In August 2003, pizza delivery man Brian Wells strapped a collar bomb to his neck and chest and entered a PNC Bank demanding $250,000 in cash. He thought it was the perfect bank robbery, and that the bomb on his chest was fake. He was wrong on both counts.
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This is an unofficial transcript meant for reference. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
Due to the nature of this episode, listener discretion is advised. This episode includes discussions on violence, sexual assault and killing, consider them
when deciding how and when you listen.
It was in otherwise normal afternoon at mama me as pizzeria in eerie pennsylvania, the employees kept up their usual pay
of making in delivering pies. Just then, the phone rang tony detail
While the stores owner answered the collar asked if they.
delivered a upper peach street tony replied that it depend
on where on upper peach, the customer tried to do
Dr his location by tony, was having a hard time hearing him over the wind. In the background, he replied that they would be able to deliver to him, then quickly handed off the phone to his delivery,
and brian wells
Brian, listen to the directions, but in truth he didn't need them. He been to upper peach before to that effect
exact location today
delivery would be no ordinary run. It was planned. This call was his trigger
and there was more on the agenda and small pieces. I'm
Nasa Richardson posted serial killers, spotify podcast. You can find us here every monday and be sure to check this out on instagram. Add serial killers. Podcast today
joined by my friend and host of conspiracy theories carter. Roy Vanessa, thanks for having me great to have your carter. This is our first of
three episodes on forty six year old brian wells more and
mislead known as the pizza bomber on august, twenty eight two thousand three wells and
european sea bank and airy pennsylvania with a low
demanding two hundred fifty thousand dollars in cash and with alive
holler bomb strapped to his neck and beyond
Brian wells was a ragtag group of conspirators looking to make a quick bach wheel.
will unravel this complicated plot today and over the next three weeks, stay with us.
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the city is butchers that freshly cut roasts party trays, gourmet, cookies and cakes. Those are some things that I love the most like: strawberry, candies and fresh bakes. The promise of fresh produce they make have holiday guests, raising a toast and food city's help is all that it takes to make me the house with the most nobody does food or the holidays like food city in august of two thousand and three america was riveted by headlines detailing a major bank heist in erie pennsylvania,
Most baffling was the otherwise ordinary man at the centre of an extraordinary crime of forty six year old pizza,
every man by the name of brian,
in wells,
Brian was a native of eerie in his early academic career he proved is,
right as any other grade school student by consistently achieving straight ays. That is until he
enter junior high school around that
I'm Brian's fathers, health was deteriorating, Harold wells struggled with multiple.
Sclerosis, which proved to be a major strasser for his son Brian, as heralds health
They declined brien's grades dropped in response a school psychologist before
the study on Brian the findings.
which word proven site for for future investigators. The psychologist
did that. Brian's academic decline could be somewhat attributed to his father's physical incapacity more troubling. However,
were Brian's other deep seated issues. The psychologist noted that Brian's record appears to indicate cycle
I tendencies along with paranoid flavour. Those school psychology
I just asked brian to draw a person in order to gauge his self projection. According to the report, Brian drew a male figure that appeared
be physically strong and dominant. His examiner concluded that the large figure appeared to indicate slate
nick in grandiose signs in brian psyche, mister
He also indicated that, although Brian
was intelligent. He was also a troubled and defiant loan
with a disdain for authority. According to the report, Brian claimed that he will not
these others, and he saw adults as being too demanding and that he would
his own life in his own time.
brian self prophecy came true in nineteen. Seventy three brian dropped out of high school at the age of sixteen to pursue as interesting mechanics though he seemed to lead a quiet life. His psychological struggles ultimately seem to take a toll as an adult spry and eventually fell into alcoholism.
Oh, he pressed on without much trouble. Brian's only criminal case occurred in nineteen ninety two. When he was thirty six years old, he was charged with threatening to shoot
the magistrate over a dispute with its neighbours. In the end he pleaded guilty
harassing the magistrate and extremely minor offence. It was nothing compared to the treacherous plot he would eventually
become ensnared in nineteen,
before Brian got a job delivering pizzas for local joint in airy mama me as pizzeria. He enjoyed the independent
of his delivery work. Andy otherwise had no attachments, no wife for kids. By now, ryan was in recovery for as alcohol use disorder in the slope,
so the work appeal to him and allowed him to manages stress and his schedule with both these things under control, he was less likely to drink
As part of his stress management, Brian mean
and a peaceful routine. He woke up each day at sea,
in fifteen, a m bought a copy of the eerie times news. Eight breakfast at mcdonald's, andrew
to mama me as where his shift started at eleven a m. He would keep this routine quite
really until the day he died.
One evening in late spring of two thousand three Brian had a guest with him on his delivery rounds
twenty four year old, jessica, hoop sick brian
just relationship was anything but traditional. She
sex worker and he loyal client, though it some clear exactly how bright
and jessica met. She would later note that they had been good friends for years prior to two thousand three brian seem to care for jessica deeply. He for
but we helped her run, errands picking up jessica
and her mother and taking them to the grocery store or doctors. Appointments bought Brian enable jessica as well.
jessica was addicted to crack cocaine and though Brian didn't do drugs himself. He would often by them for jessica in exchange for sex. He would eventually find himself buried in debt to the local drug dealers all to support his relationship with jessica,
on this particular night. Jessica was accompanying brian near the end of his delivery shift, as they pulled into the next
location a car dealership, Brian double checked the address.
The order
Strangely enough, it was for the parking lot of the dealership, not the building itself. Who was ordering pizza to a parking lot? Suddenly, Brian spotted something in the distance
a bright orange camaro and a gold mercury. Marquis small group of people, loitered near by
hold up alongside the motley crew, noting the loan
woman among them she was tall middle aged with dark, stringy, hair brian didn't know
Yet, but this woman's name was marjorie d
He'll Armstrong and
he would soon seal his fate.
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grew up as an only child with an intense desire to do right by her well educated mother. She graduated from areas
me, high school in nineteen sixty
seven with straight ays, ranking twelfth in her class of four hundred and thirteen marjorie would be
the first to believe that she was no ordinary woman. Might
he was a cut above the rest, even brilliant. She could account
whatever she set her mind to good or bad intersperse,
time, marjorie taught piano organ and cello. She even grey
waited a year early from areas, mercy, hearst college, with a dual major in sociology and biology, bud. Backward marjorie was a preteen. She began experiencing difficulties with her mental health. Add just twelve years old. She developed
anorexia. She later attributed this disorder to her pursuit of perfection, a fear of sex
attention and the desire to please her mother, along
Side, her anorexia marjorie recognised she was experiencing other symptoms of mental disorders. In fact, in nineteen
seventy two at twenty three years old. She d
did to undergo psychiatric treatment, marjorie explaining to the psychiatry
that she wanted to get married and was having trouble finding a partner. She wanted help overcome.
her perceived neurotic tendencies which she felt had been a bit
you're too her relationships, but despite
Her initial willingness to seek treatment, marjorie asthma
till health would continue to deteriorate. Retired FBI,
age and an author. Jerry Clark notes that for the rest of marjorie life psychiatry, since
colleges would diagnose her with bipolar disorder, mark
by narcissism, another possible outcome of her perfection. Mystic upbringing, marjorie constantly strove for perfection, both in herself and others.
And she momentarily believe, she'd founded in her one time, fiance bill rothstein in nineteen seventy
Twenty six year old bill was introduced to twenty one year old margery through a mutual friend they bonded over.
Love of new morality and formed an instant connection. The same
here. They met marjorie and bill got engaged
over time. Their strong connection was replaced by in compatibility both Marjorie s
bill blame the other for the dissolution of their relationship. Marjorie claim that bill try to push
converting to judaism, something she didn't want to do.
meanwhile, marjorie lack of accountability took a toll on bill. He once said, marjorie was a person who
never made a mistake. She was never wrong. So therefore, there's always
buddy else. Everything is some
the else's fault. There now
month. Engagement was called off, but they remained friends and marjorie moved on to other men, but her neck
relationship proved deadly and nineteen. Eighty four thirty five year old margery shot and killed her then boyfriend bob thomas in an attempt to conceal the evidence she offered a friend twenty five thousand dollars to dispose.
of thomas's body, the friend told their mother about marjorie request and the mother called the
police when officers arrived at
marjorie s home. They found thomas dead on the couch marjorie too.
Then it was self defense. The thomas had been physically and sexually abusive. She said she was forced to kill him before he could kill her
and her self defense plea one and marjorie was convicted only for care
being a revolver without a license. She was given fifteen
of probation but otherwise walked free, but the series of unfair
fortunate events surrounding marjorie lovers was just getting started in nineteen ninety one, forty two year old margery married her first and only husband, Richard Armstrong, a relationship that would also end in death.
On august, twenty second nineteen, ninety two, a mere twenty months after the wedding, paramedic centre
marjorie and richards home. They found richard on the floor in a pool of his own vomit do
z and unable to walk. Richard said he had fallen
and struck his head on the table in injury,
would result in a brain, hemorrhage and eventually a coma. He died just two days after the incident.
Marjorie filed a wrongful death suit against the hospital where richard died, and four years later, she was awarded one hundred. Seventy five thousand dollars
Worse, the mysterious events surrounding richard's death cast perpetual doubt
marjorie involvement, but it was never investigated further. Now marjorie was constantly preoccupied with money, often hoarding her cash
when her mother, agnes passed away in two thousand marjorie became obsessed with securing her inheritance. She was furious,
the local p and see bank, not knowing of agnes deals. Passing allowed agnes husband herald to access this safe deposit box. Before the will was set,
Several days later, marjorie arrived at the bank with her personal lawyer. She believed the money was rightfully hers and her father should not have been allowed to touch it, never mind the
the that he was the surviving spouse. It was the beginning of
Ongoing dispute over the estates and marjorie was further incensed win in the summer of two thousand three. She
there are far fewer was giving away the money he had taken Harold deal.
held out, one hundred thousand dollars to one neighbour, fifty thousand dollars to another and one
and dollars to the male carrier, all people he believed to have taken care of.
m. Over the years, marjorie did
receive any money at all. Marjorie was I rate she was determined
stop her father from giving away her inheritance at any cost, even if it meant killing him. Marjorie had gotten rid of problematic men before
She could do it again, so she decided to visit her ex beyond and long time friend
The nine year old bill, rothstein margie
He sat at the kitchen table with bill and his long time friend, Floyd Stockton floyd was a wretched,
sex offender with a long standing record just a year before in may of two thousand to he was
armed with raping a sixteen year old, disabled girl. By the time the prosecutor issued charges.
lloyd, had gone on the lamb bill,
invited, floyd to move in, or rather hide out at his house, the three of them
sat around the table. Commiserating their woes marjorie complained
out, her fathers, reckless spending floyd about the rape charges and bill at recent financial troubles of his own. His mother had died three years prior in august. Two thousand horace state, however, remained unsettled. Bill sister had taken him to court, claiming that bill, who was the executor of the estate, had failed to liquidate its asked.
its including the house he currently lived in bill reluctantly listed the house for sale within asking price that significantly surpassed its actual value while the homeless,
raised for eighty three thousand dollars bill had listed it for two hundred fifty thousand dollars he was
In no rush to sell it was his childhood home and, more importantly,
he had no money of his own and nowhere else to go
marjorie and bill described the perfect crime, insisting it was fail proof, despite how dangerous it
Look from the outside the plan was for beef.
and to wear a fake bomb while executing the heist. No one would dare question a man wearing a bomb, yet Brian himself
not be in any real danger bill and marjorie packed up the idea of pulling off a day. Heist was extremely appealing to them. Both were desperately
of cash marjorie was toying with the idea of hiring a hit on her father. Well, bill was looking to pay
His sister and keep the house a successful bank raw,
Bree seem like the perfect solution now that the seed was planned
tat. There was no turning back floyd suggested that they should use a pizza,
livery man in the robbery since bill loved pizza, so much bill self
claimed mastermind love. This personal touch: they would soon costs paths with perfect candidate.
In the meantime, marjorie and bill began laying the groundwork for the robbery they decided to target p
and see bank the same institution that it allowed marjorie s father to access her deceased mothers, safe deposit box. Next they got to work hammering out the technicalities of the highest.
Marjorie knew that another of her friends
forty nine year old, Kenneth Barnes was a skilled technician, she hoped to pick his brain about making a homemade bomb
can was once a television repairman for fourteen years he had taken apart and reassembled tv sets, computers, stereos and vacuum cleaners,
but all of that had changed in nineteen. Ninety eight, when a car accident
left him injured and on disability. After the accident he collected a hundred and fifty two dollars a month and food stamps in six hundred and thirty dollars in social security better.
Its he's supplemented his income through his drug dealing, hindi, frequently
rented out rooms to sex workers looking for a place to entertain clients. Coincidentally, one of these tenants was Brian's friend, jessica, hoop sick in the late spring of two thousand. Three
marjorie and her boyfriend, Jim hired, can to help them remodel. On attic space. In marjorie s house, she used the opportunity to ask him
we wanted to help her rob a bank can declined, but marge
It was nothing if not persistent. She asked can flat out if he knew how to make a bomb. He admitted that he did but that he wouldn't be making one for her. Still. She pressed him and at last ken relented
agreed to build a pipe bomb. He offered to give marjorie some l e circuit board from a vcr player, and
video electronics magazine. He said that the magazine
tainted diagram with instructions for building a timer
In her look a little further marjorie asked can, if he would kill her father, he jokingly replied that he do it for a quarter of a million dollars.
jerry promised to use the money from the bank robbery as a down payment for the hit to which can
seem to agree. The mechanics of the
lots were all coming together, but they still needed to secure their hostage.
None of them were willing to wear the homemade bomb themselves. The perfect opportunity woods,
soon present itself
late spring of two thousand three marjorie Jim and can take a break from there
attic renovation to go out for pizza on the way marjorie's car stalled and she called bill to come help bill arrived and tried to jumpstart the camaro, but to no avail.
EL as they struggled to revive the car marjorie decided, have a pizza delivered right then, and there roughly ten minutes later.
Brian wells arrived with jessica, hoop sick in the passenger seat
brian got out to deliver the pizza can recognize
jessica she often,
Did a room in his home for sex work. Brian and Jessica hung around in the parking lot to talk for a few minutes. The
Details of this conversation remain unclear, but in the end, bill decided to drive back to his house to find a part to fix the camaro.
Marjorie care. Men can loaded into bills, car and drove off Brian.
Jessica, followed suit when they got to bills. House Brian got out of the car telling Jessica he'd be right back.
He later recalled watching as he made his way over to marjorie and bill. The trio spoke intently
I've been using the opportunity to enlist brien's help with the robbery in exchange for the promise of a big, payday,
marjorie and bill described the perfect crime, insisting it was fail proof, despite how.
dangerous. It would look from the outside. The plan was for Brian to wear a fake bomb.
Executing the heist. No one would dare question.
man wearing the bomb, yet Brian himself.
Would not be in any real danger.
there was even an insurance policy built in on the off chance. Brian was caught by police. He could absolve himself
claiming he was forced to wear a bomb by the way Brian would be safe
Brian mould over this proposal. He considered his quiet life and the daily routine that kept him sober.
Really wanna up and everything
also undoubtedly thought of the steep dead he had acquired thanks to his relationship with jessica time in time
Again he had purchased drugs on credit, pay her for sex,
surely he needed to pay off the dealers. This could be his chance after
If you wanted to keep jessica around, he needed to keep paying her to this day, it's unclear
exactly when Brian wells decided to proceed with a paean, see bank heist most likely he was hesitant so
The plans masterminds marjorie deal Armstrong and bill
rothstein recruited
Other mama me a pizzeria employee to persuade him forty three year old, robert penelope,
whatever penelope said, seem to convince Brian. He agree to participate. Marjorie and bill now had their hostage. This I'm authority
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marjorie and bill were the masterminds, but strangely gave them
a small roles in the highest itself. Instead, they recruited their friends to do the dirty work
juries boyfriend, Jim Rodin would drive Brian the peony, see branch ryan would go in and rob the place with a fake bomb strapped to himself bill
would intercept the money from Brian and can would be the getaway driver. The money would then be handed off to floyd, who
hide it until the commotion died down. So far, everything was
going smoothly. That is until marjorie begin getting push back from her boyfriend. Jim
in the summer of two thousand three Jim got cold feet. He know
Or wanted to go through with the plan marjorie was worried that Jim would go to the police. She couldn't take that chance. Nothing was going to get in here.
way. So in the middle of the night on august tenth, two thousand three marjorie.
I'm the staircase upper house up to the bedroom or unsuspecting boyfriend, lay closed on the bed. He was face down sleeping marjorie frowned at him, disgusted by his
cowardice, then she aimed a shot gun, buckshot plough
through the middle of gems, back killing him
instantly marjorie rain,
out of the house straight for her jeep she hit out there for several days. Continent.
how to dispose of his body. Finally, she called bill. Marjorie offered him
Seventy eight thousand dollars from her own bank account to help get rid of gems body bill accepted. On august, twelve, at roughly ten p m the pair
drove back to marjorie s house, where Jim had been dead for two days.
The van and several plastic tarps. They wrapped up Jim's bloodied body.
dragged it down the stairs spilling blood as they made their way through marjorie s fly infested house Jim's body
was loaded into the van and taken to bills house, where Jim was left on
War of the garage the next day bill
a freezer to store gems body, then he shifted his focus to the murder weapon bill cut. The shock
into little pieces with a reciprocating saw and an acetylene torch. He then drove
and eerie dispersing the pieces after this was done here.
the returned to her house and scrubbed the murder scene with clorox and hydrogen peroxide wants the house.
Clean of evidence they could refocus on the more pressing task at hand.
p and c robbery, which was scheduled to go down in just a few weeks. On august, twenty seventh, two thousand three brian wells
drove up to the tv tower on peach street right near bills, house marjorie bill and
and were already assembled. Jim, of course, was conspicuously absent. Brian took a deep breath ass. He approached them steadying his nerves,
I walked Brian through the plan one last time he would drive to the bank and walk in wearing the fake collar bomb. They had written instructions for Brian to present to the tellers. The notes threatened that Bryan's bomb would detonate if the bank didn't fork over two hundred and fifty thousand dollars in cash, they instructed brian to leave the bank with the money and immediately handed over to the
EL. Who would be waiting outside this way if the police caught up with Brian, he would have no money on hand. Bill disappeared momentarily when he reappeared, was holding the fake bomb
marjorie, measured brian's neck to make sure the collar would fit.
it was all set. Brian got back in his car and left complete
We are unaware of the dark turn of events that would take place in his absence after Brian left can approached bill concerned with the appearance of the metal collar.
Right now it had an empty box dangling from the front. There was obviously no bomb inside bill asked can, when he would do to make it look more. Authentic can replied that he would
put some wires in it from the collar down put them in the box, but d
Have them go anywhere bill ultimately, would do more than that. In fact, he would go the extra mile and rigged the box with an active bomb. Its unclear who knew about bills. Additional
plan, but can would later testify that he had no prior knowledge of the working device. He had thought it was a gag to scare the teller. What certain, though, is that brine wells had no idea on august, twenty eighth
two thousand three marjorie woke up with even more energy than usual. The big day had arrived. She picked up ken barnes in her.
At jeep cherokee around ten thirty a m. Then they made their way to the barnes and noble on peach street, where bill was supposed to meet them in the parking
not bills. Car was nowhere to be seen so marjorie and can went inside and ordered coffee from the starbucks Marjorie
and bought a book, but when they came back outside bill still wasn't there, they left
I finally met up with bill a little while later at the nearby shell station bill pulled up in his mercury marquis and while KEN filled marjorie's jeep with gas, she and bill made their way over to a pay phone.
The fateful call to mama me, as was placed bill, ordered two small pieces to be delivered to upper peach street a signal for
brian Brian nervously took his cue. There was no turning back now. He packed up the peters and gotten his car. Then he made his way back to the tv
tower on peach. When he arrived, ryan saw KEN marjorie bill and his coworker Robert Kennedy in the distance Brian,
out of the car doing his best to stifle his
mounting anxiety. He carried over the peters and set them on the hood of bills. Van suddenly floyd came out of
this house carrying the device. Brian costs,
at the collar, and was immediately confused. It looked significantly different than it had the day before it looked real
Of course, that's because it was
Brian's eyes went wide with panic. He didn't want to go through with this. He turned and ran bill
fired, his pistol into the air a warning shot while Brian was distracted. Robert in floyd ran over and tackled in they
and brian to the ground, while marjorie and bill rushed over with the device and strapped it around Brian's neck brian
scream that he didn't want to be part of this, but can walked up and punched him in the face. For a moment, Brian had the wind knocked out of him, but it was nothing compared to the fate that awaited him. As the collar clicked into place. Ryan went
being a foe hostage to a very real one,
He had one hour left to live,
thanks for listening to serial killers, spotify podcast we'll be back next week with part two of this story.
and be sure to check this out on instagram at serial killers, podcast for more
nation on marjorie deal Armstrong among
the many sources we used. We found mania and marjorie deal Armstrong by jerry clark and ed polytechnic extremely.
Helpful to our research until
time. Remember the truth is, and always the best story and the official story isn't always the truth. Stay safe out there
Serial killers and conspiracy theories are spotify podcast. This episode was written by now
ITALY, my edited by kate Gallagher, researched by aid.
Ana gomes fact, checked by cora mackerel,
and sound designed by sam, bear our head of programming is
julian borrow our head of production is nick johnson and spencer. Howard is our postproduction supervisor. Conspiracy theories is hosted
carter, Roy and serial killers is
hosted by me, vanessa, Richardson.
Transcript generated on 2023-11-29.