Prosecutors alleged that the natural gas explosion was intentionally set to collect insurance money. And then there was the arrangement that when I picked up my daughter I would get to take some of my belongings. . towns among 150 Best Small Town in America, Citizens support Ind. [21] Mark Leonard was granted a change of venue and was tried in South Bend. Did you see her on TV a few days later? Of the dozens and dozens of homes damaged by the blast, 33 were affected so severely they had to be demolished. Not until the following morning, when I went from this job to another job, did I get a text from a friend who thought it might be my house. The co-conspirators include Shirleys boyfriend at the time, Mark Leonard, and his brother, Bob Leonard Jr. Richmond Hill trial: Monserrate Shirley testifies | wthr.com The topic came up again around July 4. Monserrate Shirley cried at various points Wednesdaybut didnt shed any actual tears. Worried that jurors might easily convict Leonard of the lesser charges against him, but not the larger ones that carried the life without parole sentence prosecutors were asking for, Robinson built her closing argument from the bottom up. The jury found 46-year-old Mark Leonard guilty of all counts against him, including murder and felony murder. There's little remaining of Shirley's home (pictured at left) after Saturday's explosion. Richmond Hill explosion: 'It's the toughest thing I've ever done in my career', Richmond Hill explosion: 7 keys that solved the case, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Her sister had lived in the same housing complex. It also didnt carry much weight for the families of Dion and Jennifer Longworth, who died in the blast. FULL STORY | Mark Leonards friend says he knew too much. According to Shirleys account, she was struggling to stay financially afloat when she met Leonard, and within a month of dating, he came up with the idea. At 11:11 p.m. on Nov. 10, 2012, a two-story home on the south side of Indianapolis exploded with the force of as much as 5 tons of TNT. She later found out her neighbors didnt make it. It's also possible she will walk free if the judge sentences. And I look at all the opportunity she had where she could have gone for help and she never did.. The November 2012 blast claimed the lives of John and Jennifer Longworth and spawned an investigation that landed five people behind bars. [10] Included on the probable cause affidavit were complaints from several women claiming that Leonard scammed them out of thousands of dollars. The first time Gary Thompson first came over to discuss starting a fire, she told him, "I'm ready, as long is this is a small fire. Start the day smarter Notable deaths in 2023 The world's largest war 2023 meteor showers She asked that Mark and Bob switch it back out for the nicer version. While still at the hotel, Mark asked her to call a heating & cooling company on Sunday, November 4, to see what they would charge to check on the heat because the house was too cold. The home was owned by his girlfriend at the time, Monserrate Shirley, who testified earlier this month that Bob. Defense attorney Ted Minch on cross-examination: "You're not happy to be here today." Shirley owned the home at the epicenter of the November 2012 explosion that killed two people and damaged dozens of other homes causing more than $4 million in damages. monserrate shirley daughter - Investigative Guide She went to a bar on the south side of Indianapolis in November 2011 and they immediately noticed each other. . ", When prosecutors asked if she was serious about the 401K offer, Shirley said, "I would have given him anything because I was in love with him.". She still qualifies as a practicing nurse. Leonard died around 9:15. Prosecutors alleged that the men conspired to submit an insurance claim for a stolen motorcycle. Monserrate Shirley leaves court after learning her sentence. The sentence accounts for time served and good. [13] A fourth person, Gary Thompson, was charged in January 2015 on the same charges. It started as a bad headache, but quickly grew until he was hospitalized with an autoimmune disease serious enough he would need a blood transfusion. "I want $300,000. While there had been some communications early on, we were not willing to offer Monserrate Shirley a significant deal for her cooperation, Robinson said. She came into the courtroom looking much different than she did the weekend of the explosion in 2012. and one-eighth, Zionsvilles Brian Mason will be Colts coordinator, Indy east side fire kills dog, injures multiple people, Record breaking weather week in central Indiana, Indiana state trooper hit, killed in the line of, New billboard in Fountain Square tackles antisemitism, Trooper killed on I-69, speeding driver arrested, Everything you need to know about the 2023 Academy, Congressman Baird calls for pause on toxic shipments, Congress works to tackle military spouse unemployment, Indy man gets 16 years after shooting wife in arm, Spencer man killed in rollover crash on I-70, 3 Ind. She was wearing a jail jumpsuit, was shackled and her hair had grown long, dark and curly.IM TELLING THE TRUTH. Should we not use all those witnesses? She then got food for them both and went back to the room around midnight. Monserrate "Moncy" Shirley, a nurse, owned the home at the center of the explosion. She has already been behind bars for four years. They moved into a home they built in Richmond Hill toward the end of 2003. To see the faces of the neighborhood people and the sense of relief and calmness when the verdicts came in was a good thing, Garza said. "Shortly thereafter I moved some furniture into the apartment. The defense attorney told the judge without the jury in the room that he planned to use the video to show that Shirley had the same demeanor in the courtroom as she did while lying to reporters. Her sister had lived in the same housing complex. Later that same day, an attorney asked Shirley if the Longworths deserved what happened to them. The brothers were sentenced to terms of life without parole for spearheading the conspiracy. Shirley didn't hear anything more about a plot to start a fire that night, and nothing happened. Shirley stated that her daughter had smelled gas during the week before the explosion. Man accused of murder in deadly house blast learns his fate - CBS News On the other two days, Robinson still the head of the prosecutors homicide division would review pending cases and prepare for other trials on her plate. A prosecuting attorney showed her a photo of the house that exploded and asked her who lived on either side of her. He told her to tell Holts, though, that they would be trying the fire again that night (Sunday night). So there wasnt a great deal of pressure on us, or desire by us, to offer her anything.. The sentence accounts for time served and good. Shortly thereafter I moved some furniture into the apartment. This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. To this day, absolutely they had the right to do that. Mark then asked Bob twice to "go get the part that we need." Its been around since the late 80s, but Im sure well find more of it on our own site. Man Gets Murder Conviction in Deadly Indiana House Blast Fraud Case I commend Det. And it wasn't the answer we were looking for. When a defense attorney comes out and says, My client didnt do anything at all, but you clearly can show they did, then usually its going to be an all-or-nothing verdict, Robinson said. At the final tally, the explosion meant to allow Shirley and Leonard to collect $300,000 in insurance money caused more than $4 million-worth of property damage. But she put an end to that in August 2011.". Including journalists, it was closer to four dozen. On multiple occasions Wednesday, Shirley said she didnt say no to Mark Leonard because she loved him. Instead, on Dec. 20, 2016 after a two-day sentencing hearing that would be the closest her former neighbors would get to seeing her on trial Shirley was sentenced to the maximum term of 50 years in prison. Leonard later tried telling Shirley that the only reason Holts wouldn't talk about his own fire was because he didn't want Leonard to end up with more money than he had. Glenn Hults, the final defendant to stand trial for the explosion, pleaded guilty to a lesser charge last month that may result in no additional jail time. Leonard is charged with 53 counts of murder, arson and conspiracy. The man he called was actually an undercover agent. The Oscars will air on ABC and can be streamed on ABC.com and the ABC app as well as Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, AT&T TV or FuboTV. She agreed that's what happened, but insisted she only said what Mark told her to say. She still wiped under her eyes with a tissue several times while she was on the stand. Leonard went to pick up Thompson in the white van witnesses in the neighborhood have previously testified seeing in Shirley's driveway. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Yes, I didnt think it would be possible, Monserrate Shirley said.HUGE EXPLOSION. By December 2014, two years after the explosion in the Richmond Hill subdivision, prosecutors were preparing to go to trial without any cooperating witnesses. I had a homicide detective crying on the stand. Leonard started talking the next week about trying for a second time to burn down the home. In 2017, Leonard wasconvicted and received an additional 50-year sentencein a murder-for-hire scheme authorities say he concocted from jail after his arrest. On Thursday, Shirley worked a 12 hour shift. She took care of all three. Its very difficult sentencing hearing weve been through for two days. She said she did not tell officers at the time what happened because she was scared. The now 49-year-old originally faced life in prison without parole. At the time of the explosion, Shirley says he was living in Noblesville. "Except her cat, the clothes on her back and a teddy bear she got when she was 1.". Shirley says the house had three gas appliances when he lived there: furnace, water heater and fireplace. Then there was the question of Leonards history. She was able to take that to the prosecutor and get a protective order against me. He never gave her money like that again, but did play with his own money, spending anywhere from $2,000 - 10,000 each trip. Woman pleads guilty in deadly Indianapolis explosion - CBS News Jordan Fischer is the senior digital reporter for RTV6. And you said she was crying? When she told him there was around $10,000-12,000 in it, he said that wasn't enough. It was a restaurant that had the name of a famous Italian poet who died young, but the restaurant only lasted for a year. It had three gas appliances - the water heater, the furnace and the fireplace. [28], Mark Leonard was found guilty on all 53 counts, including murder and felony murder charges, on July 14. Leonardwas placed under "imminent death watch" earlier this week. She said they should be punished, Carter testified. [11], Monserrate Shirley, Mark Leonard, and Bob Leonard were initially charged with two counts of murder and arson in the deaths of Dion and Jennifer Longworth. Prosecutors alleged Leonard was the mastermind behind the explosion that damaged or destroyed more than 80 homes in Indianapolis, plotting with his then-live-in girlfriend Monserrate Shirley. [5], The most damning piece of evidence was a witness statement from one of Mark Leonard's associates, who told investigators that the weekend before the explosion, Leonard told him that "the house blew up". I did everything to make him happy, Monserrate Shirley said in testimony. Dont make that kind of joke, Shirley testified. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated. She was upset when she got home that night and saw her nicer digital thermostat sitting on the kitchen island and the new cheaper model on the wall. And I wanted to be able to tell them everything., TRANSCRIPT | The full testimony of Monserrate Shirley. Shirley had heard of Bob before, but had not met him before he came over Thursday, November 1. Required fields are marked *. Mark. Prosecutors alleged Leonard was the mastermind behind the explosion that damaged or destroyed more than 80 homes in Indianapolis, plotting with his then-live-in girlfriend Monserrate Shirley. The entire day she answered questions from attorneys, repeatedly crying. Make We knew somebody else was involved, and he was the only one whose name consistently came up, but it was only after she cooperated that we were able to charge Gary Thompson and Glenn Hults.. In November 2014, Glenn Olvey who was trapped with his family in his collapsing house finally gave up on rebuilding his home in the neighborhood. Monserrate Shirley spent the entire day on the stand Wednesday, and the anticipation of her testimony was evident in courtroom attendance. "Cases are made up of hurdles all the time," Robinson said Wednesday. Thompson arrived on Monday or Tuesday, October 22-23, while Shirley's daughter was at school. Again, Monserrate agreed to do her same three preparations: a casino hotel reservation, a babysitter for her daughterand boarding for Snowball. It was run by the daughter of a famous American actor who was very close to the owner. Out of fear that a Marion County jury would be too tainted by extensive media coverage of the case, the trial had been moved to South Bend, Indiana. Gary Thompson, who had helped with the first two unsuccessful attempts to blow up Monserrate Shirleys house, pleaded guilty on Dec. 2, 2016, to conspiracy to commit arson and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Thompson said he'd been pulled over by a cop so he couldn't get to the house. The Insurance Scam That Blew Up A Neighborhood - Medium [39] Glenn Hults received a three-year sentence.[40]. To do that, the team moved 80 boxes of documents connected to the case to an office on the east side of Indianapolis. You were a neighbor and you were a friend, Carlisle said. In another, she said Mark Leonard turned on the gas line and actually lit the fire during the second attempt. Both the prosecution and defense attorneys asked Shirley if she thought Hults was joking. Man convicted of murder in deadly Indiana house explosion Hed also been previously accused of insurance fraud in connection with a car accident. She later worked at St. Francis and Community South. The host family had a lot of horses, so Shirley's daughter went to play with them under the supervision of Holts' girlfriend, Sharon, whose teen . They claim that Leonard wanted the hit man to force the witness to call 9-1-1 and recant his statement before killing him. Write For Us: Investigative Articles are Intriguing. ", Minch: "You testified that you only used a babysitter maybe once a month, because your lifestyle with Ms. Shirley wasn't such that you went out every weekend?" This is too risky." I didn't do nothing wrong.". I was at one of my part-time jobs when I got a text from my daughter, which was very unusual. If I could bring Dion and Jennifer back, I would do that in a heartbeat, she said. And the game of death is the game of life itself. Indianapolis explosion may have been caused by furnace, says owner of "Mark can insult [Thompson], and he never does anything," Shirley said. The human toll is harder to estimate. The girlwas already out of the house while they cleared it of the sentimental items. I have morals.I love my patients and I would do anything for them. Shirley gave 12 interviews and statements between the explosion and Wednesday's testimony - some for law enforcement, others for attorneys and one for the media - and defense attorneys pointed out inconsistencies between some of those. Unresolved: Release in which this issue/RFE will be addressed. Shirley's daughterwent with them in Leonard's Cadillac. [26], In a case unrelated to the explosion charges, Mark Leonard and two other men were charged with conspiracy to commit insurance fraud. I didnt want it to affect the trial date, Robinson said. You were a nurse. Three charged with murder after 'setting off deadly Indiana house She lived in the four-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath home with her daughter. He looked over the insurance policy and said she was under-insured so she called the insurance company and doubled her policy from $150,000 to $300,000. "I don't know what happened. Everything's under control.". [20] The trials started in 2015. [8], Prosecutors alleged that on the Friday before the explosion, Leonard and his brother Bob spoke with a neighbor who was a Citizens Energy employee, asking that person about the differences between natural gas and propane. Shirley and her boyfriend Mark Leonard were out of town for the weekend while her 12-year-old daughter stayed with friends. Monserrate Shirley spent the entire day on the stand Wednesday, and the anticipation of her testimony was evident in courtroom attendance. More than 4 years later, Monserrate Shirley to be sentenced in Richmond In court Wednesday, she said he turned on the gas, but never lit the fire. Although the jury would eventually hear testimony and an audio recording of Leonard talking to an undercover ATF agent posing as a hitman (and Leonard would eventually get an extra 50 years in prison for it), having that information before the trial even began would have been extremely prejudicial against him. "I was at one of my part-time jobs when I got a text from my daughter, which was very unusual. The Retaking Of Richmond Hill - Indianapolis Monthly At least three of his possessions did survive, however: two golf bags, with clubs, and a driver he'd been gifted. She told him the attempt didnt work but that there would be another attempt. Two of those alleged co-conspirators were arrested as a direct result of her cooperation: Gary Thompson and Glenn Holts. They said they didn't know. On the night of the explosion, Shirley said he was working a second job in Fishers. Monserrate Shirley testified that Mark Leonard is the one who told her to increase the insurance on the contents of her house, and she also testified Mark Leonard brought up the idea of setting fire to her house for easy money. This time, Leonard worked with Thompson instead of Thompson doing the work while Leonard stood next to him, watching and planning. The home of Monserrate Shirley was the center of the explosion that resulted in the deaths of next-door neighbors John "Dion" Longworth and his wife Jennifer (ne Buxton), the injuries of seven others, and $4 million in property damage. Most importantly, Shirleys testimony would further tip the scales against the Leonard brothers. Minch: "Before that, you did have some problems with the pilot light on the furnace?" He occasionally worked on those cars at Shirley's home so she saw he had a wide array of tools. He says he "was very surprised" to learn Snowball had been boarded on the night of the explosion. Leonard got sick in March 2012. I worked from the smaller charges to the larger ones to say, Of course its clear he did this, this and this, but heres how you get to here, Robinson said. That becomes eight years when good time credit is applied. "Everything they were telling me, it could not be possible," Shirley said on the stand as she started to get emotional. Its because the life of the game itself is the life of the game itself. "Everybody's pointing a finger at me like I did something wrong," Shirley said in a video posted on the Indianapolis Star newspaper's website. Made and inspired by a love triangle, this was written by a girl from Italy. Prosecutors entered all three into evidence Tuesday. There have been days with only two people in the audience other than media, but there were more than 30 Wednesday. And your daughter lost some things?" Lisa Marie Presley's daughter Riley Keough wears a Graceland sweater as she . She was the neighbor that all the other neighbors were looking at. Powerball winner sold in central Indiana! Shirley said she thought the fire plan was crazy, but went along with it anyway. Should I have accepted that stipulation? Leonard asked Holts to tell the story of his own fire, how easily he'd gotten the money and to re-assure Shirley everything would be alright if they did it at her house. "I am a nurse. But Im not allowed to say that. I see a con artist when I look at her., If she really is apologetic, then I accept the apology, said Dion Longworths father, John Longworth.

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