FBI Appeals For Help After Pizza Man 'Forced To Rob Bank' Is Killed By Bomb Around His Neck

FBI appeals for help after pizza man 'forced to rob bank' is killed by bomb fixed around his neck

The FBI has released pictures of a metal collar that was found fixed around the neck of pizza deliveryman who robbed a bank and then died when a bomb that was locked to the collar exploded.

State troopers arrested Brian Wells shortly after he robbed a bank outside the town of Erie in Pennsylvania last Thursday. He told the officers that he had been forced to rob the bank and that he was wearing a bomb that was fixed to the metal collar.

Officers sent for the bomb squad but before they could arrive the device exploded, killing Mr Wells. Police had been standing at a distance and no one else was hurt. "I don't have a lot of time," Mr Wells had said, his final words to police captured on video.

Bob Rudge, an FBI agent, said yesterday that the bureau was releasing pictures of the collar in the hope that someone might come forward and provide information to help to solve the case.

He said the collar offered a "strong lead" in the inquiry. "We feel this device was made uniquely for the incident at hand," he said.

"We are hopeful that someone may recognise the instrument, the metal, the locking material used to secure it to the neck, and call us with that information so that we can further examine the details of its construction."

Mr Rudge added: "It's been reported that the bomb was sophisticated, but I don't agree with that. It is a very common explosive device. What makes it unique, however, was the manner in which it was affixed to the person."

Officials said the series of events started when Mr Wells made a delivery to a remote address on the outskirts of Erie.

Less than an hour later he appeared at a branch of the PNC bank with a bulge under his shirt and a note demanding money. The note - along with another which bore instructions for Mr Wells - has been sent to experts for analysis.

Meanwhile, officials also released information from a post-mortem examination of one of Mr Wells's colleagues from Mama Mia's pizza store, who was found dead on Sunday at his home in nearby Lawrence Park Township.

While they do not know if the death of Robert Pinetti, 43, was connected, police said preliminary tests suggested he might have died as the result of an overdose.

Bradley Foulk, Erie county district attorney, said tests indicated the presence of methadone and depressants similar to Valium in Mr Pinetti's body. Taken together, he said, those drugs "could lead to respiratory depression, which could result in an accidental or intentional drug overdose. But we do not know that this is positively the case at this time."

Results Of Brian Wells Autopsy ( Air Date: 9/2/2003 ) The Erie County coroner`s office has released the autopsy results in the death of 46-year old Brian Wells. Wells was killed Thursday afternoon when a bomb attached to his body detonated after he robbed the PNC Bank in Summit Township. Chief Deputy Coroner Korac Timon told reporters the primary bomb blast killed Wells, causing blunt force trauma to the heart and lungs. The lethal wound left a postcard sized opening in the left side of his chest. The blast did not dismember Wells` body, but Timon says there is no way Wells could have survived. The cororner`s office is still waiting for toxicology results from a lab in Philadelphia.

Answers needed in Wells case - 9/3/03

FBI tries to trace collar in bombing - 9/3/03
The oval collar did not appear to have "any legitimate industrial use" and was probably made solely for use in the robbery, the investigators said in a news conference in Erie.

"It is unique in its construction," said Special Agent Bob Rudge, a supervisor in the FBI's Erie office.

FBI Not Sure If Blown-Up Robber Was Victim Or Criminal
Tue Sep 2, 6:00 PM ET

Investigators in Pennsylvania are still trying to solve the strange case of a pizza deliveryman they say robbed a bank, then was killed by a bomb strapped to his body.

The FBI (news - web sites) is looking for information on the collar bomb that the pizza deliveryman was wearing when it exploded Thursday.

Agents are hoping someone will recognize the material used in the neck device so they can get details of the collar's construction.

Brian Wells, 46, delivered a pizza to a mysterious address, which ended up being a remote radio tower. He robbed a nearby bank an hour later and was captured by police soon thereafter in the parking lot of Eye Glass World. Wells then told police that he was being forced to rob the bank and that someone strapped the bomb to his body. He then pulled the key out and started the timer. Who pulled the key out? (Wells or the person who strapped it on him after he put it on Wells?) He begged for help and told officers that he didn't have a lot of time left.

As police waited for a bomb technician, the bomb went off, killing Wells.

The bomb had a locking device protruding from the neck and four locks on the side. It looked to be homemade and was unique in its construction. Officials said it is the most dangerous type of bombing that a bomb technician has to respond to because it entails actually approaching and doing a hand entry into the device to render it safe.

A multipage note Wells produced during the robbery is still being analyzed.

The FBI said it has been getting tips about the robbery hourly. Agents are still trying to determine if Wells was a willing participant in the robbery -- or a victim.

Wells' friend and co-worker, Robert Paneti, was also found dead Sunday.

The district attorney said that an autopsy on Paneti was performed by the Erie County Coroner's Office Monday.

The coroner said there was no sign of trauma to his body. Paneti has a long history of drug abuse, and preliminary tests indicated he had methadone and a Valium-type drug in his system. That could have led to an accidental or intentional drug overdose.

Investigators said that, so far, they don't know of a connection between the two cases.

Meanwhile, the FBI continues to investigate the Wells case and is hoping lab results and forensic evidence will help. Investigators have split into two teams -- one that considers Wells an innocent victim and one that considers him a willing participant.

Officials said they will release a tip line Tuesday afternoon for people to call with more information on the case.

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