Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated. She was crying and hysterical and said the house blew up.". But after a second round of boarding Snowball the cat, getting a babysitter for Shirleys daughter and setting hotel reservations, the house again was standing. Monserrate Shirley, 49, said she became distraught when neighbors telephoned her after the November 2012 explosion and told her that her home was destroyed. All I can say is, I had one small role in this. Leonard, his ex-girlfriend Monserrate Shirley, his half-brother Robert Leonard and Mark Leonards former employee blew up Shirleys home in the Richmond Hill subdivision to collect about $300,000 in insurance money to pay off the houses mortgage and Mark Leonards gambling and credit card debts. Monserrate Shirley, 49, would have to testify against former boyfriend Mark Leonard and his brother in the plea deal . John moved out in February 2010 and their divorce was finalized that summer. Thirty-three homes were damaged so severely they were deemed unrecoverable, and had to be torn down to the foundation. wishtv.com your home page, Business, Equity and Opportunities Podcast with Scott Sander. | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. By December 2014, two years after the explosion in the Richmond Hill subdivision, prosecutors were preparing to go to trial without any cooperating witnesses. They claim that Leonard wanted the hit man to force the witness to call 9-1-1 and recant his statement before killing him. Start the day smarter Notable deaths in 2023 The world's largest war 2023 meteor showers We did the right thing, for the right reason, and got the right result in the right way.. There's little remaining of Shirley's home (pictured at left) after Saturday's explosion. When she arrived at the bar, she found Mark and Bob in the white van at a nearby gas station. The case was expected to be the largest and most expensive trial in Marion County history. The blast killed two people and. The home also had a microwave above the stove which had a programmable timer. This may help explain why this dish is beloved by patrons like myself. He says he "was very surprised" to learn Snowball had been boarded on the night of the explosion. Eventually, hed be asked to repeat her answer at her boyfriends murder trial. While Shirley said he lost a lot, he pointed out the toll was much greater on his then-13-year-old daughter Brook. But ultimately I think we were able to accomplish what we needed to do for her.. Follow his reporting on Twitter at @Jordan_RTV6 or on Facebook. As his court date neared, the workload ramped up. Leonard died around 9:15 a.m. Tuesday at an Indianapolis hospital,according to an Indiana Department of Correction spokesman. Their first trip together was to the Hollywood Casino roughly 3-4 months after they first met. In exchange, she offered him the money in her 401K. But she had no hesitation when asked to identify the Longworths as her neighbors. The evidence Robinson and Hollingsworth had was substantial. Shirley says the house had three gas appliances when he lived there: furnace, water heater and fireplace. Leonard is the brother of Mark Leonard, who is dating Montserrate Shirley, who along with Mark Leonard, lives in the home . Monserrate Shirley, 51, was one of five people charged in the explosion that left two people dead. 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. Too little, too late, said Jennifer Longworths father, Don Buxton. In the game of death, monserrate daughter is the only way to be reunited with the game of life. The couple says their neighbor Bob Leonard was led away for questioning. Monserrate Shirley sentenced to 50 years in prison - YouTube 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. Shirley testified Leonard asked to see the insurance policy on the home within a few weeks of moving in. News, information &. He says sometimes strong winds would blow out the pilot light when someone opened the garage door. To this day, absolutely they had the right to do that. Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. Investigators quickly honed in on the home's owner, Monserrate Shirley, her boyfriend Mark Leonard and his brother, Bob Leonard Jr., as the primary suspects. After he was done, the fireplace worked properly and they never smelled any gas inside the home because of it. 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. We firmly believed that Gary Thompson played a role, but until she cooperated, we couldnt prove that, Robinson said. In court Wednesday, she said he turned on the gas, but never lit the fire. Im telling the truth and nothing but the truth was a phrase repeated by Monserrate Shirley throughout the day. If Monserrate Shirley keeps up her part of the agreement, a judge will decide her sentence after all the Richmond Hill explosiontrials have been completed. Unresolved: Release in which this issue/RFE will be addressed. [6] One woman had previously won a $70,000 judgment against Leonard in a civil suit after lending him $53,000, which he never repaid. She still qualifies as a practicing nurse. "I don't know what happened. Mark Leonard moved in with Monserrate Shirley about a month later. While she was driving, Mark called to tell her to book a hotel room and to tell her daughter it was because the house was too cold to stay at. Monserrate Shirley, the Indianapolis homeowner whose house is suspected of being the source of a deadly explosion that damaged nearly 80 homes in her subdivision, was inconsolable Tuesday as she wept while speaking publicly for the first time about the horrific incident. The only improvement he ever made was to buy two flat screen TV's, a 65-70 inch model for the master bedroom and a 42 inch screen for her daughter'sroom. . Shirley said she has a condition with her tear ducts that makes her unable to produce tears, so people dont think Im crying for real.. Shirley had heard of Bob before, but had not met him before he came over Thursday, November 1. The third weekends attempt was the one that killed the Longworths. On December 21, 2012, Monserrate Shirley, Mark Leonard, and his brother Bob Leonard were charged with 2 counts of felony murder and . Shirley wasnt a suspect at the time, and the interview was a routine one. For one: She had earned a reputation as a master liar, as Mark Leonards defense team would later call her. It wasnt the only curveball Black and Shircliff would throw at the prosecution. Monserrate Shirley, the Indianapolis homeowner whose house is suspected of being the source of a deadly explosion that damaged nearly 80 homes in her subdivision, was inconsolable Tuesday as. Wednesday in court, Shirley said that at the July 4th pool party, she called lighting the house on fire crazy. While we knew that Monserrate Shirley on her own would never have caused this crime, it couldnt have happened without her. Mark was a handsome man with sex appeal and a lot of money, judging by his stash of cash and fast luxury cars. Its an interesting concept. Holts invited Leonard and Shirley to his friend's house for a pool party in the Geist neighborhood. [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. This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. I was scared for my life and the life of my daughter., Forgive me for my poor choices in life, she continued. For their families, the tree is one last connection to the loved ones they lost on Nov. 10, 2012. She was the nurse. Shirley is originally from Puerto Rico. The couple's steamy relationship lasted for about a month before they moved in together. I certainly might feel bad for his family. Of the dozens and dozens of homes damaged by the blast, 33 were affected so severely they had to be demolished. In an interview with former RTV6 reporter Stacia Matthews, Shirley suggested the explosion may have been an attempt on her life. The name comes from a restaurant that is on the run called theserie rossa which translates to the run of the wits. The girlwas already out of the house while they cleared it of the sentimental items. [28], Mark Leonard was found guilty on all 53 counts, including murder and felony murder charges, on July 14. Shirley: "In order to pay a very large amount of child support, I was working a full-time job and two part-time jobs. Marion County Superior Court Judge Sheila Carlisle sentenced Monserrate Shirley to spend the maximum sentence of 50 years in prison on Tuesday. I know it caught us by surprise and we had to react to it.. No one, Shirley replied, crying.I WAS IN LOVE WITH HIM. She and Mark then gassed up her car and drove to the casino. When she got home, Mark told her he and Bob had gone to the library to research other similar homes that had been set on fire without anyone getting hurt. [6] Prosecutors also allege that he offered the hit man a $5,000 bonus if he made the murder look like a suicide. She then spoke with another neighbor, who told her there had been an explosion. We knew we were taking a week of testimony from the residents to talk about what had happened to their houses, Robinson said. The defense certainly offered to stipulate that 60 homes were damaged. When she told him, Holts said, "Between Mark and Gary, they're going to blow up the whole neighborhood.". Many Git commands accept both tag and branch names, so creating this branch may cause unexpected behavior. She was wearing a jail jumpsuit, was shackled and her hair had grown long, dark and curly.IM TELLING THE TRUTH. 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. Monserrate Shirley and Mark leonard, profiled on the next "American Greed," staged a natural gas explosion to collect the insurance on their Indianapolis home. PREVIOUS|Timeline of events|Gallery: The Richmond Hill Explosion|Where were you at 11:11 PM? Officials did not release further information regarding his death. [29] He was sentenced to life in prison plus 75 years without parole on August 14, 2015. But the majority supported us.. It would have shortened the trial a week. "I mean, I'm totally devastated like my neighbors are.". Its also the name of the game of death in which our monserrate daughter will be taking us on. BREAKING: By a vote of 24-38, New York's State Senate has voted against same-sex marriage legislation. Glenn Hults, who pleaded guilty to a felony for knowing about the plot but failing to report it to police, is scheduled for sentencing on December 28. [26], In a case unrelated to the explosion charges, Mark Leonard and two other men were charged with conspiracy to commit insurance fraud. She talked about being Catholic and said it was in God's hands, but still, they should be punished.". The shirley daughter is an Italian restaurant that takes more than 15 minutes to make you feel at home. Somebody knew that I was out of town. Monserrate and John had the home in Richmond Hill built in 2003. FAIL: New York Senate Says NO to Gay Marriage - Queerty Snapped: Killer Couples (known as Killer Couples from seasons 7 to 15) is an American true crime television series currently airing on the Oxygen Network.The program details couples who commit crimes together. Deputy Prosecutor DeniseRobinson has said she will argue for 50 when the time comes. Monserrate Shirley is lead into her sentencing hearing in December 2016. She was too involved. "Except her cat, the clothes on her back and a teddy bear she got when she was 1.". Shirley stated that her daughter had smelled gas during the week before the explosion. At the time of the explosion, Shirley says he was living in Noblesville. A second mortgage had been taken out on the home for $65,000 in addition to the original mortgage of $116,000. Until shed agreed and signed on the dotted line, there were things I could not tell them. A tag already exists with the provided branch name. She gave it to him, and he used it to pay Bob. Robinson knew that. He was going to bring Thompson to their house so she could say she was okay to move forward, too. That's whatwe'll be asking the jury to consider.". That presented a potential pitfall in the case, Robinson said. Shirley: "I moved out in February of 2011. Four years after Richmond Hill explosion, Monserrate Shirley to be monserrate is the name of the dish, as well as its . But their arrests wereonly the beginning of years of work to put them behind bars for good. He says the log lighter worked fine when he lived there. [20] The trials started in 2015. Jeffrey Wager and IMPD investigators, Lt. Mario Garza and IFD investigators, agents of the Federal ATF, and our trial team for their commitment and perseverance to bring justice for the Richmond Hill residents.. Monserrate Shirley was given the house after her divorce. . Prosecutors entered all three into evidence Tuesday. Mark Leonard is on trial in South Bend in connection to the explosion in the Richmond Hill neighborhood that killed Jennifer and Dion Longworth in November 2012. He was working in Fishers on the night of the explosion. I commend Det. Shortly thereafter I moved some furniture into the apartment. Sometimes they would go during the week while her daughterwas at school and leave in enough time to pick her back up. [6] Investigators said personal insurance on the home had recently been increased to $300,000. It was the last time she would be in her home before the explosion. How to fix pii_email_029231e8462fca76041e Error Code? This time, Mark and Bob talked alone while Monserrate left to pick up her daughter. This type of trial is unusual but not unheard of, and had been used in the trial of the Menendez brothers. Gary Thompson pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit arson and received a 30-year sentence, with 10 years suspended. He asked how much was in the 401k, according to Shirley. At the trial I had firefighters crying on the stand. West's Mortuary, Inc. And the water heater." She was 11 years old at that point. "(Whoever is responsible will) have to pay for what they did to me and everybody else," Shirley said in the interview. The family, he said, will never truly get closure. She was the one who got her daughter and her cat out of the situation and left her neighbors in the situation. Her sister had lived in the same housing complex. Robinson told the residents what she could: That they didnt need Monserrate Shirley as a witness, but that she would help fill in blanks they hadnt been able to. Defense attorneys later pointed out she allowed him to move in and eventually drive her daughter to school despite knowing he was serving house detention for a DUI charge. Ms. Shirley ultimately took responsibility for her actions by pleading guilty and provided important information during the investigation. ", When they went to pick up Shirley's daughteron Sunday, Holts told Mark to "Get the [expletive] out of here. I tried to ignore Mark Leonards history as much as I could, Robinson said. "Cases are made up of hurdles all the time," Robinson said Wednesday. (WISH) - Monserrate Shirley told jurors Wednesday she would do anything for Mark Leonard, because she was in love with him. But the plan went horribly awry when a vast amount of natural gas had built up in the home before something set inside a microwave oven ignited the blaze. For her cooperation with the prosecutions of the Leonard brothers, and the information she provided that led to the convictions of Hults and Thompson, Monserrate Shirley was spared the possibility of life without parole. They should go to jail. Even years later, Robinson says she doesnt know why Black brought the hitman allegations up. He couldn't get a card to play with so she got a card for him and played on his behalf. [28] Prosecutors expected to submit nearly 3,000 pieces of evidence, and potentially call up to 175 witnesses. On Thursday, Shirley worked a 12 hour shift. And I wanted to be able to tell them everything., TRANSCRIPT | The full testimony of Monserrate Shirley. "You face one, you get over one and you've got another one all the way until the end. Monserrate Shirley, Indianapolis Homeowner Whose House Exploded, Bereft Exasperated, Judge John Marnocha, who was assigned to oversee the trial, dismissed dozens of potential jurors and ended the day early with an admonition for Black and her co-counsel, David Shircliff. [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". At least three of his possessions did survive, however: two golf bags, with clubs, and a driver he'd been gifted. At that point, Shirley and her co-defendants her boyfriend Mark Leonard and his brother, Bob Leonard Jr. had been sitting in jail for two years following their arrest on charges of murder, arson and attempted insurance fraud in connection with the explosion. Heappears to have died of natural causes. INTERACTIVE MAP|Residents relive Richmond Hill explosion, ViewExplosion Damaged Homesin a larger map, Download the new and improved RTV6 app to get the latest news on the go and receive alerts to your phone, Sign up to have the latest news headlines delivered straight to your email inbox, Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way, Indianapolis, IN Interactive Weather Radar, Full testimony: Monserrate Shirley takes the stand. Homeowner Monserrate Shirley sentenced to 50 years in Richmond Hill I care about people. I should have been there.". He told her one of the reasons she needed to upgrade the policy was he planned to bring in some nicer things and do some work around the house to improve it and they would need the extra coverage to match the upgrades. Indiana Man Convicted of Murder in Home Explosion Case - Insurance Journal [9], Investigators discovered a number of allegations of insurance fraud and other scams by Leonard prior to the blast, particularly involving stolen or wrecked automobiles. Indianapolis blast: house owner, 2 others accused of deadly plot 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. But she put an end to that in August 2011.". "That's not what you told me," she remembered saying to Mark. 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. Mark Leonard, the man considered the mastermind behind the 2012 Richmond Hill neighborhood explosion that killed two peopleand wounded at least adozen others, is dead. Shirley told her daughternot to come back to the house for any reason, though she didn't explain why not. PHOTOS: First Richmond Hill trial Mark Leonard is on. An offhand comment would change that. . When she left that morning, her daughterand Snowball were still there (Mark was going to take them to school and the kennel). They agreed to say they'd been having trouble with the thermostat and smelling gas for a while. That hit man was later revealed to be an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. 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. On the night of the explosion, Shirley said he was working a second job in Fishers. (Item updated.) She said Leonard had bought it a few months beforehand at that point. ", Minch: "At no time did she ever say she was involved in the explosion?" Shirley may have been the prosecution's highest profile witness, but that doesn't mean they're done. Shirley's daughterwent with them in Leonard's Cadillac. Jurors will later hear that the golf bags and clubs were found at Bob Leonard's home after the explosion. She said they should be punished, Carter testified. She remained in the house as the sole owner until the explosion. Shed said similar things in an interview with IMPD Det. Prosecutors ended by asking Shirley if the Longworths or any of her other neighbors deserved what happened. Its about your game being the only game that matters. While she was charged in December 2012 for her role in the explosion, she pleaded guilty to two felony conspiracy charges earlier this year in exchange for her testimony. Deputy prosecutor Denise Robinson returned from prosecuting the Richmond Hill cases to a pile of homicides waiting on her desk. Leonard asked her to get a babysitter for her daughter, make a reservation at the casino's hotel for the two of them and to board the family cat, "Snowball." TRANSCRIPT | Opening statements in the trial of Mark Leonard. Bob had been asking for his $10,000 payment before the explosion even happened. 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. . She lived in the four-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath home with her daughter. "[6] The witness also told investigators that Leonard talked about buying a Ferrari with the insurance money from the house. Leonard was at the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility inSullivan County serving two life sentences for his role in the explosion that rocked the southeast-side neighborhood that destroyed five homes and damaged more than 80 others. No one involved in this investigation or prosecution will forget the stories of this tragedy and the continuing fear and trauma that it caused to the survivors. In her sentencing order, Judge Sheila Carlisle repeatedly stressed that Shirley could have stopped the plan at any time but didnt. Richmond Hill Explosion - indyencyclopedia.org Thats time served, and hes out. She transferred from her job in Michigan to the VA hospital in Indianapolis, where she worked for 17 years, focusing in the ICU. Mark Leonards trial at the St. Joseph County Courthouse was eventful before it even started. At the time her friends called her, Monserrate was at a casino with Mark Leonard. "I thought it was crazy," she told a jury, "but I went along with him." 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. I had seen it used in a couple of games, but I never knew it was the name of a real person. And the game of death is the game of life itself. The first time Shirley cried on the stand Wednesday was when she was asked about her neighbors. I did my best. Seven months later, on March 18, 2016, his brother Bob Leonard Jr. received his own sentence of life without parole in a courtroom in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The next morning, they drove back and saw the house was still standing so they went on to Thompson's house where Leonard confronted him. Shirley agreed to plead guilty to two counts conspiracy to commit arson and testify against the co-conspirators in exchange for having all other charges dropped. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way, Indianapolis, IN Interactive Weather Radar, Mark Leonards friend says he knew too much, Opening statements in the trial of Mark Leonard. Jeff Wager, the lead homicide investigator in the case, talks about the surveillance and arrests of Mark Leonard and Monserrate Shirley: It was at a meeting with prosecutors in early 2015 that Richmond Hill residents learned of the plea deal being worked out with their former neighbor, Monserrate Shirley. I said I think theres ($10,000) or $12,000 in there, and he said, That was not enough, I want $300,000, Shirley said. "I mean, sometimes I wish I was there and I'd be dead, and now I wouldn't have to be asked so many questions.". "I was at one of my part-time jobs when I got a text from my daughter, which was very unusual. Critics have accused Shirley of faking her reaction after the explosion because she seemed upset but never shed a tear. When they arrived, Mark told her the fire would happen Saturday night so she needed to ask to keep their room a second night (Saturday night). Many of the women reported that they met him on dating sites and that he soon began asking them for money. 2012 explosion in Richmond Hill, Indianapolis, Indiana, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, "At least 2 killed, others injured in explosion, fire in Indianapolis neighborhood", "Family breaks ground on new home in Richmond Hill subdivision after Indianapolis home explosion", "36 homes critically damaged in explosion in south side neighborhood", "Homeowner at center of explosion feels lucky to be alive", "Authorities call Richmond Hill explosion a homicide case, seek details on white van", "Probable cause suggests pattern of fraud, details inconsistencies", "Richmond Hill suspect, friend face insurance fraud charges", "Affidavit: women say richmond hill blast suspect Mark Leonard has long history of scheming", "Shattered Subdivision Offers a Trail of Clues", "Life sentences without parole sought for Indianapolis explosion suspects", "4th person arrested in Indianapolis house explosion", "Fifth suspect charged in 2012 Indianapolis south side explosion", "Mark Leonard, Indy Blast suspect, pleads not guilty in murder plot", "Jim Voyles now representing Monserrate Shirley", "Home Explosion Case: Monserrate Shirley, Mark And Bob Leonard Due In Indianapolis Court", "Richmond Hill explosion: 3 trials for price of 1? Monserrate Shirley spent the entire day on the stand Wednesday, and the anticipation of her testimony was evident in courtroom attendance. FORT WAYNE, Ind. Richmond Hill explosion: Where are they now? - indystar.com 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. For one thing, the trial team deputy prosecutors Denise Robinson and Mark Hollingsworth, plus two junior deputies would have to wade through an entire subdivision-worth of evidence to build, arguably, the largest criminal prosecution in Indiana history. Monserrate Shirley leaves court after learning her sentence. None of them had given any indication they were willing to take a plea under the terms prosecutors were offering. Write For Us: Investigative Articles are Intriguing. Made and inspired by a love triangle, this was written by a girl from Italy. Are they going to get bored with it?. Shirley spent hours on the stand. According to Shirley, he said the house fire would happen, "even if I have to step in the living room and light up this house myself.". She was able to take that to the prosecutor and get a protective order against me. Its because the life of the game itself is the life of the game itself. She took care of all three. Indianapolis trio accused of blowing up their home to collect insurance "Mark can insult [Thompson], and he never does anything," Shirley said.
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