#130: Profiling Evil Genius

Real Crime Profile

Real Crime Profile / Wondery

True Crime, Society & Culture, Exhibit C, Documentary

4.2 • 10.5K Ratings

🗓️ 14 June 2018

⏱️ 42 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The RCP team weigh in and offer their insight and analysis about the death of Brian Wells, which is the focus of the Netflix show ‘Evil Genius: The True Story Of America’s Most Diabolical Bank Heist’ co-directed by Trey Borzillieri and Barbara Schroeder.

Brian Wells, a local pizza delivery man, held up a PNC Bank with a bomb collar around his neck and a cane gun. He had two pages of elaborate handwritten instructions - a detailed scavenger hunt - leading him from place to place, both to steal $250, 000 and pick up new instructions, with the promise of freedom if he completes the tasks in time.

Having left the bank he was stopped by police in a parking lot. Having cuffed him and sat him on the ground some 25 minutes later, the bomb starts to beep. The beeping escalated until the moment it exploded, killing Brian Wells. The bomb squad arrived too late.

Was he part of this elaborate plan to rob the bank or a victim exploited and manipulated by others? The #RCP team discuss the facts, the evidence and the footage in the documentary.

Health warning: please be advised that this podcast contains graphic content about the case and autopsy.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, Prime members, you can listen to Real Crime Profile ad-free on Amazon Music. Download the app today.
0:30.0	The man told police that the bomb had been strapped to his body and that he was forced to rob the bank.
1:01.0	I first heard about the suffering and death of my brother, Brian, on the news.
1:24.0	Brian was handcuffed. The officers continued to point their guns at him, even though he was fully cooperating in their custody.
1:35.0	And why was no ambulance present to try to help when he lay dying upon the ground, grasping for life?
1:43.0	The decision was made to cut off Brian's head, to preserve the collar bomb. This beheading of Brian took from us the closure we sought by being able to view Brian at his funeral.
2:05.0	Tears streamed down mom's face as she learned the news that Brian's body was not fit for open casket viewing. The removed head could not be supported in position.
2:17.0	More respect was shown for the destructive device than for Brian's body.
2:23.0	Hello and welcome to Real Crime Profile. This is Jim Clemente, former Neo-G. Project leader retired at BI Profile and writer producer on CBS's Criminal Minds.
2:32.0	And with me today from across the pond is...
2:43.0	And I am Lisa Zambetti. I am the casting director for Criminal Minds, where Jim Clemente is my colleague. And we've just been picked up for season 14.
2:51.0	We've just started back to what we're so exciting.
2:53.0	Yeah, we've been in the writer's room for a week now and putting together some amazing stories for season 14.
3:01.0	Absolutely.
3:02.0	It's pretty fantastic that we're still running strong after all these seasons.
3:08.0	Well, congratulations guys, those great news.
3:12.0	Every time I think that our show is sort of pushing the limits of credibility of what really happens in True Crime, just when I think we've gone too far, we find out about a case that's even crazier than any of ours.
3:25.0	Yeah.
3:26.0	So Jim, you want to lead us through?
3:28.0	Yeah.
3:29.0	Well, this case, I remember for when I was a profiler, and I believe our friend Jim Fitzgerald was either the case agent or one of lead agents on the case.
3:40.0	But this case was as far as I know, unique in all of law enforcement, where we had never before had a bank robber come into rob a bank saying that he was abducted and he had an actual live bomb around his neck that was locked on by this massive handcuff basically.
	...

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