'Pizza Bomber Felon,' Who Blew Up A Delivery Man, Is Dead At 68

In a bizarre coincidence, the subject of Oxygen’s Martinis and Murders, Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong, has died in prison this week. Marjorie was serving 20 years in prison for killing her boyfriend James Roden, and was to begin her life sentence plus 30 years for the “pizza bomber” murder subsequently.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons said Marjorie died of natural causes at the Federal Medical Center-Carswell in Fort Worth, Texas. She was 68 years old.

In the twisted case of the pizza bomber, Marjorie was found guilty of orchestrating the strapping of an explosive device to the neck of pizza delivery man Brian Wells, and then sending him on a wild scavenger hunt against his will that involved robbing the PNC bank in Erie, Pennsylvania, for $250,000. Brian only made off with $8,701, and was apprehended by police.

While in police custody, sitting on the sidewalk and waiting for the bomb squad, the explosive device detonated, killing Brian. Marjorie was turned in by her ex-fiance Bill Rothstein, who also played a role in the plot as the bomb maker. He also helped her hide the body of James Roden. However, Bill died of cancer before trial commenced, and Marjorie was ultimately brought down by their “buddy” Ken Barnes, who testified on Marjorie’s role in the plot in court. Ken was also a co-conspirator. He testified that Marjorie had asked him to kill her father, and he agreed, as long as she paid him a $250,000 fee. Which is apparently when Marjorie hatched a plan to rob the bank.

Marjorie's indictment was controversial as she suffered from multiple mental disorders including bipolar. Just last year a federal court rejected Marjorie’s request for an appeal.

To get the full story on Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong and the pizza bomber case, listen to Oxygen's Martinis & Murder podcast, which is hosted by John Thrasher and Daryn Carp. Subscribe at iTunes or Google Play.