[5], Wells was instructed to "quietly" enter the PNC Bank at Summit Towne Center on Peach Street and give the teller an affixed note demanding $250,000, and to use his shotgun to threaten anyone who did not cooperate or attempted to flee. In conjunction with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP), the FBI investigation led to Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong and Kenneth Barnes being charged with the crime in 2007. They screwed up big time. The documentary is less clear, however, on Wells' involvement, although director Trey Borzillieri elicited a confession from Jessica Hoopstick a sex worker who frequently slept with Wells (and later had a baby that Wells likely fathered) who claimed that Wells had no idea when he delivered the pizza to Rothstein's property that a bomb would digital media solutions memphis, tn; spotlight hour november 2021; what is elizabeth bowen known for; how did jeff shiffrin get a head injury - denmark marriage certificate. The content produced by YourTango is for informational and educational purposes only. Long Waits, Short Appointments, Huge Bills. [41], Roden had been living with Diehl-Armstrong for 10 years. The bomb detonated and killed Wells. He had no idea what was going to happen to him., RELATED:Who Is Bill Rothstein? If the answer is "no," then what are you waiting for? Swank also reported that he specified whether the price included specific sexual services, and she texted, Yes.. 9 Is the pizza bomber really the collar bomb heist? Butler's death was ruled a homicide "caused by respiratory insufficiency secondary to blunt force trauma to the neck and thoracic compression, exacerbated by blunt force trauma to the head," according to the affidavit. How do you find the beginning inventory for a production budget? He pleaded guilty in September 2008 to using a destructive device during a crime of violence and conspiracy to commit bank robbery. Apparently Jessica Hoopsick is currently getting arrested. The child she alleges to have had by Brian Wells would be her youngest known child. A still from "Evil Genius: The True Story of America's Most Diabolical Bank Heist" on Netflix, The Real Family That Inspired 'Little Women', How We Can Learn to Live with COVID-19 After Vaccinations. He was Rothstein's roommate. rams defensive scheme . fucking loser these detectives are. 2023 TIME USA, LLC. [33] The note stated the bomb would explode in fifteen minutes and that the full amount must be handed over within that time. Or, was he forced to take part in the robbery against his will? TribLIVE's Daily and Weekly email newsletters deliver the news you want and information you need, right to your inbox. [32], Wells' corpse was found with nine pages of handwritten instructions addressed to "Bomb Hostage," directing him to rob the bank. Tovbbi informcirt s a belltsi lehetsgek kezelshez kattintson a Belltsok kezelse gombra. However, the teller explained that she couldn't gather that much money in so little time and only gave him $8,702. Before we go any further, we have to make sure: You've seen "Making a Murderer," right? Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong/Living or Deceased. They just want Brian Wells to be a co conspirator. Who was the pizza guy with a bomb around his neck? Hoopsick was arrested on a prostitution charge in Greensburg in June. Her next court date is Oct. 68years (19492017) [14], In January 2005, Diehl-Armstrong pleaded guilty but mentally ill to third degree murder and abuse of a corpse for killing Roden and was sentenced to between seven and twenty years in prison. She kept well-known company: Jessica Hoopsick, infamous for her role in the pizza bomber case, was one of the people Thomas reached out to after her boyfriend's death, the prosecution said. The Erie office is under the U.S. Attorney's Office in Pittsburgh, where the new U.S. attorney is Scott Brady. But Hoopsicks statements in Evil Genius contradicted other evidence in the case, and Hoopsick failed to make the same claims when she testified in a 2010 federal trial, former FBI investigators in the case told the Erie Times-News after the documentary aired. She worked out of Ken Barnes' crack house, and the. He has co-written two books about the pizza bomber case and frequently speaks about it. https://triblive.com/local/westmoreland/13935350-74/woman-involved-in-erie-collar-bomb-case-jailed-on-prostitution-charge-in-greensburg. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. The film's similarity to the Wells case was criticized by Wells' family, but Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group said the cast and crew were not aware of the Wells case and the screenwriters were "vaguely familiar" with it.[66]. We were in a tough spot. He was a pizza delivery driver and he had a clean criminal record. But theres always that doubt.. Moreover, in 2008, U.S. District Court Judge Sean J. McLaughlin found that she was mentally incompetent to stand trial due to a variety of mental disorders. 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. [58] In the 2018 documentary Evil Genius, Hoopsick identifies the conspirator as Barnes and alleges she recommended Wells, whom she described as "a pushover". Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. The documentary series Evil Genius: The True Story of Americas Most Diabolical Bank Heist, which debuted in May, tells the story of Brian Wells. ", "Both parties were extremely intoxicated," Del Duca said. He had no idea what was going to happen to him.. TV Shows. The drug dealer testified against Diehl-Armstrong at trial in exchange for a plea deal that originally netted him a federal prison sentence of 45 years. He was scheduled to testify at trial against Diehl-Armstrong but suffered a stroke during the trial, in federal court in Erie, in 2010, and never took the stand. [29][44] On December 3 that year, he was sentenced to 45 years in prison by a federal judge in Erie for his role in the crime. She also claimed Wells was a victim of the conspirators and knew nothing of the planned heist prior to having the device locked to his neck by Floyd Stockton and given instructions to rob the bank. He was granted immunity for his testimony against Diehl-Armstrong, but was never called to testify in court due to illness. Hoopsick is best known for her involvement in the pizza bomber case as the favorite prostitute of Brian Wells, who died when a bomb locked around his neck exploded on Aug. 23, 2003. And says Bill Rothstein was the true mastermind. Hoopsick was among a few people that Thomas sought out when she wanted to buy crack cocaine after Butler's death, he said. Furthermore, her statements contradicted each other, he said. The deceased Rothstein and Wells were named as un-indicted co-conspirators. The incident was shown live on television. He added: "I have to follow where the trail of evidence leads and the truth and what other people have said, including people who were independently interviewed that had some involvement in the case, their information is contrary to that, and that he did have some knowledge and that he did have a pre-planning meeting and that to his credit he tried to back out and they forced him to do [the heist] and told him [the bomb] was fake. Prosecutors claimed Wells was in on the heist but thought the bomb was a decoy. Both employees and owners of the pizzeria say he was a trusted worker. He had no parts in the planning. Evil Genius: The True Story of America's Most Diabolical Bank Heist premiered on Netflix earlier this month and ever since, debate has raged about the show's ending. [48] Diehl-Armstrong was then transferred for treatment to a federal mental-health facility in Texas. Butler's sister, Sandra Butler, asked Cunningham to impose a longer prison sentence. The Mandalorian's Pedro Pascal on season 3, Neighbours announces seven more returning cast. The FBI elite agent who investigated the murder of Brian Wells -- a case that inspired Netflix's ' Evil Genius ' -- isn't buying the shocking twist at the . Throughout the documentary series, it is alleged that Diehl-Armstrongs had a variety of mental health disorders and sought help numerous times. When Wells discovered that the bomb was real, Barnes said a pistol was fired in order to force Wells' compliance, and witnesses confirmed hearing a gunshot. Wells' family disputes this account of the events at the television tower; according to them, Wells was accosted at gunpoint by strangers and forced to participate. Does Unforgotten work without Nicola Walker? He was proceeding with the second task when police saw him standing outside his automobile and promptly arrested him, handcuffed him and left him sitting on the ground in the parking lot. Schroeder, who wrote and directed Evil Genius, said the team had discussed the confession with current and former investigators at the state and federal level. You have reached your limit of 4 free articles. Desperate for money to fuel her addiction, she told Barnes that Wells was a pushover. "I'm angry, I'm hurt, I'm in pain," Butler said in court. Theres misinformation and theres disinformation within this case, Borzillieri told TheWrap. Jessica Hoopsick, one of Wells' favorite prostitutes, admitted to her involvement in the plot. I think that Jessica Hoopsick feels a lot of guilt over what happened to Brian and that's why she wants to push the narrative in a direction that makes him look better. "This was an attack that was incredibly violent and it was incredibly depraved," Lightner said. Lightner said Hoopsick gave a statement to police and would have been subpoenaed to testify if Thomas took her case to trial. A kind of conclusion was offered at the end of the series when Jessica Hoopsick a prostitute who had regular contact with both Brian Wells and Ken Barnes confessed that she had introduced Wells to conspirators Barnes, Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong, Bill Rothstein and Floyd Stockton in exchange for cash payment. Stockton was convicted in the rape case but received immunity in the pizza bomber case. "Fed Up" (2014): The tragedy Katie Couric's voiceover presents in this documentary isn't just that both the government and food industry place profit above public health, it's the realization that even those parents who are actually concerned about their children's poor diet have no idea how to eat healthy themselves. She kept well-known company: Jessica Hoopsick, infamous for her role in the pizza bomber case, was one of the people Thomas reached out to after her boyfriend's death, the prosecution said.. In the final minutes of Evil Genius, a four-part docuseries that examines what it calls Americas most diabolical bank heist, a woman who knew Brian Wells the pizza delivery driver who died in 2003 after robbing a bank in Erie, Pa. while a bomb was fastened around his neck admits to setting Wells up in exchange for money and drugs from the conspirators. (Spoiler alert: Do not read on if you havent watched Evil Genius). They want to try and make themselves look "good" because they had overlooked so much evidence that could have solved this case years ago but failed to do so. [28], In interviews by law enforcement, Stockton claimed to be the one to put the bomb around Wells' neck. bidvest car rental or tambo contact number; dogs naturally magazine university login; Menu New charges could be filed in the notorious collar bomb crime after a Netflix documentary revealed a confession from an alleged conspirator who may have implicated herself nearly 15 years later, according to the films creators and the federal investigators who led the case. Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong, as one judge described her, was a coldly calculated criminal recidivist and serial killer. She had experienced a lifetime of murder, mayhem, and mental illness. As a U.S. district judge, he presided over the pizza bomber case, including Diehl-Armstrong's trial in 2010 at the federal courthouse in Erie. Law enforcement was really tight-lipped, and Rothstein had died, saidBorzillieri. Greensburg police Detective John Swank reported in court documents that he was working a prostitution detail June 23 when he replied to an advertisement listed on the website Skip the Games for a Busty Blond, 27-years-old.. So, she admits that and that's still accurate. Many are dead and just as many are alive, but since Aug. 28, 2003, a number of individuals have been involved in the pizza bomber case. [12][6], Kenneth Barnes (1954 June 20, 2019) was a retired television repairman, crack dealer, and Diehl-Armstrong's "fishing buddy". I agree with TheWrap's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy and provide my consent to receive marketing communications from them. The FBI did not return requests for comment, and the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania declined to discuss the documentarys findings. "ACT NOW, THINK LATER OR YOU WILL DIE!" In October 2010, Diehl-Armstrong took the stand to testify on her own behalf as part of her defense. Hoopsick was never charged in the pizza bomber case. Warning: This post contains spoilers for Evil Genius: The True Story of Americas Most Diabolical Bank Heist on Netflix. In August 2003, Stockton was hiding out with Rothstein while Stockton was on the run from prosecution in Washington state. However, FBI lead agent Jerry Clark who also appeared regularly in the series has since contradicted Jessica's confession, sharing his belief that it is 'not accurate' and that Wells did know about the heist in advance. Brian Douglas Wells (November 15, 1956 August 28, 2003) was an American pizza delivery man who was murdered during a complex plot involving a bank robbery, scavenger hunt, and homemade explosive device near his hometown of Erie, Pennsylvania.Death of Brian Wells. Upon Harold Wells death due to multiple sclerosis when he was only 60 years old, his wife was left to raise their five children. "The difficulty we have is the fact that [Brian Wells] may not have known what was happening relating to the bank robbery itself, and that's where we differ with some of the evidence that we've had. Yes but Im torn about this at least she tries to do the right thing eventually. Wells' involvement in the plot is a matter of controversy. Plus, if Wells was voluntarily enlisted, the risk was increased as he may have shared the plot info with friends like Rob Pinetti. RELATED:Who Is Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong? Investigators said Rothstein made the time-bomb collar using two egg timers provided by Diehl-Armstrong. Thomas weighs approximately 300 pounds and Butler weighed approximately 120 pounds, investigators wrote in the affidavit of probable cause. However, the story does strike a resemblance to a bank robbery. Even more upsetting, though, is the uphill and seemingly hopeless battle workers in poor countries are facing for working conditions Americans take for granted. The instructions also included a scavenger hunt, listing a series of strictly-timed tasks of collecting keys that would delay detonation and eventually defuse the bomb. ", "Erie pizza bomber co-plotter Ken Barnes dies in prison", "Unraveling The Mysteries Of The Pizza Bomber", "Man with 'Pizza Bomber' connections dies in WA state", "Another chapter in the Erie pizza bomber case ends as Floyd Stockton dies with 'immunity', "Erie Bomb Victim was the Dupe in a Greedy Plan", "Pizza Deliveryman Who Robbed Bank Had Neck Measured for Bomb Collar", "Erie bomb victim was the dupe in a greedy plan", "Bizarre story of pizza-delivery man blown up by collar-bomb still an enigma eight years later", "Who was the Pizza Bomber? They just dont want to admit anymore wrongdoings. [52], On November 1, 2010, Diehl-Armstrong was convicted of armed bank robbery, conspiracy to commit armed bank robbery, and of using a destructive device in a crime. "The Race to Nowhere" (2010): Remember what it was like to be a kid without any responsibilities? two boyfriends This episode is sad. She has been troubled since she was very young and has been charged multiple times in different counties with prostitution and retail theft. Although he subsequently removed the video at WJET's request, by then it had been posted to numerous video-sharing websites. She told me that she had just been in that recent four-part Netflix documentary, Evil Genius, Swank reported. On August 31, 2003, Wells's coworker at the pizza store and its only other delivery driver, Robert Thomas Pinetti, was found dead in his home after suffering a drug overdose. In May, she was named general counsel ofKraken, a San-Francisco based cryptocurrency exchange. We could do a Good Genius, too., The best documentaries are enlightening, infuriating and sometimes even frightening Making a Murderer certainly was. When he reached the counter, he began sucking a lollipop. Jessica Hoopsick. I definitely want justice for Brians memory. All Rights Reserved. Family and friends of Wells dispute his involvement in the bank robbery and his own death; according to them, Wells was accosted at gunpoint and forced to wear the bomb. [6][9] In 1984, she shot her boyfriend Robert Thomas six times as he lay on the couch but was acquitted on claims of self-defense. "My client had ingested quite a bit of crack cocaine.". According to court documents, Hoopsick also told investigators that she was a crack cocaine user and was engaged in prostitution not only to fund her addiction, but also because she needed the money.. 7 What was the story of the pizza bomber? One of the co-conspirators, which she identified as Kenneth Barnes, paid her $5,000 to lure Brian Wells into delivering a pizza to Marjorie and Rothstein. Upon Harold Wells' death due to multiple sclerosis when he was only 60 years old, his wife was left to raise their five children. Thats whats interesting about Marjorie, added Schroeder. If shes not telling the truth, then I dont know who is.. The address was the location of the transmitting tower of WSEE-TV at the end of a dirt road. In her free time, you can find her obsessing about cats, wine, and all things Vanderpump Rules. The only defendant who went to trial in the case. [21] Buchanan stated Wells had been involved in the plot from the beginning but that his co-conspirators fitted him with a real bomb that would have exploded even if it were removed. At first, Hoopsick didnt want to get involved out of fear. It took a long time to get.. [62], Due to its novelty and complexity, the story retains a fascination for many people. "How to Survive a Plague" (2012): This Oscar-nominated documentary will make your blood boil when you see how the American government and members of the medical community turned their backs on homosexuals and HIV patients during the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s. "Divorce Corp." (2014): As if the criminal justice system hasn't failed enough Americans, this documentary makes family law seem downright criminal. And some of them end up taking their own lives as a result. The infamous pizza bomber narrative is as explosive as it soundsalthough filled with more twists and turns than actual pizza. Mitchell scheduled Hoopsicks hearing for Aug. 16. Jessica E. Hoopsick, of Erie, faces a prostitution charge in Greensburg. On September 3, 2008, Barnes pleaded guilty to conspiring to rob a bank and to aiding and abetting. Was he involved from the beginning and a co-conspirator in the foiled plot? Swank said that he told Hoopsick that her name sounded familiar and asked if she had ever been arrested in Greensburg. "Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father" (2008): This heartbreaking film focuses on an unbelievable custody battle between a murdered man's parents and the ex-girlfriend who took their son's life, while pregnant with their grandchild. [33][34], At 2:38, a witness called 9-1-1 from the bank and reported a male leaving the bank with "a bomb or something wrapped around his neck". Netflix A kind of conclusion was offered at the end of the series when Jessica Hoopsick - a prostitute who had regular contact with both Brian Wells and Ken Barnes - confessed that she had. Movies. During a series of interviews, Diehl-Armstrong admitted to providing the kitchen timers used for the bomb, stated Rothstein masterminded the plot and that Wells had been directly involved in the plan. [42], In April 2005, Diehl-Armstrong told a state trooper she had information about the Wells case and after meeting with FBI agents, said she would tell them everything she knew if she was transferred from the Muncy Correctional Institution to a minimum-security prison in Cambridge Springs. Jessica E. Hoopsick, 39, was arrested in Erie County this week after District Judge Chris Flanigan of Greensburg issued a bench warrant when she failed to appear at a July 26 hearing.. [39], Though the note claimed Wells would gain extra time by each key found, police later traveled the note's route and could not complete it in the allotted time, implying Wells would not have had enough time to get the bomb defused. . He had worked for 10 years at Mamma Mia's Pizza-Ria in Erie and was a Pennsylvania native, not a criminal mastermind. regardless- how is she not charged with anything in relation to the wells case, based on her interview testimony? When Jessica Hoopsick, a hooker and intimate friend of Wells, was interviewed for Evil Genius, she told Trey Borzillieri, co-producer of the series, she was approached to find a gopher who could be scared into robbing a bank. Jessica Hoopsick, a woman who was Wells' prostitute and friend, confessed on the Netflix documentary Evil Genius that she set Wells up to participate in the crime by providing his name and delivery schedule to one of the conspirators in exchange for money and drugs. And he was the first person to find out she had passed away. But I didnt see it with my own two eyes, so I cant be positive., Schroeder agrees: For me, being cynical by nature and by profession, Im 99 percent sure hes innocent. Idealne schody do Twojego domu. How to Market Your Business with Webinars. Technically, she could be charged, Schroeder said, but every agency we spoke to said there was no interest.. When he was arrested after robbing the bank, the bomb went off and killed Wells. Watch the trailer to get an idea of what all the hype is about. In custody, Rothstein claimed Diehl-Armstrong had murdered her then-boyfriend Roden with a 12-gauge shotgun during a dispute over money. After a three-week trial in federal court in Erie, she was found guilty on Nov. 1, 2010, of the felonies of armed bank robbery, conspiracy to commit armed bank robbery and using a destructive device in a crime of violence. Brian Douglas Wells was 46-years-old and wasn't a bank robber. [5] In 2012, investigator Jerry Clark and journalist Ed Palattella published Pizza Bomber: The Untold Story of America's Most Shocking Bank Robbery (.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:#d33}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:#d33}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#3a3;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}ISBN0425250555), a true-crime book detailing the events. "The Central Park Five" (2012): Documentarian Ken Burns examines the 1989 case of five black and Latino teenagers who were convicted of raping a white woman in Central Park, and spent between six and 13 years in prison before a serial rapist confessed. Wells' family said he was forced to rob the bank by the conspirators. After investigation, it was revealed that even if Wells had completed the scavenger hunt, the bomb was rigged in a way that it would have detonated if he attempted to remove it. How old was Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong when she died? Please consult your doctor before taking any action. Who Is Brian Wells? Hoopsick was never charged in the pizza bomber case. This is the first-known emergency call for the incident. I'm very sorry," Thomas said in court. jessica hoopsick child with brian wellscircle magazine phone number. It started as a chance at information and it turned into a real relationship. Is 30 minutes or less a true story? She was sentenced to life plus 30 years on Feb. 28, 2011. 2 How old was Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong when she died? The crime went down in 2003, when a pizza delivery man was jumped, fitted with a collar that he was told was a bomb, and sent on a bizarre scavenger hunt that involved robbing a bank. William Ansel "Bill" Rothstein (January 17, 1944 July 30, 2004) dated Diehl-Armstrong in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Then, at the documentary's end, Jessica Hoopsick, a prostitute frequented by Wells, drops the bombshell that she solicited him to get involved on behalf of Ken Barnes because he was "a. Massage Beds & Heat Mats. Also Read: Netflix Orders Idris Elba Comedy 'Turn Up Charlie,' Duplass Brothers' True Crime Series 'Evil Genius'. The Bizarre Real-Life Story of the Pizza Guy Who Robbed a Bank with a Bomb Around His Neck. Upon entering the bank around 2:30p.m., Wells slid the note to a teller. Here is where some of them are now, including some who are in the grave. [a] In return for a reduced sentence, Barnes later told investigators Diehl-Armstrong was the mastermind of the crime and that she wanted the money to pay Barnes to kill her father, who she believed was wasting her inheritance. [40], On September 20, 2003, Rothstein, who lived near the television tower, called police to inform them the body of a man, James Roden, was hidden in a freezer in a garage at his house.