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Morbid

The Pizza Bomber Conspiracy

January 05, 2026 • 1h 8m

Summary

⏱️ 9 min read

Overview

Hosts Ash and Alaina dive deep into the bizarre 2003 'pizza bomber' case from Erie, Pennsylvania, where pizza delivery man Brian Wells walked into a bank with a bomb locked around his neck. The complex investigation revealed a twisted plot involving multiple conspirators, greed, murder, and a controversial question: was Brian Wells a victim or a participant? The case's mastermind, Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong, orchestrated an elaborate scheme that went horribly wrong, leaving behind a trail of death and unanswered questions.

The Pizza Bomber Robbery

On August 28, 2003, 46-year-old Brian Wells walked into a PNC bank in Erie, Pennsylvania with an explosive device locked around his neck. He handed the teller a note demanding $250,000 and claiming the bomb would detonate in 15 minutes. The teller could only provide $8,702 from the drawers, and Wells left with the money. State troopers apprehended him 15 minutes later in a parking lot, where he insisted he had been forced to rob the bank by strangers who put the bomb on him.

  • Brian Wells entered PNC bank with a bomb locked around his neck with a large handcuff-like device
  • The note demanded $250,000 within 15 minutes, claiming the explosive would kill everyone in the bank
  • Wells received only $8,702 because the vault was on a timer and couldn't be accessed
  • He took a lollipop before leaving and was arrested 15 minutes later in a parking lot
  • Wells claimed he had been accosted by a group of men who forced the bomb on him
" Gather employees with access codes to vault and work fast to fill bag with $250,000. You have only 15 minutes. "
" Why is nobody trying to come get this thing off of me "

The Bomb Detonates

For 25 minutes, Brian Wells sat on the ground beside his car with his hands cuffed behind his back while police waited for the bomb squad. He asked officers to call his boss at the pizzeria to explain he'd been detained. Without warning, the device around his neck started beeping rapidly, and despite his visible panic and attempts to move away, the bomb detonated, blowing a five-inch hole through his chest and killing him instantly. The bomb squad arrived just three minutes too late.

  • Wells sat handcuffed on the ground for 25 minutes waiting for the bomb squad
  • He asked officers to call his boss at Mama Mia's pizzeria to say he wouldn't make it back to work
  • The device started beeping and accelerating, causing Wells to become visibly anxious
  • The bomb detonated, ripping a five-inch hole through his chest and killing him instantly
  • The bomb squad arrived three minutes after the explosion
" Why is nobody trying to come get this thing off of me "

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