Kenneth Barnes

On December 3, 2008, Kenneth Barnes was sentenced to 45 years in prison for his role in the bizarre 2003 collar-bomb killing of pizza deliveryman Brian Wells.¹

Barnes and his co-conspirator, Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong, forced Wells at gunpoint to place a collar-bomb around his neck and then rob a bank. Wells robbed the bank but was apprehended by police in a parking lot moments later. Wells was handcuffed and left sitting in the parking lot while police stood a safe distance way. Before the bomb squad arrived, the bomb exploded, killing Wells.²

Fast Facts

1. Date of Wells' death: August 28, 2003
2. Jamie Mead: Barnes' attorney
3. September 3, 2008: Pleaded guilty to conspiring to rob a bank and to aiding and abetting
4. December 3, 2008: Sentenced to 45 years behind bars
5. Could have been sentenced to life in prison²
6. Barnes was 55 at sentencing¹
7. According to the indictment, Diehl-Armstrong asked Barnes how to make a pipe bomb several weeks prior to the robbery²
8. The indictment also stated that Diehl-Armstrong told Barnes she wanted to use the money from the bank robbery to pay Barnes to kill her father²
9. Barnes was not charged with helping to make the bomb or the collar²

Quotes

• "[Barnes was] a very minor player in the entire event. The problem was that he was still a player, therefore he was involved in the conspiracy. That's why he was charged with it and that's why he's got to plead guilty to it.—Barnes attorney Jamie Mead²

Related Pages on Mahalo

Pizza Bomber | Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong | Erie Collar-Bomb Case

Categories