BOMB-DEATH SHOCK

New York Post ^ | September 7, 2003 | By PHILIP RECCHIA

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Cops are baffled by the case of pizza deliveryman Brian Wells.

September 7, 2003 -- ERIE, Pa. - Four hidden keys may have saved Brian Wells from being blown up by the pipe bomb that was shackled to his neck. Wells was the 46-year-old pizza delivery man who was killed by the bomb 40 minutes after robbing a PNC Bank in Erie on Aug. 28.

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Cops are baffled by the case of pizza deliveryman Brian Wells

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PING - Please ping others

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Bartone, who is not involved in the investigation, also said that the four-prong, high-security keys used in the device, are made only in Brazil and Thailand. From looking at the device in photos posted in the FBI's Web site, Bartone believes the locks were made in Brazil

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I worked for a company that bought locks from Brazil, the company I worked for was in Illinois... They need to check around Erie and the surrounding areas for companies that use and deal with this type of uncommon lock. But of course rumor has it that Wells said a dark skinned man put the collar bomb on him... hmmm possibly a Brazilian?

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Now tell me that Wells is guilty of doing this after you check out these high security locks and what they are used for. - PDF File)

Google Search for Brazilian high security locks

And the first one in line is... American Casting

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See the PDF File linked above and then see how he (the collar bomb maker) had to incase the body of the locks in steel so that bolt cutters could not be used to cut the locks. I wanna know why the FBI or the Erie cops are still considering that Wells did this to himself - are they trying to make him look bad because they would not listen to him when was pleading for their help and the freaken bomb went off. It is possible if someone would have listened to him, they may have saved his life as each key probably would have gave him more time on the timer to get to the next key.

[TomGuy]

The FBI is asking anyone who has information about the Wells case or knowledge of the type of collar bomb that killed him to call (800) 219-2008.

It seems to me that the FBI are acting like officials during the W.DC area sniper rampage. They keep asking for information but they aren't releasing enough details for the public to have any idea what kind of information might be useful.

They were wanting info on the bomb, but didn't even release pics of it for several days. They want info on the cane-gun, but no pics or further info to even know what it might look like. They want info on the locks, but no pics or further info on what kind of lock.

Granted, they need to keep some info from public consumption, but they need to quit the "looking for a white guy in a white van; please call us with details on him/it" type of info requests.

This whole case took over 2 days to even reach the news media. The bomb killed the pizza man on a Thursday, but information was not released to the public/wires/networks/FoxNews Alerts until the following Sunday. That, to me, indicates the FBI knows this is much more than a typical disgruntled white guy robs a bank and gets killed. It is much much more. The FBI wants info, but they won't say that they probably suspect international/foreign mobster involvement.

[BunnySlippers]

Bookmark

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The collar's four locks "would have been almost impossible for most locksmiths to pick" and the odds of doing so without detonating the bomb "would be incalculable," said locksmith Mike Bartone of Personal Protection Headquarters in Erie.

Yeah... because at least 3 of them were wired to the timer. I bet each one as they were unlocked gave him more time to get to the next key OR the bomb strapper knew that Wells could not complete all the tasks before it went off and maybe he was hoping to see (watch) Wells scurry around trying to find each of the keys.

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you know why... because they know Wells did not do this (they are covering their butts for not listening to him or they are screwing with the real person who did it... notice how they keep pointing out Wells was slow, a high school drop out, blah blah blah but still are claiming they don't know if he did this to himself or not. After reading this morning about the locks and that they most likely came from Brazil (sold here through American Distrubutors under their own brand name) I knew that it had to be someone that had knowledge of what these types of locks are used for.

[Sunnyvale CA Eng.]

"After reading this morning about the locks and that they most likely came from Brazil (sold here through American Distrubutors under their own brand name) I knew that it had to be someone that had knowledge of what these types of locks are used for."

Perhaps, but it is possible that whoever made it just had access to them out of happenstance - found them at work, or on a scrapped machine, etc. It is not difficult to design something like this. I would guess any nutjob with some basic shop skills and electrical knowledge could pull it off. Take a look at the metal housing for the lock/timer assembly and notice the crude construction. The steel was machined with hacksaws and files and one of the screws is missing because the bolt holes do not line up - although it could have been damaged from the explosion. The collar assembly looks like it was from something else and welded to the timer/lock. It looks too complex for somebody to make with the same tools (hacksaws and files) that were used for the timer/lock. It also looks too complex for the purpose.

[G.Mason]

"The six- to nine-page manifesto that came to light Friday was handwritten in the same typewriter-like handwriting seen in FBI photos of the collar - as was the note Wells gave to the bank teller."

" FBI spokesman Bill Crowley acknowledged the existence of the manifesto but declined further comment. He said the handwriting is still being analyzed by the bureau's experts in Quantico, Va."

(from Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary)
manifesto
noun
[C] plural manifestos manifestoes

a written statement of the beliefs, aims and policies of an organization, especially a political party:

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either they are high security cargo locks or they are switch locks...I cannot not tell as I cannot make out the keyhole in picture well enough.

[DainBramage]

The FBI or the local police? I don't beleive the FBI was on the scene.

What did you expect them to do start jamming keys into the device before the

bomb squad had taken a look at it and end up killing 4-5 people instead of one?

[Criminal Number 18F]

The lock in the .pdf you posted doesn't seem to match the cruciform keyholes?

...but the green key in the side of the device looks like the kind of key in that .pdf, doesn't it?

Necklace bombs like this have been used to coerce people into committing crimes before, notably in Colombia. (by the FARC). None of the bombs use there appears to have been as sophisticated as this infernal machine.

The FBI have a lot to go on, though. They have the remains of the bomb, they have the autopsy on the unfortunate Mr Wells, they have the many interviews they are doing, and they have the note.

If this is Wells's own doing, he's smarter that people seemed to think, but too smart for his own good. I don't think a guy who didn't have jhis own workshop would be able to make that collar, the crude metalwork notwithstanding.

It looks to me like the collar bit was some kind of automotive bracket, and the box part of the bomb was built-up. I wonder if there is any significance to the blue paint? The guy who built the box part had the following tools at a minimum:

1. a sheet metal brake
2. a drill (drill press could be argued either way, but I suspect a handheld drill)
3. a metal cutting saw (probably a bandsaw).
4. Probably taps and dies

Stuff found in an auto repair shop, but not in most homes.

d.o.l.

Criminal Number 18F

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You are so right about the construction of it... the collar came from something else and was not made by this person, it is something that was manufactured in a plant probably and in large quanities for some field of work... but the box attached to the collar was (notice the poor weld line) and as you said the sloppy cutting & drilling to give access to the keyholes. The problem I have is the access he had to the locks, as I always thought these locks were rare, expensive, and hard for the average joe to get his hand on. But I cannot see the keyholes well enough to see the type of key that would have to be used. (but the story says 4 prong)

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the green thing is not a key... look at both pictures and you can see it in both, it is a piece of metal that is greenish in color... The collar is flipped over and you are seeing each side of it in both pictures. In one picture the collar looks blue and the other it looks grey... it is the lighting when the pictures were taken... The one picture of the locks close up, was outdoors and still on his neck... see the t-shirt and spots of blood in the picture.

[Protect the Bill of Rights]

I must confess I haven't been following this story closely. Can someone explain why this seems to be getting more national attention & press than normal? Or is that my imagination?

[twntaipan]

This sounds like something from Dennis Hopper's character in Speed.

[mewzilla]

If it bleeds, it leads.