locked to his neck exploded following the robbery. By the sign, there is a rock with a note taped to the bottom. It had been locked around him by three people in order to compel him to do what they wanted and return with $250,000. Wells entered the bank with this ingenious handmade gun disguised as a cane. A woman has been convicted in connection with the death of a pizza delivery man who died when a collar bomb blew up after he carried out a robbery in 2003. But in April 2005, they got a phone call from a state police officer who had just met with Diehl-Armstrong about an unrelated homicide. But even as Diehl-Armstrong pointed the finger at Rothstein, she was implicating herself. Until his dying day, Rothstein was insulating himself, or in Fisher's words, "controlling the narrative.". But something about this man doesn’t quite add up. "It continues to be the opinion of the [department] that this is much more than a mere bank robbery," it reads. Most intriguing, Diehl-Armstrong's lawyer, Douglas Sughrue, had decided to let his client take the stand. Pulling together information culled from more than a thousand interviews over almost four years, the indictment charged that Wells was in on the scheme from the beginning. The note opened with a curious disclaimer: "This has nothing to do with the Wells case. If stealing money was the ultimate goal, then that's a pretty accurate summary. The contraption was a puzzle in and of itself. (He was also fluent in French and Hebrew.) But Fisher thinks that this wasn't about money. Directed by Ryan Bergara. Indeed, even before hearing her self-incriminating testimony, investigators had begun to suspect that Diehl-Armstrong was behind the collar bomb plot. The investigation, finally, was gaining steam. He was tackled as he tried to sprint away and locked into the device at gunpoint. The Collar Bomb Heist. However, Wells’s personal motivations for his involvement are still unknown. Rothstein continued to deny any knowledge of the collar bomb plot on his deathbed, even though he seemingly had no more reason to hide. After all, she had already implicated herself in the murder. Part scavenger hunt, part bank robbery, the heist ended for Wells when a homemade explosive collar locked around his neck detonated. He painstakingly melted down the murder weapon and scattered the pieces around Erie County. After seven years, the outstanding questions had finally been answered. Photo: Michael Schmeling, Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong's brilliance had become spiked with madness. At that same moment, two armed men, operating with military-like precision, entered the US Bank, twenty blocks away. Rothstein, 59, was an unmarried handyman and a lifelong resident of the area. Wells' relatives weren't the only ones who were dubious. Addressed to the "Bomb Hostage," the notes instructed Wells to rob the bank of $250,000, then follow a set of complex instructions to find various … If he succeeds, he lives. The bomb collar he wore was going to explode, Wells said. 5 The Bizarre Collar Bomb Bank Robbery (S4 E2) Ryan and Shane get into the twists and turns of this tangled web of a crime. Barnes pleaded guilty in September 2008 to the conspiracy and weapons charges involved in the collar bomb plot. Fisher turns back to the FBI's profile, which states that the bomb builder was "comfortable around a wide variety of power tools and shop machines." A twisted love triangle. After all, why would someone who was involved in the plot voluntarily call the cops and meet with them for hours? Some 15 minutes later, state troopers spotted Wells standing outside his Geo Metro in a nearby parking lot, surrounded him, and tossed him to the pavement, cuffing his hands behind his back. The explosive collar had been built by a … The jury didn't buy it. He died taking all the answers with him. How to Protect Yourself After a Massive Corporate Hack. This deadly bank robbery was just the beginning. But those revelations would have to wait. By Edecio Martinez October 12, 2010 / 12:07 PM / CBS News The Collar Bomb Bank Robbery. To Fisher, that sounds like a description of Bill Rothstein, the man who lived next to the TV tower and who agreed to keep a dead man in his garage freezer. After being arrested near the bank he had robbed, Wells was sat down on the ground and forced to wait for the bomb squad. The man identified himself as Bill Rothstein. Rothstein's suicide note, it seemed, was a lie; Diehl-Armstrong had said that Roden's murder had everything to do with the collar bomb plot. He had a short cane in his right hand and a strange bulge under the collar of his T-shirt. She first drew public attention in 1984 when, at 35, she was charged with murdering her boyfriend, Robert Thomas. Barnes, an old fishing buddy of Diehl-Armstrong, had spoken too freely about the plan, and his brother-in-law had turned him in while Barnes was already in jail on unrelated drug charges. The questions only multiplied a week later, when it was revealed that the FBI had concluded that the entire scavenger hunt was a hoax. The device detonated, blasting him violently onto his back and ripping a 5-inch gash in his chest. For 25 minutes Wells remained seated on the pavement, his legs curled beneath him. She also said that Wells, the dead pizza delivery guy, was not just a victim but had been in on the plan. Even though he was at the end of his shift, he agreed to deliver the order. "Get out of the car and go to the small sign reading drive thru/open 24 hr in the flower bed. Sorry but that sounds sketchy in and of itself. His backyard extended almost to the transmission tower. He recruited coconspirators he knew he could control and kept crucial details of the plot from them—a tactic designed to further complicate the investigation. None of this, Fisher says, sounds much like Diehl-Armstrong, who prosecutors credited with planning the whole affair in order to get enough money to pay a hit man. Photo: Erie Federal Courthouse; Erie Bureau of Police; Newscom. I saw it on the news.". He was sentenced to 45 years behind bars, but he agreed to testify against Diehl-Armstrong in the hope of getting his sentence reduced. Even more convincing to Fisher was the description of the mastermind directing others according to a written script that only he seemed to have access to. He agreed. He had agreed to rob the bank wearing what he thought was a fake bomb. BRIAN Wells, a 46-year-old pizza delivery driver, strolled into a Pennsylvania bank one afternoon in 2003 before demanding $250,000, written on … 5 Unsung Heroes of the Anti-Slavery Campaign in Britain. Now Playing: {{itm.title}} There are four suspects and three have been proven to have somehow been involved, but there is still the case of the victim that is unsolved. 8 Simple Ways to Start Discovering Your Family History, 8 Famous Pirates from the ‘Golden Age of Piracy’, 10 Key Figures in the Abolition of Slavery in the UK, 10 Facts About Viking Warrior Ragnar Lodbrok, The 8 De Facto Rulers of the Soviet Union In Order. In happened in 2003, but it just got weirder and weirder as the years went on, and there are still some unanswered questions, too. Despite his insistence to the officers that the bomb will explode at any moment, Wells seems completely at ease with the situation.eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'historyhit_com-box-4','ezslot_16',160,'0','0'])); Is the bomb actually real? The device consisted of two parts: a triple-banded metal collar with four keyholes and a three-digit combination lock, and an iron box containing two 6-inch pipe bombs loaded with double-base smokeless powder. He was also carrying a gun disguised as a walking cane. In it, they found a note directing them 2 miles south to a small road sign, where the next clue would be waiting in a jar in the woods nearby. Ad Choices, The Incredible True Story of the Collar Bomb Heist. Standing before a bank of TV cameras, US attorney Mary Beth Buchanan announced that the investigation was over. The bomb squad arrived three minutes later. Wells begins to relate a bizarre tale to the police.eval(ez_write_tag([[580,400],'historyhit_com-medrectangle-4','ezslot_5',143,'0','0'])); Wells, who has no criminal record, tells the officers that he has been forced to carry out the robbery after being taken hostage by three black men whilst delivering a pizza to an address just a few miles from the Mama Mia Pizzeria, where he worked. But he turned out to be hiding a dark secret. Then there was the 911 call. Wells walked into a PNC bank in August 2003 with the collar bomb … Dressed as a pizza delivery man he escaped with $8,702 but was stopped by police shortly after. She also seemed to be the kind of person who would likely be unable to stop herself from telling the world about her brilliant ruse. It is at this point that Wells, for the first time, appears to become agitated.eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'historyhit_com-banner-1','ezslot_17',161,'0','0'])); Just seconds later, the device explodes, killing Wells. He said it would explode in 15 minutes. This baffling true crime story starts with the grisly death of a pizza man who robs a bank with a bomb around his neck -- and gets weirder from there. She went ballistic, slamming her fist on a conference table and cursing out the agents and her lawyer. Addressed to the "Bomb Hostage," the notes instructed Wells to rob the bank of $250,000, then follow a set of complex instructions to find various keys and combination codes hidden throughout Erie. It was a local matter and seemed to have nothing to do with their case. If Wells did as he was told, the instructions promised, he'd wind up with the keys and the combination required to free him from the bomb. People. The pizza deliveryman took a few last gasps and died on the pavement. What, for instance, was the purpose of the scavenger hunt? Barnes said the original plan was to outfit the collar with a fake bomb to scare the bank teller, but that Rothstein had a live device attached to the collar that Wells wore to the real robbery. A note attached to the device stated that any attempt to alert law enforcement would "trigger an immediate BRIAN DOUGLAS WELLS event". The officers called the bomb squad and took positions behind their cars, guns drawn. With Ryan Bergara, Shane Madej. The Collar Bomb Heist. If he hadn't gone to the Feds, he knew, Diehl-Armstrong or one of his coconspirators would have. image caption A model of the collar bomb worn by Brian Wells during a 2003 bank robbery "It is pretty diabolical. A woman has been convicted in connection with the death of a pizza delivery man who died when a collar bomb blew up after he carried out a robbery in … During her first day on the stand, she mentioned Brian Wells only once, in the final 10 minutes of a nearly 100-minute-long diatribe: "I never met Brian Wells, and I never knew Brian Wells. She was paranoid and narcissistic. He certainly needed the money. ADVERTISEMENTS. On 28 August 2003 one of the most bizarre crimes ever seen in America unfolded in Erie, Pennsylvania.eval(ez_write_tag([[728,90],'historyhit_com-box-3','ezslot_11',142,'0','0'])); Events begin when 46-year-old pizza delivery man Brian Douglas Wells calmly walks into a PNC Bank in town and demands that they give him $250,000. Rothstein did what she asked. This is the crazy real-life story of the Pizza Bomber. Shocking video shows the moment pizza delivery man Brian Wells, 46, who co-conspired to rob a "The son of a bitch ended up winning," Fisher says. Whoever planned the heist didn't care whether Wells ever delivered the cash. He claimed she needed the cash so that she could pay him to kill her father, who she believed was blowing through his fortune—money she expected to inherit. Just a few minutes later he stops, gets out of his car and collects what appears to be another note from underneath a rock. She could face a mandatory life term when she is sentenced on February 28. But, incredibly, she continued to speak with them. He kept the corpse in a chest freezer in his garage for five weeks. A new online only channel for history lovers. It was only on the afternoon of the crime, when he delivered the pizzas to the TV transmission tower, that Wells realized he had been double-crossed and that the bomb was real. Diehl-Armstrong and Barnes were charged with carrying out the sensational crime—a plot that Diehl-Armstrong had put into motion. At some point, instead of merely playing the part of a hostage, Wells was double-crossed and actually became one. She belittled the prosecutor: "If this is the kind of evidence you have against me, I'm telling you, this is a pitiful case." One of the strangest and most unique crimes in history was a bank robbery that became known as the Pizza Bomber. Photo: Michael Schmeling. ... A bank robbery in Pennsylvania ends in the bombing death of a pizza deliveryman who may or may not have been a hostage forced to commit the crime. image caption A model of the collar bomb worn by Brian Wells during a 2003 bank robbery "It is pretty diabolical. He lifted up his shirt to show the bank workers that he had a bomb strapped to him. Evidence collected over the course of the complex investigation: a Remington shotgun shell. He spoke elegantly, like someone who takes great pride in his mastery of the English language. He was also carrying a gun disguised as a walking cane. After the incident—which later became known as the “collar bomb” or “pizza bomber” case—authorities said Wells had been lured into robbing the bank. But if Diehl-Armstrong didn't set this plan in motion, who did? The Incredible True Story of the Collar Bomb Heist – Wired. TV camera crews arrived and began filming. But … He was "a frugal person who saves scraps of sundry materials in order to reuse them in various projects." How was Wells chosen to be the hostage? It has your next instructions." The police began sorting through a trove of physical evidence. The hunt began at Mama Mia's Pizza-Ria. When she finally was deemed ready to face a judge and jury, she was diagnosed with glandular cancer, and the proceeding was put on hold again as she awaited her prognosis. In 2008, a Pizza delivery man walked into a bank and demanded to be given 250 thousand dollars. Evil Genius shows the moment ‘pizza bomber’ Brian Wells blows up by bomb around his neck. In 2008, a Pizza delivery man walked into a bank and demanded to be given 250 thousand dollars. It seemed to be a risky move. Why would Wells participate in such a plot? The bomb itself was likewise a marvel of DIY design and construction. Diehl-Armstrong is serving a seven- to 20-year prison sentence for killing her boyfriend, 45-year-old James Roden, to keep him silent about the bank robbery scheme. On Tuesday, jury selection begins in Erie in the federal trial of the woman accused of masterminding a bizarre 2003 bank robbery plot that ended … by larrymlease February 3, 2021. written by larrymlease February 3, 2021. Wells was a loyal employee—in 10 years, the only time he had called in late for work was when his cat died. Her wavy black hair looked greasy and clung to the sides of her face. Diehl-Armstrong, Barnes said, devised the plan and enlisted a few coconspirators to help carry it out. The most perplexing and intriguing pieces of evidence, though, were the handwritten notes that investigators found inside Wells' car. Prosecutors opted to press on, and the trial was rescheduled for October 12. Tony Ditmo, the owner of Mama Mia’s takes an order for two large sausage and pepperoni pizzas. He obsessively pored over the media coverage of the case and studied every piece of evidence released by the FBI. He had considered killing himself, he told them, and had gone so far as to write a suicide note, which investigators found inside a desk at his home. To people like this discredit her was in compel him to carry out the robbery a judge finally ruled was... Australian businessman is strapped to him sign, there is a fake – but the site offered clues. Make the tech industry 's key ingredient, silicon, is extremely expensive—but { itm.title } } bizarre. Controlling the narrative. `` Rothstein 's place, they had met four! 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