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Amazingly, despite the force of the explosion, a hybrid pear tree planted by Dion Longworth still grows in the yard where he and his wife Jennifers house once stood. Monserrate Shirley and her boyfriend, Mark Leonard, who lived in the home, along with Leonard's brother, Robert Leonard, were arrested Friday on 48 charges, including murder and arson. A second home was reduced to rubble as well, and other houses were half-collapsed. (WISH) Monserrate Shirley told jurors Wednesday she would do anything for Mark Leonard, because she was in love with him. Glenn told me, Between Mark and Gary, theyre going to explode the whole neighborhood. I said, Dont play like that. 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. But she had no hesitation when asked to identify the Longworths as her neighbors. But a whole days-worth of potential jurors would end up tainted anyway not by media coverage, but by Leonards defense team. The defense team started their cross-examination by establishing Shirley's ability to make life-and-death decisions in high-pressure situations while a charge nurse in the ICU. Shirley alleged that Hults initially came up with the idea. So in the game of death, monserrate daughter is the Shirley of the game of death. Monserrate Shirley leaves court after learning her sentence. [14] In April 2015, a fifth man, Glenn Hults, was charged with conspiracy to commit arson. 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. And I think when the motivation is that, what we have is a person who is the worst of the worst.. . Monserrate Shirley spent the entire day on the stand Wednesday, and the anticipation of her testimony was evident in courtroom attendance. Shirley says he was paying Monserrate $1,000 a month in child support and mortgage payments. Are they going to get bored with it?. Indiana sheriffs deputy dies after falling ill during training, Myles Colvin captivates Heritage Christian crowds, preps for Purdue. They laughed at her for asking, but it was switched back out. Write For Us: Investigative Articles are Intriguing. Ms. Shirley ultimately took responsibility for her actions by pleading guilty and provided important information during the investigation. More on AOL Real Estate:Find homes for rent in your area.Find out how to calculate mortgage payments.Find homes for sale in your area.Find foreclosures in your area. For Lt. Mario Garza, the Indianapolis Fire Department veteran tasked with leading the arson investigation, the Richmond Hill explosion will likely be the most significant challenge of his career. ", 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.". Until shed agreed and signed on the dotted line, there were things I could not tell them. Iwas scared. Leonard went to pick up Thompson in the white van witnesses in the neighborhood have previously testified seeing in Shirley's driveway. [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. Bob Leonard said, "Well, you're in it. A second mortgage had been taken out on the home for $65,000 in addition to the original mortgage of $116,000. Mr. Monserrate Morales was born on January 7, 1955 in Puerto Rico. Fixed: Release in which this issue/RFE has been fixed.The release containing this fix may be available for download as an Early Access Release or a General Availability Release. Monserrate Shirley is lead into her sentencing hearing in December 2016. In her sentencing order, Judge Sheila Carlisle repeatedly stressed that Shirley could have stopped the plan at any time but didnt. So in the end there were a couple of people who were opposed to it, and I respected that. [28], Mark Leonard was found guilty on all 53 counts, including murder and felony murder charges, on July 14. "I mean, I'm totally devastated like my neighbors are.". Prosecutors then proposed an unusual strategy involving one trial, but three separate juries, one for each defendant. Shed said similar things in an interview with IMPD Det. He says the log lighter worked fine when he lived there. By this time, Shirley's daughterhad noticed her portrait was no longer above the fireplace and asked Monserrate about it. [39] Glenn Hults received a three-year sentence.[40]. Follow her on Twitter:@hollyvhays. Leonards death doesnt change the fact that Jennifer and Dion died, Buxton said. She asked that Mark and Bob switch it back out for the nicer version. Residents, particularly the younger ones, report experiencing continued psychological trauma from the incident. [6] Investigators said personal insurance on the home had recently been increased to $300,000. After speaking with detectives, they went to Mark's sister's home, where they spent the night. The blast killed two people and. But their arrests wereonly the beginning of years of work to put them behind bars for good. You can't do anything," he said. Minch: "Before that, you did have some problems with the pilot light on the furnace?" Says Sen. Tom. 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. I thought it was crazy, but I went along with him. I dont believe in vengeance and I know that my son is not a person that would accept vengeance and such things, he didnt live that way., I look at Monserrate Shirley and I see a wasted life, said Tony Burnett, who lived across the street from Shirley. When she told him, Holts said, "Between Mark and Gary, they're going to blow up the whole neighborhood.". She said she did not tell officers at the time what happened because she was scared. She was 11 years old at that point. None of them had given any indication they were willing to take a plea under the terms prosecutors were offering. 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. Shirley said after he and his wife's divorce was finalized in July 2011, the last time he was at the home at 8349 Fieldfare Way was August of that year. Start the day smarter Notable deaths in 2023 The world's largest war 2023 meteor showers Would you describe her demeanor the same way?" It was the last time she would be in her home before the explosion. Im thankful for my trial team for sticking with me. Monserrate Shirley and Mark leonard, profiled on the next "American Greed," staged a natural gas explosion to collect the insurance on their Indianapolis home. [36] Shirley was sentenced to 50 years in prison, the maximum possible under her plea agreement, on December 20, 2016. From confusion to conviction, Richmond Hill blast recapped. Prosecuting Mark Leonard presented with some challenges. After a while, Mark came back in and said Bob had agreed to help for $10,000, but never specified what exactly Bob would be doing. [7] Shirley told the police she never smelled any natural gas, but that her daughter had thought she did recently. The game of death is a pretty popular one, but its not just because of the game of death; its also the game of life itself. After that, the fire wasn't mentioned again until the week before Halloween. 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. [6] They had arranged for Shirley's 12-year-old daughter to stay with friends and had boarded their cat, Snowball, for the weekend. Bob Leonard, Monserrate Shirley, Gary Thompson and Glenn Hults also face charges in connection to the explosion. Yes, I didnt think it would be possible, Monserrate Shirley said.HUGE EXPLOSION. Attorneys walked Shirley through a number of conversations she had with Mark Leonard from the time they met until the house exploded. The cat, nicknamed Snowy, was a birthday gift for their daughter, he said, and "she misses him.". ", When they went to pick up Shirley's daughteron Sunday, Holts told Mark to "Get the [expletive] out of here. When she told him there was around $10,000-12,000 in it, he said that wasn't enough. Mark. I don't want anyone to get hurt," then started cooking dinner. 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. Prosecutors ended by asking Shirley if the Longworths or any of her other neighbors deserved what happened. 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. Shirley told her daughternot to come back to the house for any reason, though she didn't explain why not. Defense counsel said the deposition version showed she was actually in favor of burning the house down, she just didn't want to get caught. All I can say is, I had one small role in this. Get caught up on the first two chapters here:Chapter I: The Night the Sky Caught Fire|Chapter II: The $4 Million Arson Plot. "Two innocent people died because of this!" A source who claimed to be in contact with the Shirley family told WISH-TV in Indianapolis that a family member had complained about smelling gas in the home at one time. He was sentenced to 75 years in prison on the arson charges on top of two life sentences for the murder charges. Then there was the question of Leonards history. Her role in the plan and execution of this act protected her own child and the family pet, but failed to consider the obvious danger it presented to anyone else. Mark was a handsome man with sex appeal and a lot of money, judging by his stash of cash and fast luxury cars. Monserrate "Moncy" Shirley, a nurse, owned the home at the center of the explosion. "I have everybody telling me stuff that they said on the TV," she said. Shirley claims Leonard coerced her involvement, testifying that he threatened her and her daughter. With good behavior, her earliest possible release date is Dec. 19, 2032. We used to cook together, have dinner together.Very charming, very lovely man.". "I moved out in February of 2011," he said. Download the RTV6 app to get the latest live blog posts as the proceedings unfold. . They moved into a home they built in Richmond Hill toward the end of 2003. To do that, the team moved 80 boxes of documents connected to the case to an office on the east side of Indianapolis. Shirley said she thought the fire plan was crazy, but went along with it anyway. And then there was the arrangement that when I picked up my daughter I would get to take some of my belongings. Dion and Jennifer Longworth, two occupants in the house at 8355 Fieldfare Way, died in the explosion; seven others were injured. 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. TRANSCRIPT | Opening statements in the trial of Mark Leonard. You were a nurse. The force of the blast shattered windows and ripped down garage doors at dozens of other homes in the neighborhood. If that timeline holds, final jury instructions would be given Monday, July 13 then deliberation would begin. [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. Deputy prosecutor Denise Robinson returned from prosecuting the Richmond Hill cases to a pile of homicides waiting on her desk. 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. Taking them at face value, taking them at what they told the court, they believed that since it was going to come up in the trial they should talk about it during jury selection, Robinson said. 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. I didnt want to do anything that would cause that trial date to be continued.. She went to a bar on the south side of Indianapolis in November 2011 and they immediately noticed each other. The defense certainly offered to stipulate that 60 homes were damaged. She testified Wednesday she has a condition that prevents her tear ducts from actually producing tears. She gave it to him, and he used it to pay Bob. Should I have accepted that stipulation? 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. [31][32][33] Bob Leonard was convicted on all 51 counts, including murder and conspiracy to commit arson, on February 24, 2016. The sentence accounts for time served and good time credit. But in this case, Monserrate Shirley had already received leniency from the state when she entered into a plea agreement that dismissed a total of 50 charges, including murder. She asked Mark and Bob what happened that made it be an explosion instead of a fire. On multiple occasions Wednesday, Shirley said she didnt say no to Mark Leonard because she loved him. The shirley daughter is an Italian restaurant that takes more than 15 minutes to make you feel at home. Your email address will not be published. I didnt give it any credibility. Shirley: "Yes. It was a restaurant that had the name of a famous Italian poet who died young, but the restaurant only lasted for a year. "You face one, you get over one and you've got another one all the way until the end. arranged for her daughter to stay . The next morning, they went to Bob Leonard's mobile home. ", When asked if the attacks on Shirley's credibility would damage the State's case, Deputy Prosecutor Denise Robinson said, "If you think about anybody who gives a number of statements, and you think about inconsistencies when you're asked questions and you have to answer the questions that you're asked [no more, no less]. But I cant do that, and everybody knows you cant do that, but sometimes theres this perception that getting through the justice system will make things better. 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. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. Again, Monserrate agreed to do her same three preparations: a casino hotel reservation, a babysitter for her daughterand boarding for Snowball. I tried to ignore Mark Leonards history as much as I could, Robinson said. Its because the life of the game itself is the life of the game itself. They decided to cut a piece of cardboard to block off the chimney path. 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? 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. Two of those alleged co-conspirators were arrested as a direct result of her cooperation: Gary Thompson and Glenn Holts. Shirley says the house had three gas appliances when he lived there: furnace, water heater and fireplace. GitHub export from English Wikipedia. By the time wed got to trial, hed already been in jail for going on three years. "The State asked questions about [the interview] andthe judge said on the record that he saw no difference in her demeanor [on the video] than what she did today and that was our whole point: that she can tell a lie as easy as she tells the truth.". [6] Her attorneys argued that she was trapped in an abusive relationship and was coerced by Mark Leonard into participating in the crime. 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. I told them I dont even want to be a part of this, Shirley testified as telling the Leonards. She later pointed out she agreed to the plot under Mark Leonard's premise that it would be a small fire at just her home - not an explosion that would affect other people. Authorities blamed a natural gas explosion inside the home of Monserrate Shirley, who was away at the time of the explosion. Marion County Superior Court Judge Sheila Carlisle sentenced Monserrate Shirley to spend the maximum sentence of 50 years in prison on Tuesday. Shirley: "I moved out in February of 2011. The name was inspired by the work of the famous Italian poet Leonardo da Vinci, but it was actually a combination of the two that are so influential in the history of Italian cooking that the name was changed to monserrate. "I thought it was crazy," she told a jury, "but I went along with him." 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. she said. 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. When she arrived at the bar, she found Mark and Bob in the white van at a nearby gas station. 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. I always get the money.". And then there was the arrangement that when I picked up my daughter I would get to take some of my belongings. Sometimes they would go during the week while her daughterwas at school and leave in enough time to pick her back up. Did you see her on TV a few days later? We are sure to have a lot more weird coincidences in the next few days, but this one is pretty crazy. Marion County Superior Court Judge Sheila Carlisle sentenced Monserrate Shirley to spend the maximum sentence of 50 years in prison on Tuesday.