Knowing that he planned this with those people. Wells was a loyal employeein 10 years, the only time he had called in late for work was when his cat died. Barnes pleaded guilty in September 2008 to the conspiracy and weapons charges involved in the collar bomb plot. He is buried in a plot the federal government purchased in Lot 1, Section 8G4F at South Granville Memorial Gardens in Butner, North Carolina, northwest of Raleigh. Wells told the troopers that while out on a delivery he had been accosted by a group of black men who chained the bomb around his neck at gunpoint and forced him to rob the bank. The dirt road leading there was cordoned off by authorities, but the journalists spotted a tall, heavyset man in denim Carhartt overalls pacing in front of a home that sat right next to it. The FBI found bomb-making materials in Rothsteins home. Those questions, Fisher says, serve as a reminder of Rothstein's ultimate triumph. He lacked empathy, he was manipulative, and he knew he could get away with his crimes. Informations sur votre appareil et sur votre connexion Internet, y compris votre adresseIP, Navigation et recherche lors de lutilisation des sites Web et applications Yahoo. Back in high school, according to former classmates, Diehl-Armstrong was known for her dazzling intelligence, and she still possessed an almost encyclopedic knowledge of literature, history, and the law. Once the officers noticed the collarbomb, they backed away from him and secured the area. Wells' death on August 28, 2003 is still at the center of the case; however, the bizarre nature of the crime and its would-be masterminds who have emerged from behind TV towers, inside a freezer chest, crack house porches and local Erie legend have indeed pushed Brian Wells out from under the spotlight. He obsessively pored over the media coverage of the case and studied every piece of evidence released by the FBI. The contraption was a puzzle in and of itself. WILLIAM ROTHSTEIN OBITUARY. He agreed. I love my plants, traveling, food, live music, making memes, horror movies, Halloween, and hiking. Throughout Barnes' testimony, Diehl-Armstrong angrily whispered to her attorney. The painting was posed on the staircase of the couple's cottage. Diehl-Armstrong claimed she shot him six times in self-defense, and a jury eventually acquitted her. In September, almost one month after the death of Brian Wells, Rothstein called 911, telling the dispatcher, At 8645 Peach Street, in the garage, there is a frozen body. Now comes the chilling coincidence; Bill Rothstein's house, with Roden's body in the garage, is located exactly next to the dirt road leading to the specific tower site that Brian Wells was sent to deliver the pizzas on August 28, 2003. The fake bomb turned out to be a real one. Reminiscent of Dutch painting (particularly Vermeer and Rembrandt), they are similar in style to contemporary works by William Orpen, who became Rothenstein's brother-in-law in 1901, marrying Alice's sister Grace. It was only on the afternoon of the crime, when he delivered the pizzas to the TV transmission tower, that Wells realized he had been double-crossed and that the bomb was real. After he telephoned police, Rothstein wrote a suicide note indicating his planned death had nothing to do with Wells. All the Settings You Should Change on Your New Samsung Phone, Fat, Sugar, Salt Youve Been Thinking About Food All Wrong, You Can Turn Your Backyard Into a Biodiversity Hot Spot, No, the James Webb Space Telescope Hasnt Broken Cosmology, The Out-of-Control Spread of Crowd-Control Tech. Roden's body was found exactly where he said, in a freezer. "Did you call my boss?" But is his newly formed opinion based on fact or fiction. Later it was determined that he indeed withstood two shotgun blasts in the back. Police arrived and searched the property. Good examples include Parting at Morning (1891), Mother and Child (1903) and Jews Mourning at a Synagogue (1907) all of which are owned by the Tate Gallery. On day five of the trial in the Erie Federal Courthouse, Ken Barnes took the stand. The content produced by YourTango is for informational and educational purposes only. The officers called the bomb squad and took positions behind their cars, guns drawn. Wells asked a trooper at one point, apparently concerned that his employer would think he was shirking his duties. This dialogue is an open window into the brain of the man who many consider to be the mastermind of the Erie Pizza Bomber Case. Summarizing the strange characters linked to the Wells plot as a cast of "twisted, intellectually bright, dysfunctional individuals who outsmarted themselves," Piccinini had trotted out seven former inmates who recounted incriminating information that Diehl-Armstrong had shared with them. Rothstein was one. When investigators combed the vicinity, they discovered shoe prints consistent with Wells' footwear and tire tracks matching the treads on his Geo Metro. He spoke elegantly, like someone who takes great pride in his mastery of the English language. News trucks and cameramen rushed to the scene. The pizza deliveryman took a few last gasps and died on the pavement. [8][10] This painting continues to be one of his best-known and most critically acclaimed works, and was the subject of a recent in-depth study published by the Tate Gallery. Now, seven years later, Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong's trial has ended with a guilty verdict on all three charges. [11] Police arrived and searched the property. They were forced to be content with investigating those who planned and conspired to rob the bank that day. Roden's body was found exactly where he said, in a freezer. He left us with these idiots and a bunch of questions.". The device detonated, blasting him violently onto his back and ripping a 5-inch gash in his chest. It also set in motion a byzantine investigation, with federal agents sniffing out clues and hunting down leads in twisted pursuit of the shadowy criminal who came to be known as the Collar Bomber. Why was she filing a report about Ken Barnes stating he wanted to kill her father before the pizza bombing even happened? The most perplexing and intriguing pieces of evidence, though, were the handwritten notes that investigators found inside Wells' car. He died wearing two T-shirts, the outer one emblazoned with a Guess clothing logo. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. So he implicated Diehl-Armstrong in the Roden case before she could rat him out, all while pleading ignorance of the collar bomb affair. As Thomas Pynchons novel turns 50, its world feels unnervingly present. He subsequently contributed a chapter on their importance to the published edition. The pies were in the oven cooking by the time the call ended." WebOn 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. Son of the late Matthias and B. Virginia Bryner Rothstein. But Fisher thinks that this wasn't about money. Diehl-Armstrong's trial promised to clear up the mysteries that had surrounded the collar bomb case. WebSir William Rothenstein (29 January 1872 14 February 1945) was an English painter, printmaker, draughtsman, lecturer, and writer on art. Then he sat in the witness box and matter-of-factly described the conspiracy to a rapt jury. He was also the man who seemed prepared, finally, to tell the whole story of what happened in the days leading up to August 28, 2003, the day of the robbery. At least, that's how most observers viewed Diehl-Armstrong's conviction. Rothenstein recalls in Men and Memories, 'We were all mesmerised by Ibsen in those days' (Rothenstein, I, p.210). But he turned out to be hiding a dark secret. A retired FBI criminal investigator, Fisher started closely tracking the collar bomb case after he saw footage of Wells squirming on the pavement with the device yoked around his neck. But the site offered no clues as to who may have lured him there or what happened once he arrived. Fiction: Other details regarding his involvement are coming from Co-Conspirator Ken Barnes, a convict with a vested interest. Who Is Bill Rothstein? An audio problem actually prevented the precise moment of the explosion from being shown on live TV. "You have only 15 minutes." Bill Rothstein may have appeared to be just a man who owned a house next to a TV tower. While he initially came into the investigation as a neighbor and former lover of Diehl-Armstrong, his involvement went much deeper, making us wonder, who is Bill Rothstein? It has your next instructions." When she finally was deemed ready to face a judge and jury, she was diagnosed with glandular cancer, and the proceeding was put on hold again as she awaited her prognosis. Undergraduate: College of William and Mary Hometown: Winchester, Virginia About me: Proud immigrant from Peru. It looked like he was trying to scoot backward, to somehow escape the bomb strapped to his neck. In what has fast become one of the most bizarre and infamous bank robberies in U.S. history, the mysteries of the Erie Pizza Bomber Case continue to unfold. He was tackled as he tried to sprint away and locked into the device at gunpoint. Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong, along with her severe bi-polar and personality disorders, recently stood trial in Erie, Pennsylvania on federal grand jury charges of bank robbery, conspiracy, and weapons charges. It appeared to be a taunt: Can you guess who is behind this? Is it clear yet that Wells was a co-conspirator? Sir William Rothenstein was an influential English critic and artist, known for his lithographic portraits, such as those in Oxford Characters (1893), and his paintings, a number of whch are held at the Tate. He kept James Rodens corpse in a chest freezer in his garage for five weeks. It contained drawings, threats, and detailed maps. The picture expresses the tension of Act III of The Doll's House when Mrs Linden and Krogstad are listening for the end of the dance upstairs. The various agents of law enforcement listen intently as Rothstein continues holding court over the crime scene, "There could be some rags at the bottom of that garbage can with my blood on them and a razor blade." The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW Washington, DC 20500 To William W. Popp, Nominee for Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Uganda He had a short cane in his right hand and a strange bulge under the collar of his T-shirt. I enjoy spending time with my boyfriend, dog, family, and co-workers. Never. The news was shocking. "There is only one way you can survive and that is to cooperate completely," the notes read in meticulous lettering that would later stymie handwriting analysis. Stroud, Gloucestershire, 14 Feb. 1945). Just wanted to be sure you didn't think this had anything to do with the Wells Case." Buchanan said the investigation has been complicated by the deaths of at least two witnesses. They were shortly joined there by Was it wise to let such an erratic, unpredictable personality testify? It turned out that the quiet pizza man had a relationship with a prostitute. He is awesome doctor. Writing in black marker, Rothstein expressed his apologies "to those who cared for or about me," identified the body in his freezer as that of Jim Roden, and noted that he "did not kill him, nor participate in his death." In Fisher's view, Rothstein toyed with the investigators from the start, concocting the scavenger hunt at least in part to send them on a useless chase, eating up valuable time in the precious days after the robbery. Which lets you explain your symptoms before he hive you his opinion. Why scatter clues in public locations where they might be discovered? While he initially came into the investigation as a neighbor and former lover of Diehl-Armstrong, his involvement went much deeper, making us wonder, who is Bill Rothstein? The journalists, eager to get a view of the scene, asked Rothstein if he could lead them through his yard. "It continues to be the opinion of the [department] that this is much more than a mere bank robbery," it reads. Rothenstein used his wife, actor Alice Kingsley and his friend, artist Augustus John as the models. The FBI believes a Stockton associate, William Rothstein, was the mastermind of the heist and likely made the bomb, the affidavit says. He is awesome doctor! But he turned out to be hiding a dark secret. Rothstein, who never accomplished much in life, wanted to prove his brilliance by executing a crime that would grab headlines across the globe and baffle authorities for years. Barnesthe ex-crack dealer and would-be hit manwas Piccinini's star witness, and his final one. When they got there, they found the jar, but it was empty. Wells fell backwards and was motionless. Couple his participation with an utter lack of physical evidence connecting anyone to the bomb or cane gun and there goes any notion of the FBI investigating his death as a murder. Wells fidgeted. He had two sisters, Addie, born February 19, 1878, and Jerusha (Ziegler) who also lived in Titusville. At the trial, information in this very tight-lipped case finally became available. Though he covered many subjects ranging from landscapes in France to representations of Jewish synagogues in London he is perhaps best known for his work as a war artist in both world wars, his portraits, and his popular memoirs, written in the 1930s. The FBI believes a Stockton associate, William Rothstein, was the mastermind of the heist and likely made the bomb, the affidavit says. When the Feds met with Diehl-Armstrong, she told them that, if they could arrange a transfer from Muncy state penitentiary to the minimum-security prison in Cambridge Springs, a facility much closer to Erie, she would tell them everything she knew. Wells' relatives weren't the only ones who were dubious. Unfortunately for Diehl-Armstrong, it was all a part of Bill Rothstein's master plan. Kara Rhodes, Erie Times News reporter, was at the scene; "The bomb went off and there was just silence, it was eerily silent." He is awesome doctor! Every time she opened her mouth, she unleashed a torrent of words. But he turned out to be hiding a dark secret. They just wanted to craft a beguiling puzzle, one that would resist explanation for years to come and that would keep cops and investigators hunting fruitlessly after clues just as Wells was sent on his doomed scavenger hunt. Vous pouvez modifier vos choix tout moment en consultant vos paramtres de vie prive. Co-Conspirator Kenneth Barnes is very happy to be serving forty-five years in prison after he pled guilty in 2008 for his involvement. ROTHSTEIN William A. Rothstein, 60, longtime Summit Township resident, Friday, July 30, 2004. The proximity of Roden's body, Rothstein's house and the TV tower site where Brian Wells was sent to deliver the pizzas was no coincidence. RELATED:8 Best True Crime Podcasts For People Who Just Love Being Scared. Failure or disobedience would result in certain death. WebWilliam married Kate Reed in 1890 at Titusville, Florida. And could Diehl-Armstrong, with her myriad mental issues, really plan such a complex crime? The Tate Gallery also holds a large collection of his paintings, prints and drawings. For seven years, the FBI was engaged in a scavenger hunt of its own, one that the Collar Bomber seemed to have planned as intricately as the one that had ensnared Wells. Pour en savoir plus sur notre utilisation de vos informations, veuillez consulter notre Politique relative la vie prive et notre Politique en matire de cookies. First a federal judge ruled Diehl-Armstrong mentally unfit to stand trial. Rothstein told police that she was taking it too far. deception and the hypocrisy of the Helmers' marriage. Though he revealed the location of the body, he claimed he had no part in the murder of James Roden (who detectives later found out was, in fact, the frozen man and boyfriend of Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong), and had written a suicide note due to his guilt. panasonic ethnocentric approach, Ken Barnes, a convict with a prostitute the investigation has been complicated by deaths. Born February 19, 1878, and hiking and died on the pavement used his,... Taking it too far trial, information in this very tight-lipped case finally became available exactly! Bill Rothstein 's ultimate triumph just a man who owned a house next to a rapt.. 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