# Man Explodes After Being Forced to Rob Bank, Murderer Sought **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 1, 2003, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-explodes-after-being-forced-to-rob-bank-murderer-sought/198919 "2003-09-01T04:40:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2003, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-explodes-after-being-forced-to-rob-bank-murderer-sought/198919/201 "2003-09-03T19:47:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by World Eater \* > Good analysis **Broomstick**. Thank you. It’s always an extra bonus when one is complimented and agreed with in the Pit rather than dragged over barbed wire. 🙂 > [@](#): > > Any guesses on why we don’t get some European carnage over here? > > The rules over there are more lax, and they have no more problems then we do, so I’m wondering what our deal is. I’m still voting on it being a cultural difference. It’s like asking why many European countries allow bare female breasts to be broadcast and it’s not permitted in the US. Strictly cultural values. I think we’re marginally more likely to see carnage from abroad than from home, especially on “shock TV”, but not by much. Certainly, we see the aftermath of things like terrorist attacks but it always seems to be rubble-strewn streets with the occassional draped sheet - we don’t normally see actual bodyparts or corpses. We might see severely injured, bleeding people being carried away on stretchers - but they’re not dead, are they? “Just” severely injurned. So… if there was a live feed of a situation such as the bomb-carrying bankrobber you _might_ see a death on TV when it actually occurs… but even some “live” broadcasts of such events have a 3-second (or so) delay between filming and actual broadcast so the TV folks can cut away without _actually_ showing a real death on TV. Now, a foreign broadcast fed live - that’s the most likely scenario for “death shown live on American TV”. Really, though, if it’s a cultural norm of the US not to show actual death on TV, how could we justify showing death from abroad? Surely we should treat those abroad as politely and respectifully as we do our own, even if their own customs in their own homes may be different. And it really can take the form of politeness and respect rather than any illusion of a greater truth. I remember when the _Columbia_ space shuttle broke up the crew was spoken of as “presumed dead” or “out of communication” for a time. Presumably during that time official notification was given to the relatives in person, because anyone watching the TV sure wasn’t fooled. A clear case of “if the fall doesn’t kill you the sudden stop at the end will” - the truth is those unfortunates survived perhaps seconds at most after the breakup, long before they came to rest in pieces in parts of Texas and Louisiana. And note, while identifiable-to-laypersons-sized-and-shaped bodyparts were found in several places we didn’t see any pictures of _those_ broadcast, either. Although some cynical folks may call this hypocritical (and it may be in some cases) I think, again, it’s more a form of politness and respect. Much as we might say “passed away” rather than “died” about someone’s relative. The reasons for doing so may be complex, involving things such as privacy, emotional distance and/or insulation, protection of the sensibilities of “younger and more sensitive viewers” (hey, if I had a 5 year old child I wouldn’t want him or her to view actual deaths on TV), and making sure that relatives informed of disaster have a live human being present to lend assistance after shocking news rather than having them suffer alone, or even possibly performing rash actions in response to horrific news. The military has had a long tradition of delivering such bad news with a “human touch” - an impersonal telegram or automated notfication system may be arguably more efficient and cost-effective, but current practice is to send a live human being out to the family as a sign of respect, that a person’s life is worth the expense and bother of a live human messenger. Another cultural norm and practice that makes little logical sense but is extremely important to us nonetheless. So… likewise, rational or not (especially given some of what Hollywood has produced) in the USA at this point in time it would be considered… well, rude, gauche, exploitive, gross, unacceptable, whatever word you choose… to show someone actually dying on TV. If such a thing happens unintentionally (during a live broadcast) that is one thing. To do so delibrately would be something that would bring on some form of punishment towards the broadcaster. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2003, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-explodes-after-being-forced-to-rob-bank-murderer-sought/198919/202 "2003-09-03T22:39:19Z")
**Doc** , I can’t find any images of the missile clamps I’m thinking of in a quick google search, but it’d be for some kind of small SAM-type missile. And there _is_ a good Rutger Hauer movie: _Bladerunner_. (I’ve seen Hauer in other films and he’s a good actor, he’s just gotten really crappy roles for the most part.) As for the Columbian cop, I think I know why he did it: He felt _compelled to._ If I had been in the same situation, I think I’d rather have worked until the very end, than to have to look the person in the eye and say, “I’m sorry.” and runaway just before the thing blew up. ---
**Author:** ![Scruloose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@Scruloose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scruloose)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2003, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-explodes-after-being-forced-to-rob-bank-murderer-sought/198919/203 "2003-09-03T23:18:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Tuckerfan \* > **Doc, I can’t find any images of the missile clamps I’m thinking of in a quick google search, but it’d be for some kind of small SAM-type missile. And there _is_ a good Rutger Hauer movie: _Bladerunner_. (I’ve seen Hauer in other films and he’s a good actor, he’s just gotten really crappy roles for the most part.)** **Tucker** , I must respectfully disagree. While Bladerunner is a great flick, and Rutger Hauer was great in it, I don’t think it’s considered a _Rutger Hauer_ movie. It’s a _Harrison Ford_ movie. Judges? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2003, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-explodes-after-being-forced-to-rob-bank-murderer-sought/198919/204 "2003-09-04T03:06:30Z")
I was talking about this with my step-mother tonight (she’s a former bank teller who _has_ been robbed), and according to her, the best time for the heist to have been pulled would have been on Tuesday, since it was the day after the holiday and businesses make very large deposits. So large and so many of them, she said that the teller’s are likely to have so many customers that they can’t haul the money back to the safe, and thus can have $20K or so at their window. So, if the guy was so clever in designing the collar and the bomb, why couldn’t he have waited a couple of days to try and insure a big haul? (Assuming that’s what he was after.) ---
**Author:** ![SunTzu2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@SunTzu2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SunTzu2U)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2003, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-explodes-after-being-forced-to-rob-bank-murderer-sought/198919/205 "2003-09-04T03:27:35Z")
Tuckerfan, you made the mistake that this person was smart enough to think like that. It sounds to me like a pretty dumb way to go about robbing a bank. I’ve feel that the majority of criminals by their very nature are a bit dumb when it comes pulling things off. Otherwise, our prisons wouldn’t be so full. People will work harder at breaking the law than they would just obeying the law and employeed in an honest occupation. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Cid\_Viscoso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/41988e/32.png) [@El\_Cid\_Viscoso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Cid_Viscoso)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2003, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-explodes-after-being-forced-to-rob-bank-murderer-sought/198919/206 "2003-09-04T04:34:21Z")
Thanks, **Tuckerfan** , the final key to the puzzle-lock. Tuesday, in Erie on the other side of the tracks, with a collar… Wait, did someone say anything about the _type of collar_, eh, I’ll improvise. Special kind of car? The Jade Monkey is mine! ---
**Author:** ![El\_Cid\_Viscoso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/41988e/32.png) [@El\_Cid\_Viscoso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Cid_Viscoso)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2003, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-explodes-after-being-forced-to-rob-bank-murderer-sought/198919/207 "2003-09-04T04:41:37Z")
Now where can I rent a time machine? ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2003, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-explodes-after-being-forced-to-rob-bank-murderer-sought/198919/208 "2003-09-04T05:34:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Chandeleur \* > **It’s a _Harrison Ford_ movie.** Strictly speaking, it’s a _Ridley Scott_ movie. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2003, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-explodes-after-being-forced-to-rob-bank-murderer-sought/198919/209 "2003-09-04T05:57:11Z")
Are we sure yet that it was some unidentified bomber and NOT the pizza man? ---
**Author:** ![Jurhael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/cab0a1/32.png) [@Jurhael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jurhael)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2003, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-explodes-after-being-forced-to-rob-bank-murderer-sought/198919/210 "2003-09-04T07:19:20Z")
I don’t think anyone is sure of that, but it’s believed that he was innocent because if he weren’t, then he would have made the bomb more powerful so he could kill more people. ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2003, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-explodes-after-being-forced-to-rob-bank-murderer-sought/198919/211 "2003-09-04T13:01:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by spooje \* > \*\*Are we sure yet that it was some unidentified bomber and NOT the pizza man? \*\* I won’t bore everyone with the step-by-step analysis, but think about it: if the pizza man had done this to himself, how, exactly, did he think it was going to work? In other words, what scenario would have to play out in order for him to end up free and clear, and thousands of dollars richer? It’s not impossible, of course, that the pizza man pulled this off by himself, mistakenly thinking that there was some way to get away with it, but as a get-rich-quick scheme, it just wouldn’t make any sense. ---
**Author:** ![isthatsowrong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/35a633/32.png) [@isthatsowrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/isthatsowrong)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2003, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-explodes-after-being-forced-to-rob-bank-murderer-sought/198919/212 "2003-09-04T13:09:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Early Out \* > **I won’t bore everyone with the step-by-step analysis, but think about it: if the pizza man had done this to himself, how, exactly, did he think it was going to work? In other words, what scenario would have to play out in order for him to end up free and clear, and thousands of dollars richer?** You have to use dumb criminal logic. “I rob the bank with a bomb strapped to me. When the cops catch me, I tell them that someone else strapped the bomb to me and there’s no way to remove it. The cops will run away so they don’t get blowed up. Then I leave the scene, remove the bomb, and live happily ever after.” I doubt that the pizza man did this to himself, but that’s the sort of logic he could have used if he did. The cops should question Dennis Hopper. This is exactly his M.O. from the movie _Speed_. I know he died in the movie, but it’s just a movie. Dennis Hopper is still alive and capable of committing this crime. ---
**Author:** ![belladonna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9fc29f/32.png) [@belladonna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/belladonna)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2003, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-explodes-after-being-forced-to-rob-bank-murderer-sought/198919/213 "2003-09-04T13:31:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by isthatsowrong? \* > \*\*You have to use dumb criminal logic. “I rob the bank with a bomb strapped to me. When the cops catch me, I tell them that someone else strapped the bomb to me and there’s no way to remove it. The cops will run away so they don’t get blowed up. Then I leave the scene, remove the bomb, and live happily ever after.” \*\* But in that case, why bother going to the trouble of putting together a functioning bomb? Wouldn’t a dummy pack, rigged up to only [ii]look\* like a bomb be just as effective in that (admittedly ridiculous) plan? Even if his plan was just to claim he had been forced under duress should he be caught, and the bomb was there to back that claim up–he still wouldn’t have needed an active bomb. As a “victim”, he could have been wearing a dummy but claimed he thought it was real. And how exactly did he plan on getting the thing off without help? From the pics, it looks like it was a complicated release up at the neck, it would have taken quite a bit of manuvering for one guy to get it off himself. For that matter, why did the killer even use a real bomb? Wouldn’t the hardware and a dummy bomb have been just as convincing to some random guy, and served his purpose just as well? I’m thinking the poster who said this was planned more as a sensational murder was right. The robbery simply served as a high-profile backdrop. Sadly, I think the chances that this guy was anything other than a horribly unlucky victim are very very miniscule. The cops already searched his home. It seems to me that if they had found anything pointing to him (literature on bomb construction, snips of wire, Evil Overlord Handbook, etc.) they would have said so by now and wouldn’t be showing off the bomb hardware in the papers trying to get a lead. ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2003, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-explodes-after-being-forced-to-rob-bank-murderer-sought/198919/214 "2003-09-04T13:46:01Z")
Thanks for taking the time to compose that excellent post **Broomstick** , as usual you provide much food for thought. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2003, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-explodes-after-being-forced-to-rob-bank-murderer-sought/198919/215 "2003-09-04T14:13:58Z")
Remembering that everything is still wild speculation… If the pizza guy _did_ put the bomb on himself, then maybe he he only wanted it to go BANG! and not to kill himself. That way if the cops let him go, he gets the money, but if he gets caught, he has the world’s best alibi. Or have I been watching too much TV? ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2003, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-explodes-after-being-forced-to-rob-bank-murderer-sought/198919/216 "2003-09-04T14:23:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Tapioca Dextrin \* > \*\*Remembering that everything is still wild speculation… > > If the pizza guy _did_ put the bomb on himself, then maybe he he only wanted it to go BANG! and not to kill himself. That way if the cops let him go, he gets the money, but if he gets caught, he has the world’s best alibi. > > Or have I been watching too much TV? \*\* I’ll vote for “too much TV.” Let’s say the cops let him go, money bags in hand, and he scampers away. His identity is known. He wasn’t in disguise, so they know exactly who he is. Unless he’s prepared to skip to Brazil, I don’t see how he’s going to spend that money! The minute he appears, explosive collar no longer around his neck, he’s going to have some ‘splainin’ to do. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2003, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-explodes-after-being-forced-to-rob-bank-murderer-sought/198919/217 "2003-09-04T21:53:09Z")
Don’t know if this postulate has been offered, but what if pizza guy is looking to check out of the hotel? The order is placed, he delivers to the fictitious address, fits himself with the death collar, tells his story, and is gone. Rather than an overt suicide, his insurance pays off to the beneficiary. Twisted? Yes. Beyond imagination? No. ---
**Author:** ![Tinkertoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f19dbf/32.png) [@Tinkertoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tinkertoy)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2003, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-explodes-after-being-forced-to-rob-bank-murderer-sought/198919/218 "2003-09-04T22:14:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by danceswithcats \* > \*\*Don’t know if this postulate has been offered, but what if pizza guy is looking to check out of the hotel? > > The order is placed, he delivers to the fictitious address, fits himself with the death collar, tells his story, and is gone. > > Rather than an overt suicide, his insurance pays off to the beneficiary. Twisted? Yes. Beyond imagination? No. \*\* Somebody had to make the call to the pizza parlor. Somebody else had to be involved. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Cid\_Viscoso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/41988e/32.png) [@El\_Cid\_Viscoso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Cid_Viscoso)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2003, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-explodes-after-being-forced-to-rob-bank-murderer-sought/198919/219 "2003-09-04T22:35:07Z")
**danceswithcats** , I love it! Very nice wrap-up. ---
**Author:** ![lucwarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@lucwarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lucwarm)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2003, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-explodes-after-being-forced-to-rob-bank-murderer-sought/198919/220 "2003-09-04T23:49:00Z")
> [@](#): > > For that matter, why did the killer even use a real bomb? Wouldn’t the hardware and a dummy bomb have been just as convincing to some random guy, and served his purpose just as well? I’m thinking the poster who said this was planned more as a sensational murder was right. The robbery simply served as a high-profile backdrop. I agree. For a bank robbery that is likely to yield, in the best case, $2k - $3k, it just wouldn’t be worth the hassle and danger of building a serious necklace bomb when a fake (complete with red and green wires and flashing lights) could do the job. It seems to me that, most likely, money is a secondary motivation in this crime. I sure hope that the ghoul who pulled this off faces capital murder charges and execution. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-explodes-after-being-forced-to-rob-bank-murderer-sought/198919.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-explodes-after-being-forced-to-rob-bank-murderer-sought/198919.md?page=12)