Progress reported in bank robbery-bomb death case

(Applies to the Chapter 7. Criminal Law - Defenses - Duress

Saturday, February 17, 2007
Investigators are nearing the end of a three-year probe into the death of an Erie pizza deliveryman who was killed when a bomb strapped around his neck exploded shortly after a bank robbery.
Prosecutors and investigators met for three hours Friday with U.S. Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan to discuss the death of Brian Wells. New developments prompted the meeting, Buchanan said.
"We now believe we have a much better understanding of what happened on Aug. 28, 2003," Buchanan said. "I'm very encouraged by the information that has been collected."
Wells, 46, died as he sat handcuffed in a parking lot and surrounded by police, who stopped him minutes after he robbed a bank outside Erie. The collar bomb locked around his neck exploded while officers waited for a bomb squad.
No charges have been filed in Wells' death, but an unnamed law enforcement official has been quoted by the news media as saying indictments could come as soon as next month.
Buchanan would not say if the report was accurate. She said she is the only person who could make the decision as to whether to seek a grand jury indictment, adding that she has not told anyone whether she's made such a decision.
"I can't jeopardize this investigation, which is nearing an end, by making comments on what's been concluded and what hasn't been," Buchanan said. "Until a grand jury hears that testimony and determines there's probable cause, it would be improper to make that comment and I would not do that."
Buchanan promised to take action against the source of the story, should she learn that person's identity.
Buchanan would not say the case was solved, only that she expects it "will be completed promptly."
Wells' death has remained a mystery for so long, in part, because several people connected to the investigation have died in the past three years, Buchanan said. She would not say whether their deaths were related to the case, only that one of the "several" deaths was natural.
Investigators have spent years trying to determine whether Wells was a victim in the bank robbery plot or participated willingly. Buchanan declined to comment as to whether that question has been answered.
Wells left Mama Mia's Pizza-Ria about 2 p.m. the day of his death to deliver pizza to a remote location, which turned out to be an abandoned television tower. About 40 minutes later, he showed up at a PNC Bank branch outside Erie, handed a note to a teller and raised his shirt to show the bomb.
Wells was stopped by police two minutes after the robbery. A series of notes found in Wells' possession gave explicit details on how to rob the bank and survive the experience -- including instructions to go to three locations within a specified time in order to retrieve keys and a code to disarm the bomb.
"Alerting authorities, your company or anyone else will bring your death," a handwritten note read. "If we spot police vehicles or aircraft you will be killed."
A grand jury in Erie has heard testimony from numerous people, Buchanan said. She added that several more steps need to be taken before the investigation ends.
Jason Cato can be reached at jcato@tribweb.com or 412-