Brian Wells’ death was one of the stranger fatalities of recent years, with the man killed by a collar bomb after he was forced to rob a bank at the behest of a criminal mastermind
The baffling case of a pizza delivery driver who robbed a bank armed with a shotgun and a collar bomb confused millions of viewers around the world.
This puzzling scenario presented a unique challenge for law enforcement at the time, and in the aftermath as they conducted an exhaustive investigation.
Brian Wells’ demise is one of the most peculiar fatalities in recent memory. Other bizarre deaths include a doctor who was decapitated in a hospital lift while his horrified colleague looked on.
The saga began on 28 August 2003, when the 46 year old pizza delivery man casually walked into a bank in Erie, Pennsylvania. He was armed with a shotgun cleverly disguised as a walking cane and had a collar bomb strapped around his neck.
A bank teller was handed a note demanding $250,000 (£196,000) in cash, with a threat that the bomb would detonate if the man’s demands were not met, reports the Mirror US.
Wells calmly exited the bank carrying a bag filled with over $8,000 (£6,300), but he didn’t get far before he was cornered by police. What transpired next would make international headlines and spark controversy for years to come.
Sitting on the pavement, the pizza delivery man claimed he had been coerced into robbing the bank by three individuals. He told police he encountered the trio while delivering a pizza.
He informed officers they fastened an explosive device to his neck and demanded he return with a quarter of a million dollars.
As news cameras rolled, Wells pleaded for his life while the device around his neck beeped increasingly louder and faster. He cried out, believing he had little time left before the bomb exploded.
His death was broadcast live from multiple angles. After the explosion, police found several pages of detailed handwritten instructions in Wells’ vehicle.
These included directions to the bank and instructions for the “bomb hostage”, even providing directions to find the keys and codes needed to disarm the explosive around his neck.
The ensuing investigation revealed it was not realistically possible for Wells to complete the instructions in time to save himself. The police concluded the device, which consisted of four locks and a combination dial, could not have been safely removed.
The public was shocked by the gruesome series of events involving the man who became known as the “pizza bomber” and the robbery was dubbed the “collar bomb heist”. Speculation began to grow about what really happened that day, with law enforcement considering all possibilities, including whether Wells himself was responsible.
In 2003, a federal agent told PEOPLE: “It defies logic that a human would do that to himself. But in all my years on the job, it never ceased to amaze me what people do and what the possibilities are.”
When the truth was finally revealed, those implicated in the crime began to point fingers at each other while maintaining their own innocence.
As per the 2018 Netflix four-part true crime documentary series Evil Genius: The True Story of America’s Most Diabolical Bank Heist, police zeroed in on several individuals including Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong, who was portrayed as one of the plot’s masterminds. In court, authorities successfully proved that Diehl-Armstrong had concocted the plan to force Wells into the PNC Bank in Erie with a ticking bomb strapped around his neck.
It was alleged she needed cash to arrange her father’s murder. Authorities stated she mistakenly thought he was wealthy and a month prior to the robbery, Diehl-Armstrong had asked her mate Kenneth Barnes if he knew how to construct a pipe bomb.
She also handed over two egg timers to William Rothstein, a handyman and ex-boyfriend who most likely assembled the device which ended Wells’ life. The collar bomb ripped a massive hole in the pizza delivery driver’s chest, resulting in his death.
Four years post the incident, in July 2007, federal prosecutors declared that Barnes and Diehl-Armstrong were accountable for Wells’ demise. However, it wasn’t just the duo who were held responsible, other co-conspirators including Wells himself were also deemed culpable.
Wells was accused of having a “limited involvement in the planning” due to his debts, an allegation that was vocally protested by his family present at the announcement.
In September 2008, Barnes admitted to conspiracy to commit armed robbery and using a destructive device in a crime of violence. Initially sentenced to 45 years in federal prison in December 2008, his term was halved after he testified against Diehl-Armstrong at her trial.
He remained behind bars until his death on June 20, 2019.
Before his demise, Barnes claimed that Wells knew about the plot but tried to back out when he realised the collar bomb was real, not a dummy as initially promised.
Diehl-Armstrong was convicted in November 2010 of armed bank robbery, conspiracy and using a destructive device in a crime of violence. She received a sentence of life plus 30 years on Feb. 28, 2011.
She insisted Rothstein was the mastermind behind the operation and that Wells was involved in the planning. However, according to The Plain Dealer, Rothstein died of lymphoma on July 30, 2004, less than a year after Wells’ death.
As per Evil Genius, Diehl-Armstrong denied responsibility for the plot until her dying day. She passed away from breast cancer on April 4, 2017 and was laid to rest in an unmarked grave.