Brian Douglas Wells
| Brian Douglas Wells | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
Brian Douglas Wells November 15, 1956 |
| Died | August 28, 2003 (aged 46) Erie, Pennsylvania |
| Cause of death | Explosive device collared around neck |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Pizza delivery man |
| Motive | Bank robbery |
Brian Douglas Wells (November 15, 1956 – August 28, 2003) was an American pizza delivery man who was killed by a remotely controlled bomb fastened to his neck, under coercion from the maker of the bomb. After he was apprehended by the police for robbing a bank, the bomb was detonated. The bizarre affair was subject to much attention in the mass media.
In a July 2007 indictment, federal prosecutors alleged that Wells had been involved in the planning of the botched bank-robbery. Two of his alleged co-conspirators, Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong and Kenneth Barnes, were indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of bank robbery, conspiracy, and weapons charges. Kenneth Barnes subsequently pleaded guilty in September 2008 and largely confirmed that Wells was indeed involved in planning the robbery but also revealed Wells was under the impression an actual bomb would not be used. When he discovered the bomb was real, Barnes said a pistol was fired in order to force Wells' compliance, and witnesses confirmed hearing a gunshot. On December 4, 2008, U.S. District Judge Sean J. McLaughlin sentenced Barnes to 45 years in federal prison for his role in the bank robbery and use of a destructive device during a crime of violence. On November 1, 2010, Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong was found guilty of participating in the crime, and was sentenced to life plus 30 years on February 28, 2011.
Wells dropped out of high school in 1973. For nearly 30 years, he worked as a pizza delivery man and was considered a valued and trusted employee of the Mama Mia Pizzeria in Erie, Pennsylvania. On the afternoon of August 28, 2003, Wells received a call to deliver two pizzas to 8631 Peach Street, an address a few miles from the pizzeria. It was later found that the address was that of the radio station WSEE-TV's transmission tower at the end of a dirt road.
According to law enforcement reports, Wells was allegedly meeting people he thought were his accomplices, including Barnes. Wells allegedly participated in the planning for the robbery, and he had been told the bomb was going to be fake. Furthermore, he was to claim that three black men had forced the bomb on him and were holding him as a hostage.
At the television tower, Wells learned that the device was real. He wrestled with the men (presumably Barnes and William A. Rothstein) and tried to flee, but one of them fired a gun, causing Wells to stop. It was at this time that the collar bomb is assumed to have been attached. The culprits gave him a sophisticated home-made shotgun, which had the appearance of an unusually-shaped cane, and told him to use it if he encountered resistance at the bank. Wells then entered a bank with the shotgun and demanded $250,000. When police intervened, Wells claimed that three unnamed people had placed a bomb around his neck, provided him with the shotgun, and told him that he had to commit the robbery and several other tasks, lest they kill him.
...
Wikipedia