Murder of Brian Wells

Brian Douglas Wells (November 15, 1956 – August 28, 2003) 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 2007 indictment, federal prosecutors said 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. In 2008, U.S. District Judge Sean J. McLaughlin sentenced Barnes to 45 years in federal prison. Two years later, Diehl-Armstrong was also found guilty and, in 2011, was sentenced to life in prison, where she died from cancer in 2017. 

Other websites
 The 30 Strangest Deaths in History
  (Newspaper articles, audio clips)

  Website created by Brian's brother; contains reproductions of the nine page letter, along with photos of the cane gun and collar bomb.

 Collarbomber FBI Profile August 27, 2004 press release from the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania FBI website.


Category:1956 births
Category:2003 deaths
Category:2000s murders in the United States
Category:People from Erie, Pennsylvania
Category:Deaths by person in the United States