Return to Transcripts main page

American Morning

FBI Releases New Evidence in Pizza Delivery Bomb Case

Aired February 11, 2004 - 09:16   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: The FBI is now looking for help in solving a strange six-month-old crime. Last August, you might remember, Pennsylvania police surrounded a pizza delivery man who had just robbed a bank. Brian Wells had a bomb locked around his neck. He told authorities that he had been forced into the robbery. The bomb went off killing Wells on the street.
Now the FBI has released a handwritten note found inside the man's car.

With us now, Dr. Michael Wellner, forensic psychiatrist and professor at New York University trying to make sense of this. We call it bizarre, indeed it is.

Why do you believe now they're releasing this letter, six months?

DR. MICHAEL WELLNER, FORENSIC PSYCHIATRIST: It's possible that the prime mover of this case left the community. It's possible that there are a number of people under suspicion and a style of penmanship might be familiar to somebody in the community who knows the prime mover of this case.

HEMMER: Which might be a lot of hallmarks (UNINTELLIGIBLE) in other cases that they've released letters trying to get somebody who might recognize the signature, the handwriting. I'm thinking about the anthrax case, et cetera.

(CROSSTALK)

WELLNER: ... what's a little different about this is that so much of the content has been covered up. And my read on that is that it's important for law enforcement to make sure that the person has no idea what the police know because in cases like this, they're so dramatic -- this isn't an amber alert case. Nobody wants to take credit for sex offenses.

Bombings are dramatic, spectacular crimes that people come forward and take credit and try to prove to police that they were responsible. So police are holding back information that only the prime mover would know

HEMMER: Parts of the letter have been released. Let me show you few of the phrases listed in that letter. And police have already said, and investigator, say it shows the author was obsessive.

Listen to these words here: "Stay calm, and do as instructed to survive. If police or aircraft are involved you will be destroyed. Alerting authorities or anyone else will prevent you from completing the mission. Act now, think later or you will die."

Tells you what from that language?

WELLNER: How do you get an inexperienced bank robber to go in and rob a bank? How do you, if he's not necessarily going to keep the money?

You have a humble man who was delivering pizzas. And he embroils himself in something where his life was on the line. And the only way to inspire that is through fear, at the end, in order to keep him from quitting because at some point he walks into the bank and says, This isn't worth it.

HEMMER: At one point, you say though, the steps were so clear, trying to instruct and tell Brian Wells what to do. What does that suggest to you?

WELLNER: You know, when you break down a case like this as a forensic psychiatrist quickly, you look at four things: the crime itself, the weapon used, the person victimized or the accessory and finally, the modus operandi.

This was a bank robbery, first and foremost. Secondly, it was a bomb. A very unusual, sophisticated instrument. Third, it was a patsy who was the accessory. Someone who is meticulous enough to construct a bomb is not going to engage someone who's an inexperienced criminal.

And finally, all of these efforts to avoid being detected, very consistent with the detail of a nine-page letter. More detail in avoiding getting picked up than having a successful bank robbery.

HEMMER: Quickly, six months ago there was a lot of talk that Brian Wells might have been involved. Is there anything in that letter that suggests that or otherwise?

WELLNER: I'm sure that the police are wondering how Brian Wells could have been engaged to take part in this. Perhaps there was some acquaintance, a friendly acquaintance where he was trusting enough to -- engaged to become hooked in by someone who, before he knew it, put something around his neck, and then led him to believe that a key was inserted in a timer and there was now no turning back.

HEMMER: The mystery continues. Dr. Michael Wellner, here thanks, at New York University in Manhattan. Nice to see you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired February 11, 2004 - 09:16   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: The FBI is now looking for help in solving a strange six-month-old crime. Last August, you might remember, Pennsylvania police surrounded a pizza delivery man who had just robbed a bank. Brian Wells had a bomb locked around his neck. He told authorities that he had been forced into the robbery. The bomb went off killing Wells on the street.
Now the FBI has released a handwritten note found inside the man's car.

With us now, Dr. Michael Wellner, forensic psychiatrist and professor at New York University trying to make sense of this. We call it bizarre, indeed it is.

Why do you believe now they're releasing this letter, six months?

DR. MICHAEL WELLNER, FORENSIC PSYCHIATRIST: It's possible that the prime mover of this case left the community. It's possible that there are a number of people under suspicion and a style of penmanship might be familiar to somebody in the community who knows the prime mover of this case.

HEMMER: Which might be a lot of hallmarks (UNINTELLIGIBLE) in other cases that they've released letters trying to get somebody who might recognize the signature, the handwriting. I'm thinking about the anthrax case, et cetera.

(CROSSTALK)

WELLNER: ... what's a little different about this is that so much of the content has been covered up. And my read on that is that it's important for law enforcement to make sure that the person has no idea what the police know because in cases like this, they're so dramatic -- this isn't an amber alert case. Nobody wants to take credit for sex offenses.

Bombings are dramatic, spectacular crimes that people come forward and take credit and try to prove to police that they were responsible. So police are holding back information that only the prime mover would know

HEMMER: Parts of the letter have been released. Let me show you few of the phrases listed in that letter. And police have already said, and investigator, say it shows the author was obsessive.

Listen to these words here: "Stay calm, and do as instructed to survive. If police or aircraft are involved you will be destroyed. Alerting authorities or anyone else will prevent you from completing the mission. Act now, think later or you will die."

Tells you what from that language?

WELLNER: How do you get an inexperienced bank robber to go in and rob a bank? How do you, if he's not necessarily going to keep the money?

You have a humble man who was delivering pizzas. And he embroils himself in something where his life was on the line. And the only way to inspire that is through fear, at the end, in order to keep him from quitting because at some point he walks into the bank and says, This isn't worth it.

HEMMER: At one point, you say though, the steps were so clear, trying to instruct and tell Brian Wells what to do. What does that suggest to you?

WELLNER: You know, when you break down a case like this as a forensic psychiatrist quickly, you look at four things: the crime itself, the weapon used, the person victimized or the accessory and finally, the modus operandi.

This was a bank robbery, first and foremost. Secondly, it was a bomb. A very unusual, sophisticated instrument. Third, it was a patsy who was the accessory. Someone who is meticulous enough to construct a bomb is not going to engage someone who's an inexperienced criminal.

And finally, all of these efforts to avoid being detected, very consistent with the detail of a nine-page letter. More detail in avoiding getting picked up than having a successful bank robbery.

HEMMER: Quickly, six months ago there was a lot of talk that Brian Wells might have been involved. Is there anything in that letter that suggests that or otherwise?

WELLNER: I'm sure that the police are wondering how Brian Wells could have been engaged to take part in this. Perhaps there was some acquaintance, a friendly acquaintance where he was trusting enough to -- engaged to become hooked in by someone who, before he knew it, put something around his neck, and then led him to believe that a key was inserted in a timer and there was now no turning back.

HEMMER: The mystery continues. Dr. Michael Wellner, here thanks, at New York University in Manhattan. Nice to see you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com