This type of trial is unusual but not unheard of, and had been used in the trial of the Menendez brothers. [28] Prosecutors expected to submit nearly 3,000 pieces of evidence, and potentially call up to 175 witnesses. Residents, particularly the younger ones, report experiencing continued psychological trauma from the incident. How to fix the pii__email__cbd448bbd34c985e423c Error code? Even years later, Robinson says she doesnt know why Black brought the hitman allegations up. They got to the room, but Mark wasn't feeling well so he stayed there while Shirley played slot machines for about an hour. Your email address will not be published. Its an interesting concept. 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. [37] She is serving her sentence at Indiana Women's Prison in Indianapolis. Monserrate Shirley, Indianapolis Homeowner - AOL Real Estate For their families, the tree is one last connection to the loved ones they lost on Nov. 10, 2012. FOLLOW|Rafael Sanchez on Twitter|Jordan Fischer on Twitter, RELATED LINKS |Richmond Hill Special Section|Mark Ray Leonard convicted on all counts. Monserrate Shirley agreed to testify against Mark Leonard as part of a plea agreement to reduce her potential prison time. The couple says their neighbor Bob Leonard was led away for questioning. Home owner, Monserrate Shirley; her boyfriend, Mark Leonard; and his brother, Bob Leonard, were arrested Friday and charged with murder and arson Prosecutors may seek the death penalty Fire. The program is a spin-off of the Oxygen series Snapped and has a similar format to the Investigation Discovery program Wicked Attraction. In court, Shirley testified Leonard had promised to show her how to make a lot of money. I thought it was crazy, but I went along with him. Before meeting Mark, Shirley had never been to a casino. I was at one of my part-time jobs when I got a text from my daughter, which was very unusual. Example video title will go here for this video. Prosecutors alleged Leonard was the mastermind behind the explosion, plotting with his. More: Richmond Hill: 'The scars still remain', More: Richmond Hill explosion: 'It's the toughest thing I've ever done in my career', More: Richmond Hill explosion: 7 keys that solved the case. I didnt give it any credibility. 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. The entire day she answered questions from attorneys, repeatedly crying. I went into the breakroom and texted my ex about what happened. Leonard said he talked to Gary Thompson without her, telling him they were ready to do it. Mark Leonard was the first to go on trial. Its a game that only you can play. I certainly might feel bad for his family. More than 4 years later, Monserrate Shirley to be sentenced in Richmond The defense certainly offered to stipulate that 60 homes were damaged. At the time her friends called her, Monserrate was at a casino with Mark Leonard. Three charged with murder after 'setting off deadly Indiana house "I was at one of my part-time jobs when I got a text from my daughter, which was very unusual. [29] He was sentenced to life in prison plus 75 years without parole on August 14, 2015. Monserrate Shirley, Indianapolis Homeowner Whose House Exploded, Bereft But she put an end to that in August 2011.". I tried to ignore Mark Leonards history as much as I could, Robinson said. SOUTH BEND, Ind. On Thursday, Shirley worked a 12 hour shift. Follow us on Twitter at @AOLRealEstate, or connect with AOL Real Estate on Facebook and Pinterest. Mark Leonards trial at the St. Joseph County Courthouse was eventful before it even started. Shirley says he was working at Eli Lilly at the time, and Monserrate was working as an RN at the VA hospital. Monserrate Shirley, 47, her boyfriend, Mark Leonard, 43, and his brother, Bob Leonard Jr., 54, are accused of intentionally leaking natural gas into the house and then using the kitchen's. 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. Homeowner Monserrate Shirley sentenced to 50 years for role in - WTTV TRANSCRIPT | Opening statements in the trial of Mark Leonard. He reportedly said, "[T]he tsunami winds came down the chimney, blew out the fire in the fireplace and the gas kept running and the house blew up. Neighbors seek max sentence in fatal home blast - USA TODAY You're a piece of [expletive]. Prosecutors started by addressing her plea agreement. He was, however, eventually able to return to his hobby of umpiring softball. Powerball winner sold in central Indiana! Richmond Hill Explosion - indyencyclopedia.org . [28] The defense said that what became the Richmond Hill explosion was only supposed to be a "stupid and selfish insurance fraud that went horribly wrong", adding, "Precautions were taken to ensure people weren't harmed." That's whatwe'll be asking the jury to consider.". And you said she was crying? document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. Holts invited Leonard and Shirley to his friend's house for a pool party in the Geist neighborhood. [6] She claimed to have been horrified at the Longworths' deaths, as well as the massive destruction wrought by the explosion. The jury found 46-year-old Mark Leonard guilty of all counts against him, including murder and felony murder. Prosecuting Mark Leonard presented with some challenges. "I moved out in February of 2011," he said. Thompson left after a few hours and Shirley didn't hear anything else before the first attempt that Saturday. She said they should be punished, Carter testified. 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. "Two innocent people died because of this!" I got upset with her and sent her some derogatory texts. An autopsy will be conducted by the Marion County coroner's office Wednesday, according to the DOC. I didnt want it to affect the trial date, Robinson said. When we got in this case, we were asked to save her life, said defense attorney James Voyles. An offhand comment would change that. Robinson has said she will argue for 50 when the time comes. Federal grand jury indicts man on hate crime charges after he allegedly shot 2 Jewishmen in Los Angelesin February, Pot vote has Oklahoma hungry to rake in green from Texas, Indonesia fuel depot fire kills 18, over dozen missing, Fishers firefighters assist car flipped NB over I-69. The couple's steamy relationship lasted for about a month before they moved in together. 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. Jordan Fischer is the senior digital reporter for RTV6. Heappears to have died of natural causes. We again offer our condolences to the families of Dion and Jennifer Longworth and to those who suffered injury and loss. Shirley recalled a later conversation that she had with Bob and Mark Leonard, after the explosion. He told her his friend Glenn Holts had done the same at his own house with help from Gary Thompson, who worked for Leonard at the time. Investigators have ruled out a natural gas leak from the home's underground pipelines, the Star reported, and they are now focusing on whether there may have been a leak from one of the gas appliances inside three homes that were obliterated in the explosion. Having Shirley as a witness came with its own pitfalls, though. After the first failure, Leonard decided he also wanted to bring in his half-brother, Bob. Prosecutors alleged that the men conspired to submit an insurance claim for a stolen motorcycle. She was the nurse. 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. Estimates for the total scope of the damage caused by the explosion exceeded $4.5 million. A second mortgage had been taken out on the home for $65,000 in addition to the original mortgage of $116,000. He said that his daughter had mentioned that the furnace wasn't working, and he wondered whether a gas leak ignited the blast. She still wiped under her eyes with a tissue several times while she was on the stand. He says he and Monserrate never boarded the cat when they were married. And in each of those categories, you betrayed your trust.. Every day I ask myself why I didnt stop this. On Monday, November 5, they changed out the thermostat for a "cheaper" model. At sentencing, St. Joseph Superior Court Judge John Marnocha said Leonard demonstrated a sheer indifference for the safety of others., The motivation here is greed, Marnocha said. 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. 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. Man convicted of murder in deadly Indiana house explosion This story is Chapter III of a three-part series. When testimony moved to the night of the explosion that killed Jennifer and Dion Longworth, Monserrate Shirley had a difficult time staying composed. "I thought it was crazy," she told a jury, "but I went along with him." ", She said Mark told her, "It cannot be that bad.Don't worry about it. RICHMOND HILL: Shirley's ex takes the stand - WRTV This time, Shirley's daughterwas at home, but she was upstairs. Man accused of murder in deadly house blast learns his fate - CBS News [6] Prosecutors also allege that he offered the hit man a $5,000 bonus if he made the murder look like a suicide. I have morals.I love my patients and I would do anything for them. Deputy prosecutor Denise Robinson returned from prosecuting the Richmond Hill cases to a pile of homicides waiting on her desk. 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. You were a nurse. (Item updated.) 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. "Everything they were telling me, it could not be possible," Shirley said on the stand as she started to get emotional. Her earliest possible release date is December 19, 2037when she will be 72 years old. [14] Shirley admitted raising the limit on her insurance coverage at Mark Leonard's urging, and only went along with the plot out of love for him. 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. Thirty-three homes were damaged so severely they were deemed unrecoverable, and had to be torn down to the foundation. By the time wed got to trial, hed already been in jail for going on three years. On top of his prior criminal convictions, at the time of his arrest, Mark Leonard was being sued civilly by multiple women who accused him of scamming them out of money through online dating sites. The November 2012 blast claimed the lives of John and Jennifer Longworth and spawned an investigation that landed five people behind bars. Start the day smarter Notable deaths in 2023 The world's largest war 2023 meteor showers While Thompson checked the digital thermostat, Shirley heard him and Leonard say they could use it to trigger the fireplace as the source of the fire, but they never directly gave her any specifics on how they were going to do it. Too little, too late, said Jennifer Longworths father, Don Buxton. 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 asked Mark and Bob what happened that made it be an explosion instead of a fire. . Follow his reporting on Twitter at @Jordan_RTV6 or on Facebook. Shirley said she would come back immediately, but they told her there was no house to come back to. She and her boyfriend, Mark Leonard, who also lived at the residence, told authorities they had left Friday night for a weekend at Hollywood Casino in Lawrenceburg, Indiana. Would you describe her demeanor the same way?" [3][4] Damage to homes in the neighborhood was estimated at $4 million. FORT WAYNE, Ind. Shirley told her daughternot to come back to the house for any reason, though she didn't explain why not. Monserrate Shirley is lead into her sentencing hearing in December 2016. Indiana Neighborhood Explosion: Two Questioned in Connection to Blast Police became suspicious when they uncovered evidence that the couple had taken similar steps the previous weekend; the cat had been boarded and Shirley's daughter had been placed with a babysitter overnight before the couple went to the casino. Bob Leonard's son told investigators that several items were in the van that had been taken from the home, including photos and financial documents. [28], Mark Leonard was found guilty on all 53 counts, including murder and felony murder charges, on July 14. She continued handling some of Marion Countys most heinous crimes until January 2017, when her former boss, then-Elkhart County Prosecutor Curtis Hill, called her up and asked her to join him at the Indiana Statehouse, where he had just been elected attorney general. I said OK, she said. "He'll do anything I ask," Mark said of his brother. They decided to cut a piece of cardboard to block off the chimney path. The here, in this case, was the knowing murder of Dion and Jennifer Longworth. Hults and his then-fiance babysat Shirley's daughter on the night of the explosion. 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. The next time, Monserrate Shirley said Mark Leonards brother, Bob, was supposed to carry out the plan. Monserrate and John had the home in Richmond Hill built in 2003. Monserrate Shirley entered a guilty plea in the case that started as an insurance scam in Richmond Hill in 2012. In fact, they said that at the time she raised her insurance policy to $300,000, she was roughly $300,000 in debt (more than $200K between her two mortgages on top of the bankruptcy settlement left over from her divorce). Its because the life of the game itself is the life of the game itself. Everything's under control.". The girlwas already out of the house while they cleared it of the sentimental items. I had a homicide detective crying on the stand. For years, the team holed up in that office three days a week to avoid being distracted by other ongoing cases. She found a house with a floorplan she liked." 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 cant give back what was taken from them on November 10. Again, she said, "Because I was not able to tell him 'no'." Ms. Shirley ultimately took responsibility for her actions by pleading guilty and provided important information during the investigation. Witness: Indianapolis man promised $10K for home explosion She got in the van with them, and Mark asked her to give Bob $40. At the time of the explosion, Shirley says he was living in Noblesville. She now faces 20-50 years, though a judge has the right to suspend some, or all of that time. Shirley: "No.". [21] Mark Leonard was granted a change of venue and was tried in South Bend. While we knew that Monserrate Shirley on her own would never have caused this crime, it couldnt have happened without her. During the course of this lengthy process, we have sincerely appreciated the cooperation and patience of these families. If that timeline holds, final jury instructions would be given Monday, July 13 then deliberation would begin. Authorities blamed a natural gas explosion inside the home of Monserrate Shirley, who was away at the time of the explosion. She would sit with him, eat and drink and occasionally play slot machines. Including journalists, it was closer to four dozen. Psychologist Dr. Stephanie Callaway diagnosed her with dependent personality disorder, but stated under cross-examination that, while the diagnosis explains Shirley's actions, it does not absolve her of responsibility. His defense team admitted that the blaze had been intentionally set, but told jurors it was only intended to be a small fire and that murder was never his intention. Unresolved: Release in which this issue/RFE will be addressed. We have done that. Prosecutors said Leonard planned to pay a person he thought was a hit man $15,000, giving him a $5,000 bonus if a witness in the case called police to say he had lied about information he had given investigators. Dont make that kind of joke, Shirley testified. [6] Investigators said personal insurance on the home had recently been increased to $300,000. Robinson could not tell them, for example, that Shirley would be facing a sentencing range of 20-50 years in prison. But these were good defense attorneys. [39] Glenn Hults received a three-year sentence.[40]. She died at age 85 in 2014, but Shirley Temple's childrenand fans gathered in LA on Monday, April 23 to celebrate what would have been her 90th birthday. "I want $300,000. Mark Leonard drove her home that night and stayed with her for what the defense characterized as a romantic, sexual night. And I understand it, because of their feelings about her. The most money she ever remembered seeing him lose on a single trip was $7,000. Indianapolis explosion may have been caused by furnace, says owner of Saturday morning, they headed to the casino and Mark played a blackjack table, then they went to the bar and sat, waiting to get the phone call their home had caught fire. He did come to the house one week before the first attempt. Mark started telling Shirley they needed to get their stories straight before police started asking questions. That was the last time she saw Bob before they were arrested. I dont wish them any hardship. Will they get to the felony murder?. 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 lost everything," he said. Thompson returned to their home to plan their next attempt. Both the prosecution and defense attorneys asked Shirley if she thought Hults was joking. Shirley said that she was at a casino bar at the time of the explosion, and her boyfriend and daughter -- who also live with her -- weren't home either. This time, Mark and Bob talked alone while Monserrate left to pick up her daughter. Thompson said he'd been pulled over by a cop so he couldn't get to the house. The home was owned by his girlfriend at the time, Monserrate Shirley, who testified earlier this month that Bob. At the center of the case, Mark Leonard, a womanizer with gambling debts who preyed on divorcees, hatched an arson plot for money with his girlfriend, Monserrate Shirley. He was sentenced to 3 years in prison. On the day of the explosion, another neighbor saw a white van pull into the driveway of Shirley's residence between 2:00 and 3:00p.m. Shirley stated that her daughter had smelled gas during the week before the explosion. The next morning, they went to Bob Leonard's mobile home. Shirley testified that friends called and told her there was a huge explosion. Carter would testify that her emotions and demeanor seemed normal at the time, for someone whose house had just blown up. Shirley and Leonard had gone on television on multiple occasions following the blast to state their innocence, and to ask for privacy. 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. Critics have accused Shirley of faking her reaction after the explosion because she seemed upset but never shed a tear. monserrate is the name of the dish, as well as its . Leonard is charged with 53 counts of murder, arson and conspiracy. Bob Leonard said, "Well, you're in it. John Shirley, 50, of Noblesville, told The Associated Press that his daughter sent him a text message last week complaining that the furnace in the home where she lives with her mother and her. 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? [36] Shirley was sentenced to 50 years in prison, the maximum possible under her plea agreement, on December 20, 2016. So while I had that, I pretty quickly set it aside and put it in a file marked Mark Leonard and never looked at it, because I couldnt allow that to influence me in the decision. "Mark can insult [Thompson], and he never does anything," Shirley said. Richmond Hill trial: Monserrate Shirley testifies | wthr.com Two mental health experts testified that her childhood could have contributed to her decision to stay with Mark Leonard and go along with his plan to blow up her house for insurance money.