On the afternoon of August 23, 2003, Erie, Pennsylvania pizza delivery driver Brian Wells walked into the local branch of the PNC Bank and handed the teller a note warning that he had a bomb and they had fifteen minutes to hand over $250,000 or it would detonate. Unable to access the vault, the teller gave Wells all the cash on hand and he left as the employees triggered the emergency protocol.

Fifteen minutes later, Wells was spotted by police and placed under arrest. However, when they went to put handcuffs on the suspects, the officers discovered that Wells did indeed have an explosive device on him—it was strapped to his neck and rigged to explode. Officers cleared the area, but failed to alert the bomb squad in time and the device eventually exploded, killing Wells just three minutes before the bomb squad arrived.

The bizarre death of Brian Wells seemed to bring his brief criminal career to an end; yet as investigators began digging into the background of the delivery driver-turned-bank robber, they discovered the plot to rob the PNC Bank was far more elaborate than anyone had imagined.

Associated Press. 2003. "Witness also helped in 1977 slaying." Scranton Times, September 25: 5.

—. 2003. "Woman charged in roomate's death." The Sentinel (Carlisle, PA), September 23: 2.

Dao, James. 2003. "A childlike pizza deliveryman at the center of a puzzling crime." New York Times, September 5: A12.

Fuoco, Linda Wilson. 2003. "Robber, co-worker death query." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, September 1.

Fuoco, Michael. 2007. "Feds say collar bomb victim was part of plot." Pitsburgh Post-Gazette, July 12: 1.

Lin, Judy. 2003. "Erie bank robber explodes in police custody." Citizens' Voice (Wilkes-Barre, PA), August 31: 5.

—. 2003. "Bomb-case probers urge patience." Patriot-News (Harrisburg, PA), September 5: B5.

—. 2003. "Man may have been forced to rob Erie bank." The Daily Item (Sunbury, PA), August 31: 3.

Mandak, Joe. 2011. "Woman gets life plus 30 in collar-bomb death." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, March 1: 1.

Nephin, Dan. 2003. "Woman acquitted of boyfriend's death 15 years ago charges with killing another." The Morning Call (Allentown, PA), September 23: 14.

Schapiro, Rich. 2011. "Collar bomb." Wired, Janaury.

Times-Tribune. 2005. "Woman pleads guilty in killing." Times-Tribune (Scranton, PA), January 9: 2.

United States of America v. Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong. 2009. 1:07-cr-26-SJM (United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, September 8).

United States of America v. Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong. 2012. 11-1601 (United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, September 25).

Wire News Service. 2003. "Neighbors say bank robber led quiet life." Patriot-News (Harrisburg, PA), September 4: B3.

Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)

Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)

Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley

Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally

Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025)

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

When firefighters discovered the body of forty-year-old Terry King inside the charred remains of his Cantonment, Florida home in November 2001, they assumed the man had been asleep when the fire broke out and died as a result. Upon further inspection, investigators found that King hadn’t died as a result of the fire, but from severe blunt force trauma to his head. And even more alarming than that was the fact that King’s two boys, thirteen-year-old Derek and twelve-year-old Alex, were missing.

Having occurred immediately in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Terry King’s murder could have easily been one of many tragedies lost in the fog of national trauma and grief; however, when King’s killers were arrested and identified in the days that followed, the story was so shocking, and the motive so heartbreaking, that it managed to break through the wall-to-wall coverage of the attacks.

Associated Press. 2002. "Convicted molester denies urging boys to kill dad." Miami Herald , February 1: 33.

—. 2002. "Convicted child molester accused of writing love letter to boy in jail." Miami Herald, April 4: 363.

—. 2001. "Grandmother: Boys couldn't have killed dad." Miami Herald, November 29: 438.

Canedy, Dana. 2002. "Judge throws out brothers' murder conviction." New York Times, October 18.

—. 2002. "Reject sympathy, jury is told in boys' trial." New York Times, September 6.

CBS News. 2002. Man gets 30 years in killer boys case. November 7. Accessed December 9, 2025. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/man-gets-30-years-in-killer-boys-case/.

Clark, Lesley. 2001. "Boys accused of bluedgeoning father, setting home on fire." Miami Herald, December 4: 1.

Gomez, Alan. 2002. "Boys take stand against friend." Pensacola News Journal, August 28: 1.

—. 2002. "Chavis judge denies request for acquittal." Pensacola News Journal, August 29: 1.

Graybiel, Ginny. 2002. "Slaying suspect vows he could hurt no one." Pensacola News Journal, August 4: 1.

Kaczor, Bill. 2002. "Sons change story, still to be tried for murder." Miami Herald, August 25: 970.

Keith Morrison. 2009. Second chances. September 7. Accessed December 6, 2025. https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna32664652.

2003. American Justice: Blood Brothers. Performed by Bill Kurtis.

Midico, Kathryn, and Mollye Barrows. 2004. A Perversion of Justice: A Southern Tragedy of Murder, Lies, and Innocence Betrayed. New York, NY: Avon .

New York Times. 2002. "Boy, 13, testifies he and brother didn't kill their father." New York Times, September 5.

Scandlen, Monica. 2002. "Testimonies quiet, simple." Pensacola News Journal, August 28: 1.

Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)

Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)

Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley

Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally

Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025)

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

When firefighters discovered the body of forty-year-old Terry King inside the charred remains of his Cantonment, Florida home in November 2001, they assumed the man had been asleep when the fire broke out and died as a result. Upon further inspection, investigators found that King hadn’t died as a result of the fire, but from severe blunt force trauma to his head. And even more alarming than that was the fact that King’s two boys, thirteen-year-old Derek and twelve-year-old Alex, were missing.

Having occurred immediately in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Terry King’s murder could have easily been one of many tragedies lost in the fog of national trauma and grief; however, when King’s killers were arrested and identified in the days that followed, the story was so shocking, and the motive so heartbreaking, that it managed to break through the wall-to-wall coverage of the attacks.

Associated Press. 2002. "Convicted molester denies urging boys to kill dad." Miami Herald , February 1: 33.

—. 2002. "Convicted child molester accused of writing love letter to boy in jail." Miami Herald, April 4: 363.

—. 2001. "Grandmother: Boys couldn't have killed dad." Miami Herald, November 29: 438.

Canedy, Dana. 2002. "Judge throws out brothers' murder conviction." New York Times, October 18.

—. 2002. "Reject sympathy, jury is told in boys' trial." New York Times, September 6.

CBS News. 2002. Man gets 30 years in killer boys case. November 7. Accessed December 9, 2025. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/man-gets-30-years-in-killer-boys-case/.

Clark, Lesley. 2001. "Boys accused of bluedgeoning father, setting home on fire." Miami Herald, December 4: 1.

Gomez, Alan. 2002. "Boys take stand against friend." Pensacola News Journal, August 28: 1.

—. 2002. "Chavis judge denies request for acquittal." Pensacola News Journal, August 29: 1.

Graybiel, Ginny. 2002. "Slaying suspect vows he could hurt no one." Pensacola News Journal, August 4: 1.

Kaczor, Bill. 2002. "Sons change story, still to be tried for murder." Miami Herald, August 25: 970.

Keith Morrison. 2009. Second chances. September 7. Accessed December 6, 2025. https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna32664652.

2003. American Justice: Blood Brothers. Performed by Bill Kurtis.

Midico, Kathryn, and Mollye Barrows. 2004. A Perversion of Justice: A Southern Tragedy of Murder, Lies, and Innocence Betrayed. New York, NY: Avon .

New York Times. 2002. "Boy, 13, testifies he and brother didn't kill their father." New York Times, September 5.

Scandlen, Monica. 2002. "Testimonies quiet, simple." Pensacola News Journal, August 28: 1.

Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)

Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)

Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley

Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally

Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025)

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Happy Holidays Weirdos! For Alaina's Second Episode Revisit, she wanted to choose an episode that introduced us to a true hero!

OG Notes: Guys, this Alaina "Mini" Morbid is a doozy. How did we never know about this harrowing tale of 26 children and their heroic bus driver who survived over 24 hours of terror while being buried alive? Seriously, this one if intense but it has a happy ending that will leave you satisfied....at least somewhat satisfied.

Resources:
https://www.cnn.com/2015/11/19/us/rewind-chowchilla-school-bus-kidnapping/index.html

https://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/hero-bus-driver-ed-ray-saved-kidnapped-children-1976-dies-91-article-1.1081059

https://www.latimes.com/visuals/photography/la-me-fw-archives-the-1976-chowchilla-bus-kidnapping-20190709-htmlstory.html

https://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/ajp.138.1.14?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori%3Arid%3Acrossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub++0pubmed&

Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)

Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)

Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley

Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally

Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025)

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

For Alaina’s first EPISODE REVISIT this week, we are hopping into the way back in time machine and transporting ourselves to 2018! In the first MiniMORBID, Ash & Alaina talk about some of the spooky figures of the holiday season!

OG Notes: "It's the holidays, weirdos! Time to get freaky, brutal and murderous. Tonight on our first mini-Morbid episode, we are covering Santa's scary helpers who will beat you, eat you and maybe steal your candles.”

Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)

Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)

Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley

Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally

Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025)

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Weirdos! Get ready to welcome the holidays with Krampus and tales brought to you By you FOR you and ALL ABOUT YOU! This month we're talking holiday related tales, and Nicholas was so engaged, that it was impossible to edit him out! We're talking near death experiences, phantom hikers and two instances of neighbors being the absolute worst!

LISTEN on all podcast platforms OR WATCH on Youtube!

If you’ve got a listener tale please send it to DEB by emailing us at Morbidpodcast@gmail.com with “Listener Tales” somewhere in the subject line- and if you share pictures- please let us know if we can share them with fellow weirdos! :)

Huge shout out to our video editor @aidanmcelman

Music: Www.purple-Planet.com

Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)

Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)

Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley

Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally

Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025)

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

During the second decade of the twentieth century, an unidentified serial killer was believed to have operated in Atlanta, Georgia, brutally killing at least twenty Black woman. Due to the similarities between the Whitechapel victims and the victims in Atlanta, the Georgia press dubbed their killer “the Atlanta Ripper,” an anonymous monster whose presence held the city’s Black population in a grip of fear. For a period of roughly five years, the Atlanta Ripper killed with regularity on the city streets, slashing, mutilating, and otherwise brutalizing the bodies of the women they killed. Despite having at least six viable suspects, investigators were never able to conclusively identify the Atlanta Ripper and the murders remain unsolved.

Atlanta Constitution . 1912. "Negro woman slain; suspect arrested." Atlanta Constitution, January 21: 5.

Atlanta Constitution. 1912. "Jack the Ripper believed to be a modern Bluebeard with 12 wives as victims." Atlanta Constitution , August 11: 1.

Atlanta Journal. 1910. "Deaths." Atlanta Constitution, April 5: 10.

—. 1911. "Antoher negress killed; black butcher at work?" Atlanta Journal, June 16: 14.

—. 1911. "Black 'Jack the Ripper' slays another negress." Atlanta Journal, July 2: 7.

—. 1911. "Has 'Jack the Ripper' fallen into dragnet?" Atlanta Journal, July 13: 4.

—. 1912. "Jack the Ripper caught at last, say detectives." Atlanta Journal, August 10: 1.

—. 1911. "'Jack the Ripper' foiled in 8th attempt Saturday." Atlanta Journal, July 9: 3.

—. 1912. "Negro woman murdered just outside the city." Atlanta Journal, April 8: 20.

—. 1911. "One of the Ripper crimes is no longer a mystery." Atlanta Journal, August 4: 11.

—. 1911. "Rosa Trice foully murdered." Atlanta Journal, January 23: 9.

—. 1911. "Will "Jack the Ripper" claim eight victim this Saturday?" Atlanta Journal, July 8: 8.

—. 1911. "Young negro is held for 'Ripper's' crime." Atlanta Journal, July 12: 17.

Constitution, Atlanta. 1911. "Negro woman killed; no clew to slayer." Atlanta Constitution , May 29: 7.

Franklin Evening Star. 1912. "Nineteenth horrid crime of Atlanta's Jack the Ripper." Franklin Evening Star, April 9: 2.

New York Times. 1911. "Eight victims now of Atlanta Ripper." New York Times, July 3: 3.

—. 1906. "Rioting goes on, despite troops." New York Times, September 24: 1.

Wells, Jeffrey. 2010.

The Atlanta Ripper: The Unsolved Case of the Gate City's Most Infamous Murders. Cheltenham, UK: The History Press.

Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)

Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)

Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley

Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally

Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025)

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It’s a paranormal crossover for the ages 👻 In this very special bonus episode, we’re joined by YouTube’s resident ghost-hunters Sam & Colby as we talk about our investigation of one of the most infamous haunted locations in America: the S.K. Pierce Mansion. Known for its dark history, aggressive energy, and “absolutely not” vibes, this house did not come to play. To take things to the next level, Sam & Colby brought in three psychics to independently tap into the mansion’s energy, and what they uncovered was chilling, emotional, and occasionally “we should probably leave right now.” From unsettling validations to shocking overlaps in what each psychic sensed, this investigation got intense fast. Grab your EMF readers, light a protection candle, and join us for a bonus episode where we go behind the scenes of the investigation CURRENTLY AVAILABLE on Sam & Colby's Youtube Channel!

Subscribe to Sam & Colby's Channel here and WATCH the episode!

Want to visit the S.K. Pierce Mansion? Click here to experience it firsthand!

Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)

Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)

Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley

Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally

Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025)

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.