Brian wells explosion

Shortly after the heist, the metal collar device fastened to him exploded, killing him while he sat cross-legged and handcuffed on the ground.

Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong masterminded a robbery plot in Pennsylvania that led to the bombing death of pizza delivery man Brian Wells. On Aug. A collar bomb was fastened around the man's neck — and, the note said, it would go off if he did not get what he wanted. He didn't get far before being surrounded by police. A strange scene then played out that would make the case the subject of international news coverage in the ensuing days, months and years. Wells, sitting on the ground, pleaded for help as he described how he'd been forced by three people to rob the bank. He'd gone to the trio to deliver pizzas, he said, but instead, they strapped an explosive to him and ordered him to bring back a quarter of a million dollars.

Brian wells explosion

Brian Douglas Wells November 15, — August 28, 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. Before his death, Wells was a pizza delivery man who, shortly before his death, made a delivery stop outside of Erie. Investigated by a task force led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation , it was described as "one of the most complicated and bizarre crimes in the annals of the FBI". The Wells story was the subject of significant attention in the mass media. The question of whether Wells was a victim or a mastermind behind the robbery plot is debated. In a July indictment, federal prosecutors said that Wells had been involved in the planning of the botched bank robbery. In , U. District Judge Sean J. McLaughlin sentenced Barnes to 45 years in federal prison. Two years later, Diehl-Armstrong was also found guilty and, in , was sentenced to life in prison, where she died from cancer in Contents move to sidebar hide. Page Talk. Read Change Change source View history.

Roden was not the first man she killed or who had died around her.

Upon being apprehended by police, Wells died when an explosive collar locked to his neck detonated. The Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI investigation into his death uncovered a complex plot described as "one of the most complicated and bizarre crimes in the annals of the FBI". The investigation determined the plot was masterminded by Diehl-Armstrong to receive an inheritance by hiring Barnes with the money from the bank robbery to kill her father. William Rothstein and Floyd Stockton were also found to have conspired in the crime, but Rothstein died before being charged and Stockton was granted immunity in exchange for testifying against Diehl-Armstrong. Wells' involvement in the plot is a matter of controversy.

Seven years ago American pizza delivery man Brian Wells was killed when a collar bomb tied around his neck blew up after he had carried out a robbery. On Monday, Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong, 61, was convicted over his death, but the truth about Mr Wells' own involvement remains elusive. Cameras from a local TV station were rolling on 28 August , as the year-old pizza delivery man pleaded for help from police bomb squad officers. Mr Wells, armed with a peculiar gun shaped like a walking stick, had just robbed a bank in Erie, Pennsylvania and was surrounded by police officers. He was wearing a collar device around his neck, which he insisted was a bomb that was about to detonate.

Brian wells explosion

Erie, Pennsylvania CNN -- The image remains chilling nearly eight years later: a pizza deliveryman sitting cross-legged on the pavement with a homemade bomb clamped around his neck, surrounded by nervous police who crouch behind their cars. In the agonizing minutes before his death on August 28, , Wells told police the bomb had been fastened to his body by people who ordered him to rob a bank and follow a detailed checklist before it would be disarmed -- instructions that amounted to a twisted scavenger hunt. Timeline, evidence photos, video, audio. The case fueled years of debate about whether the hapless Wells had been the victim of a heinous murder or a willing participant in a horrifically botched crime. Two people that agents identified as having been part of the scheme are in prison; a third has died. But Wells' family still believes he was a blameless victim -- "innocent percent," his sister, Jean Heid, told CNN. According to the FBI, Floyd Stockton knew of the robbery, but received immunity from prosecution and was allowed to go free. Prosecutors never called him as a witness in the trials, saying he was ill at the time. The FBI believes a Stockton associate, William Rothstein, was the mastermind of the heist and likely made the bomb, the affidavit says.

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You can help Wikipedia by adding to it. Read Change Change source View history. According to law enforcement reports, Wells participated in the planning of the bank robbery the day before and was aware of the complex plot; he believed the bomb would be fake but would serve as exculpatory evidence if he was caught. 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. Use profiles to select personalised content. Minutes later, with police surrounding him nearby, that man, Brian Wells, pleaded for help. Authorities said that Diehl-Armstrong killed Roden because he knew about the impending bank heist and indicated he would inform the police. Search Search. As was later proved in court, Diehl-Armstrong hatched the robbery scheme to force Wells into the PNC Bank in Erie with a ticking bomb around his neck because she apparently needed money so she that could have her father killed. Archived from the original on May 13, However, Rothstein died of lymphoma on July 30, , less than a year after Wells' death. However, in one twist among many, it was not realistically possible for Wells to complete the instructions in enough time to save himself from the bomb.

Twenty years after the explosion near a bank in Summit Township, the two have become all but synonymous: Erie and the pizza bomber case. Erie residents share picture-perfect memories of where they were at or around p.

Two years later, Diehl-Armstrong was also found guilty and, in , was sentenced to life in prison, where she died from cancer in America's Most Wanted. A collection of news articles that reported developments in the Wells story was analyzed in a scientific study of information novelty. Understand audiences through statistics or combinations of data from different sources. Archived from the original on August 29, 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. Page Talk. 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. People Editorial Guidelines. Archived from the original on April 15,