Max Weiss was a physicist, bomber, and murderer. He held a personal grudge against Edward Manning, a renowned scientist who stole his theories in order to save his own reputation, ruining Weiss' career in the process.
History[]
Weiss financed his studies by serving in the U.S. Army Reserve, where he presumably acquired a proficiency with explosives. While studying for a Ph.D. at Wisconsin University, he met scientist Edward Manning, who offered him a job at his research project on proton decay. Weiss refused and, in retaliation, Manning blocked his assumption as a tenured professor at Oberlin College. Years later, while working to support his wife and three sons, Weiss presented a theory to the American Science Foundation, which highlighted Manning's failure in observing proton decay during the entirety of his own expensive research project. In order to save face, Manning, who was part of a commission set to evaluate Weiss's proposal, rejected his theory and later stole it for his own purposes.
Weiss threatened to report Manning to the Office of Research Integrity, so Manning initially promised him a role in the studies he was conducting, paying him $3,500 to keep him in check. However, Manning used his influence to again block Weiss's assumption as an assistant professor, as a means to silence him and compromise his credibility. Enraged, Weiss manufactured a mail bomb that he sent to Manning's address. However, Manning had recently separated from his wife, Florence Rossi, and left the house; as a result, the bomb killed Florence instead. It was constructed with less lethality in and of itself, but the propulsion of the blast drove the letter opener that Florence used into her neck, and she died in the hospital. After his arrest, Weiss tried to convince EADA Stone that Manning had hired him to kill his wife. Later, Manning agreed to testify having stolen Weiss's theory, thus providing the real motive for the bombing. Weiss was subsequently sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. (L&O: "Big Bang")