Prosecutors claimed Wells was in on the heist but thought the bomb was a decoy. There was a friendship after corresponding that long. Jessica Hoopsick, a prostitute whom Brian Wells frequented, became a key witness for the FBI in unraveling the pizza bomber case. On September 3, 2008, Barnes pleaded guilty to conspiring to rob a bank and to aiding and abetting. We feel this is a second chance at justice, Borzillieri said. [6][7], Marjorie Eleanor "Marge" Diehl-Armstrong (February 26, 1949 April 4, 2017) had a history of suffering from multiple mental illnesses including bipolar disorder,[6][7] since her early teens, and seems to have been a serial killer. Mitchell scheduled Hoopsicks hearing for Aug. 16. Relatives said she had fallen out of touch with her family, and several phone numbers provided by two of her recent attorneys were either disconnected or belonged to other people. In her mind, she had a lot of people paying attention to her but in the end, she was never really loved.. 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.. And says Bill Rothstein was the true mastermind. was scrawled at the bottom of the instructions. Samantha Maffucci is an associate editor for YourTango. He suffered from diabetes and died in prison on June 20, 2019, at the age of 6465.[13]. [61] Fox's America's Most Wanted featured the story three times and publicized newly released evidence in hopes officials could obtain new clues in the case. One electronic timer hung down over the chest. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. . [33] The note stated the bomb would explode in fifteen minutes and that the full amount must be handed over within that time. The fact that shes saying it, you got to wonder why.. [43], In late 2005, Barnes, who was in jail on unrelated drug charges, was turned in by his brother-in-law after revealing details of the crime to him. The bomb detonated and killed Wells. One of the prostitutes he frequented, Jessica Hoopsick, knew Kenneth Barnes, who dealt crack and whose house was used by prostitutes. "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. The answer to this is, No, 30 Minutes Or Less is not based on a true story. He was the lead investigator on the case for the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. fucking loser these . (Spoiler alert: Do not read on if you havent watched Evil Genius). 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. TMZ.com. "Either way, Mr Wells died a horrific death that we'll never forget him for, but the fact that he might not have had knowledge is not really related to the evidence gained.". 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. And there were times when she showed her soft side.. "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. . When he reached the counter, he began sucking a lollipop. [50] On September 9, the judge determined she was now competent. May 9, 2022 candlelight vigil tonight. 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. 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. Magazines, Capture a Year of Painand Resiliencein Ukraine, Or create a free account to access more articles. The owner could not understand the customer and passed the phone to Wells, who received a call to deliver two pizzas to 8631 Peach Street, an address a few miles from the pizzeria. She died of breast cancer at 68 in April 2017 while she was serving her sentence at a federal womens prison close to Fort Worth, Texas. He was implicated in a 1977 murder after he gave a handgun to a friend who used it to murder a romantic rival; he later attempted to destroy the weapon but was granted immunity from prosecution in exchange for his testimony. It started as a chance at information and it turned into a real relationship. So, she admits that and that's still accurate. Jessica Hoopsick, a woman who was Wells' friend and sex worker, 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. Thomas also told police she placed her head on the couch so a portion of her body would be on Butler's head. It hurts me that I could do this to somebody who I cared about, says Jessica Hoopsick, who was Wells prostitute and friend. How do you find the beginning inventory for a production budget? The lead investigator in the pizza bomber case retired as an FBI agent in June 2011. It did so, by her participating in the documentary., He added, The relationship evolved. Investigators said Rothstein made the time-bomb collar using two egg timers provided by Diehl-Armstrong. "ACT NOW, THINK LATER OR YOU WILL DIE!" After dropping out of high school in 1973 when he was 16 (later getting his GED), Wells got a job at Mama Mia Pizzeria in Erie, PA. This tragedy may have caused Wells to drop out after. Our website services, content and products are not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Floyd Arthur "Jay" Stockton Jr. (1947 August 10, 2022) was a convicted rapist of a disabled teenager. [55][56] In December 2015, Diehl-Armstrong lost a second appeal of her conviction. Historically, surnames evolved as a way to sort people into groups - by occupation, place of origin, clan affiliation, patronage, pa How to Market Your Business with Webinars. [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. Diehl-Armstrong suggested Barnes kill her father, Harold Diehl, so she would receive an inheritance. [11] Diehl-Armstrong died from breast cancer in prison on April 4, 2017, at the age of 68. [58], As the case continued to develop, the investigation garnered national media coverage in America. Her next court date is Oct. 68years (19492017) It continued on for years afterwards, and the hope was to collect information and shed light on the truths within the case. The gruesome story behind Netflix's new crime sensation", "Indictments Said to Be Near in '03 Robbery Bomb Death", "Pa. collar-bomb trial jury selection begins", "Double-crossed: Erie pizza bomber Brian Wells was both victim and conspirator", "Jury Convicts Woman in Collar Bomb Robbery", "Indictment: Bomb victim in on bank plot", "Officials say chaos delayed call to bomb squad after robbery", "Case 81: Brian Wells Casefile: True Crime Podcast", "12th Anniversary of Erie Pizza Bomber Case", "News media may withhold gruesome images, but Internet sets them free", "Co-worker of man killed in Erie bank robbery blast dies at home", "Evil Genius: the True Story of America's Most Diabolical Bank Heist", "Pizza collar-bomb case solved, official says", "Pennsylvania 'Pizza Bomber' Co-Defendant Pleads Guilty in Bizarre Bank Heist Plot", "Admitted bank robber has sentence cut for his testimony", "Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong Could Make Court Appearance", Defense humanizes collar bomb suspect for jury, Case No. 1:07-cr-26-SJM-1. Her next court date is Oct. 24. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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. "However, if you look at the bank robbery and the planning of the bank robbery and the designing of the device and the scavenger hunt and the notes, they have more of Mr Rothstein's fingerprints written all over it.". [62], Due to its novelty and complexity, the story retains a fascination for many people. Also Read: Jeffrey Dahmer's Surviving Victims Speak: 'I Thought About Killing Him, I Thought About Killing Myself', It was blind faith and at the time I reached out to her, it was extremely difficult to get information. 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. All Marriage & Divorce results for Hoopsick. brian wells - according to her would never have even been involved had she not offered him up as a patsy. His release date is Sept. 10, 2027. 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. She was sentenced to life plus 30 years on Feb. 28, 2011. You can contact Paul at 724-850-2860, ppeirce@tribweb.com or via Twitter @ppeirce_trib. "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. It went through all the twists and turns of the investigation that you see in the documentary. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our, Digital Although he subsequently removed the video at WJET's request, by then it had been posted to numerous video-sharing websites. Who was the pizza guy with a bomb around his neck? [30][31], Wells was instructed to claim that three black men had forced the bomb on him and were holding him as a hostage. "The Farm: Life Inside Angola Prison" (1998): This doc chronicles the lives of several inmates inside the nation's largest prison. Rothstein, believed to be an architect of the pizza bomber plot, died of cancer on July 30, 2004. It took five years of persistence to eventually get her to a place where she was comfortable revealing a deeper truth to the story., Schroeder added, Trey was at the right place at the right time when she wanted to cleanse her conscience, to get her true confession for the first time. [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. The assistant U.S. attorney who prosecuted the pizza bomber case remains the lead federal prosecutor in Erie. EXCLUSIVE. And he was the first person to find out she had passed away. The address was the location of the transmitting tower of WSEE-TV at the end of a dirt road. They let an innocent man, my brother, die while in their custody and they didn't even lift a finger to help him. [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. 5/27/2018 1:00 AM PT. Wells' family said he was not a willing participant in the incident. [21][22] According to an FBI affidavit, two witnesses confirmed that Wells talked about the robbery about a month before it occurred. Evil Genius: The True Story of America's Most Diabolical Bank Heist, Press J to jump to the feed. In the documentary, she expressed regret for her actions, and revealed that Wells didnt have any prior knowledge of the heist. 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 . 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. 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. [59] Admitting to setting up Wells in exchange for money and drugs,[58] Hoopsick expressed regret for her role and said Wells had no advance knowledge of the robbery. "We were able to investigate and talk to the people that she was with, and one of them was Jessica Hoopsick," Lightner said. 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. 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. 2023 Trib Total Media | All Rights Reserved. New Details About The Man In 'Evil Genius' On Netflix. The child she alleges to have had by Brian Wells would be her youngest known child. makes no sense to me at all. On the other hand, neighbors described Wells as almost child-like; could his mental state be an explanation for his behavior? 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. If shes not telling the truth, then I dont know who is.. The 38-year-old Erie resident was working as a prostitute when she met Brian Wells, the victim in the pizza bomber case. She told me that she had just been in that recent four-part Netflix documentary, Evil Genius, Swank reported. He was a pizza delivery driver and he had a clean criminal record. The 46-year-old from Erie, Pennsylvania, was a pizza delivery man who got involved in a bank robbery that included a scavenger hunt and a homemade bomb strapped around his neck. [5], Diehl-Armstrong, Barnes, and Rothstein seem to have had issues with compulsive hoarding. She worked out of Ken Barnes' crack house, and the relationship between her and Barnes provided investigators the critical link between Wells, Barnes and Diehl-Armstrong. "Quite honestly if you look at co-defendants, witnesses and everyone else we talked to related to having any information in the case, there is nothing in Jessica's statement that appears to be accurate," he told TMZ. Her court-appointed lawyer, Mark Del Duca, of Pittsburgh, called the attack an "alcohol- and drug-fueled event. "The Race to Nowhere" (2010): Remember what it was like to be a kid without any responsibilities? The pages warned that Wells would be under constant surveillance and any attempts to contact authorities would result in the bomb's detonation. Less than two years since the September 11 attacks, many at first believed the incident to be terrorism-related. I have never talked with someone who was as passionate and came across as truthful as our elusive eye witness, said Schroeder. 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. She claimed she recommended Wells to Barnes for the heist in exchange for drug money, but. Are examples of Marjorie happening around the world?, Schroeder added, Its easy to say she was mentally ill and the system didnt do what it shouldve done, her parents didnt do what they shouldve done maybe everyone bears a little blame The saddest moments for me are the amount of therapy and analysis she had. [2] [23] The crime [ edit] Collar bomb [ edit] Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong/Age at death. We do hope that the documentary spawns questions about mental health and that the light that is shining on Marjorie now can we use that light to reflect where we are today with mental health? said Borzillieri. [29] After the bomb was applied, Wells was given a sophisticated home-made shotgun, which had the appearance of an unusually shaped cane. Brian Douglas Wells (November 15, 1956 - August 28, 2003) was an American man who died after becoming involved in a complex plot involving a bank robbery, a scavenger hunt, and a homemade explosive device. 2023 TIME USA, LLC. After he robbed a PNC Bank in Summit Township, Erie County, he was stopped by state police in a parking lot with the bomb still strapped around his neck. Jessica E. Hoopsick, of Erie, faces a prostitution charge in Greensburg. She was a key character in "Evil Genius," the docuseries on the pizza bomber case, though her contention that Wells had no idea about the pizza bomber plot goes against most of the other evidence in the case. ", "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? The only defendant who went to trial in the case. [2][23], The bomb used in the killing consisted of a hinged collar that worked like a large handcuff to go around the neck, four keyholes that went under the chin, and a rectangular section that contained two pipe bombs and two kitchen timers. "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. The attack on Butler was brutal, Lightner said in court, involving 92 different traumatic injuries to Butler's body caused by the knife, the table leg and Butler's hands. She was a key character in "Evil Genius," the docuseries on the pizza bomber case, though her contention that Wells had no idea about the pizza bomber plot goes against most of the other . 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. The 4-episode true crime documentary tells the tale of a bank heist plot that resulted in the death of one man, and the start of an endless series of questions, some of which are still unanswered almost 15 years later. The two corresponded for years for the documentary, even when Diehl-Armstrong was behind bars, and he stuck with her even when she verbally assaulted him over the phone. [63] In May 2018, Netflix released Evil Genius: The True Story of America's Most Diabolical Bank Heist, a documentary series about the case. TV Shows. I definitely want justice for Brians memory. 2023 www.goerie.com. Jessica Hoopsick Friends Photos Videos More Friends Photos Videos About Work Self-Employed Worked at Panos' Restaurant 1995 - 2005 College Studied medical assistant at Great Lakes Institute of Technology High school No schools to show Photos See all photos Others Named Jessica Hoopsick Jessica Hoopsick Jessica Hoopsick Jessica Hoopsick See more
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