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Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong and Kenneth Barnes were central figures in the 2003 Pizza Bomber case in Erie, Pennsylvania. Diehl-Armstrong, known for her criminal history and mental health issues, masterminded a plot involving a bank robbery that led to the death of pizza delivery driver Brian Wells.
Barnes, a retired television repairman and crack dealer, collaborated with her in this scheme. Both Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong and Kenneth Barnes died in prison while serving their sentences due to major health complications.
The Pizza Bomber incident involved Brian Wells, who was forced to rob a bank with a bomb collar locked around his neck. The plot, orchestrated by Diehl-Armstrong and Barnes, aimed to obtain funds for a murder-for-hire scheme. Wells died when the bomb detonated shortly after the robbery.
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Season 6, episode 5 of Very Scary People, titled The Man Eater, features the Pizza Bomber case and details the roles of Diehl-Armstrong and Barnes in this crime. Hosted by Donnie Wahlberg, the episode is set to be aired on ID on January 12, 2025.
Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong and Kenneth Barnes died while serving their sentences
Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong was convicted for her role in the Pizza Bomber case and sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole in 2011, as per a CBS News report dated March 2, 2011. She was incarcerated at the Federal Medical Center, Carswell, in Fort Worth, Texas.
Diehl-Armstrong succumbed to breast cancer in prison on April 4, 2017, at the age of 68, according to a July 2020 report by the Erie Times-News.
Kenneth Barnes pleaded guilty to charges related to the bank robbery and was sentenced to 45 years in prison in 2008. His sentence was later reduced to 22 and a half years after he testified against Diehl-Armstrong, as per a June 7, 2011 report by Reuters.
Barnes was serving his sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution, Butner Medium II, in North Carolina. He died at the Federal Medical Center Butner on June 20, 2019, at the age of 65, as per the Erie Times-News.
The whole story of the Pizza Bomber case
On August 28, 2003, in Erie, Pennsylvania, pizza delivery guy Brian Wells entered a PNC Bank with a bomb locked around his neck. He handed the teller a note demanding $250,000 but left with over $8,000, as per a report by People dated December 15, 2022. Shortly after, police apprehended him. Wells informed officers that he was forced to wear the explosive device. Despite efforts to secure his safety, the bomb blasted, resulting in his death.
The investigation revealed a complex conspiracy involving several individuals. Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong was identified as the mastermind. She conspired with Kenneth Barnes, a retired television repairman and crack dealer, to fund a plot to kill her father and inherit his money. Her former boyfriend, William Rothstein, and another person, Floyd Stockton, also participated in the scheme. As per People, they coerced Wells into the robbery, allegedly telling him the bomb was fake.
In 2007, Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong and Barnes were charged. Barnes pleaded guilty and received a reduced sentence of 22½ years in exchange for testifying against Diehl-Armstrong. She was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment without parole in 2011.
The Pizza Bomber case remains one of the most intricate and bizarre crimes in FBI history. It has been the subject of extensive media coverage, and its story was featured in the Netflix series Evil Genius.
Stay tuned for more news and updates, and watch the latest episodes of Very Scary People on ID and Amazon Prime Video.
