Pizza Man Bank Robbery of 2003

In 2003, Brian Wells, a pizza delivery man, was lured to a fake address and forced at gunpoint to wear a metal collar with a time bomb attached. He received a note instructing him to rob a bank and complete other tasks with the promise that the bomb would not explode if he succeeded, though it was later discovered that it was rigged to detonate regardless. Soon after, Wells robbed a bank using a homemade shotgun, took less than $10,000, and was apprehended by police. Despite pleading with them to call the bomb squad, it took them half an hour to do so. Unfortunately, the bomb detonated at 3:18 p.m., killing Wells and broadcasting the explosion on live television.

Two conspirators, Kenneth Barnes and Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong, were convicted in 2007 and sentenced to lengthy prison terms. They claimed Wells was a willing participant, believing the bomb would be fake. The motive behind the crime was to obtain funds for Diehl-Armstrong to arrange her father's murder, securing a substantial inheritance.