Shirley says they were his. He asked whose name the house was under, and she said it was entirely in her name after the divorce. Bob Leonard said, "Well, you're in it. We again offer our condolences to the families of Dion and Jennifer Longworth and to those who suffered injury and loss. Indiana sheriffs deputy dies after falling ill during training, Myles Colvin captivates Heritage Christian crowds, preps for Purdue. [6] 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. 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. Her sister had lived in the same housing complex. She was wearing a jail jumpsuit, was shackled and her hair had grown long, dark and curly.IM TELLING THE TRUTH. To the uninitiated, it seems to be a reference to a nickname used by the family of the deceased who are being called Shirley by their name. Your email address will not be published. Many Git commands accept both tag and branch names, so creating this branch may cause unexpected behavior. When testimony moved to the night of the explosion that killed Jennifer and Dion Longworth, Monserrate Shirley had a difficult time staying composed. Mark Leonard drove her home that night and stayed with her for what the defense characterized as a romantic, sexual night. While questioning potential jurors, one of Leonards attorneys, Diane Black, brought up out of the blue that her client had tried to hire a hitman from jail to kill his friend, and potential witness against him, Mark Duckworth. Shirley's next-door neighbors, John and Jennifer Longworth, died in the blast. Even years later, Robinson says she doesnt know why Black brought the hitman allegations up. I didn't do nothing wrong.". Write For Us: Investigative Articles are Intriguing. I always get the money.". She found a house with a floorplan she liked." Should I have accepted that stipulation? She was 11 years old at that point. Every day I ask myself why I didnt stop this. Leonard was being held at the Wabash Valley Correctional Facilitybut was transferred to the hospital several days ago. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated. Monserrate Shirley entered a guilty plea in the case that started as an insurance scam in Richmond Hill in 2012. That presented a potential pitfall in the case, Robinson said. "No one.". Minch: "You testified about some things you lost in the explosion. Robinson has said she will argue for 50 when the time comes. The entire day she answered questions from attorneys, repeatedly crying. 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. [6] Investigators said personal insurance on the home had recently been increased to $300,000. The next morning, they returned to Indianapolis and saw the house was again still standing so Mark called Bob and told him to meet at a nearby parking lot. Defense attorneys tried to play that video for jurors Wednesday, but the judge wouldnt allow it. I said OK, she said. Shirley stated that her daughter had smelled gas during the week before the explosion. 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. In a room inside IFD Station 63 less than a mile from the Richmond Hill subdivision Carter and Shirley talked about her whereabouts on the night of the explosion. She said Leonard had bought it a few months beforehand at that point. 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. She testified Wednesday she has a condition that prevents her tear ducts from actually producing tears. The here, in this case, was the knowing murder of Dion and Jennifer Longworth. He occasionally worked on those cars at Shirley's home so she saw he had a wide array of tools. They enter into evidence two golf bags with clubs and a driver. . ", Minch: "You said you talked to Ms. Shirley on the 11th. While there had been some communications early on, we were not willing to offer Monserrate Shirley a significant deal for her cooperation, Robinson said. Its about your game being the only game that matters. When asked why she didn't take Leonard's hospitalization in March 2012 as an opportunity not to let him back into her home since she knew what he wanted to do by that point, she said she couldn't turn away a sick person. Shirley had earlier cooperated in providing testimony against alleged co-conspirators but. Bob had been asking for his $10,000 payment before the explosion even happened. INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. An autopsy will be conducted by the Marion County coroner's office Wednesday, according to the DOC. It was run by the daughter of a famous American actor who was very close to the owner. She found a house with a floorplan she liked." He was sentenced to two life sentences without parole, as well as 70 years from other charges, on March 18, 2016. Gary Thompson pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit arson and received a 30-year sentence, with 10 years suspended. As Mark Leonards defense team would point out repeatedly throughout his trial, there was a chance, however small, that Shirleys cooperation could end with her walking free at the end. 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. 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. 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 and Mark leonard, profiled on the next "American Greed," staged a natural gas explosion to collect the insurance on their Indianapolis home. After demands for a vote on the bill, we finally received one. . 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. I dont wish them any hardship. Shirley said she thought the fire plan was crazy, but went along with it anyway. GitHub export from English Wikipedia. Monserrate Shirley said Mark Leonard was very, very mad., Mark Leonard said, Were going to do it again. The defendants requested that the trials be moved over concerns they would not receive a fair trial in Central Indiana due to the high-profile media coverage received by the case. Gary Thompsonwas handed a 30-year prison sentence, 20 years executed, for his role in the murderous insurance fraud scheme. Prosecutors alleged that the natural gas explosion was intentionally set to collect insurance money. He says the log lighter worked fine when he lived there. [31][32][33] Bob Leonard was convicted on all 51 counts, including murder and conspiracy to commit arson, on February 24, 2016. 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. Shirley: "No. He was sentenced to 75 years in prison on the arson charges on top of two life sentences for the murder charges. By December 2014, two years after the explosion in the Richmond Hill subdivision, prosecutors were preparing to go to trial without any cooperating witnesses. [13] A fourth person, Gary Thompson, was charged in January 2015 on the same charges. "Everything they were telling me, it could not be possible," Shirley said on the stand as she started to get emotional. Estimates for the total scope of the damage caused by the explosion exceeded $4.5 million. [5], Monserrate "Moncy" Shirley, a nurse, owned the home at the center of the explosion. Shed said similar things in an interview with IMPD Det. [28], Mark Leonard was found guilty on all 53 counts, including murder and felony murder charges, on July 14. I didnt want to do anything that would cause that trial date to be continued.. So there wasnt a great deal of pressure on us, or desire by us, to offer her anything.. I care about people. Their funeral was held earlier today. Monserrate Shirley sentenced to 50 years in prison - YouTube Charged in the deadly Richmond Hill Fire RTV6 News brings you the best breaking news coverage in Indiana. Unresolved: Release in which this issue/RFE will be addressed. To do that, the team moved 80 boxes of documents connected to the case to an office on the east side of Indianapolis. She asked Mark not to try the house fire plan again. When the relationship first started, she said, "He was a nice guy. Both the prosecution and defense attorneys asked Shirley if she thought Hults was joking. She talked about being Catholic and said it was in God's hands, but still, they should be punished.". A second home was reduced to rubble as well, and other houses were half-collapsed. Source: http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2012/11/14/monserrate-shirley-speaks-about-indianapolis-house-explosion/, emmy rossum jay z and beyonce the big chill tony blankley charles barkley beyonce troy polamalu, http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2012/11/14/monserrate-shirley-speaks-about-indianapolis-house-explosion/. I did my best. One small job. And you have to weigh that out? 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. Its a difficult case. Thirty-three homes were damaged so severely they were deemed unrecoverable, and had to be torn down to the foundation. This has to be done, Shirley testified. HS counselor at board meeting, Serial Indianapolis rapist pleads guilty to 9 counts, Mom speaks out after 2 kids killed by falling tree, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. He was, however, eventually able to return to his hobby of umpiring softball. 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). Ultimately, she could end up serving 21 years if she maintains good behavior in prison. 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. [6] They had arranged for Shirley's 12-year-old daughter to stay with friends and had boarded their cat, Snowball, for the weekend. Shirley said she was attracted to Mark Leonard, particularly noting he was well-dressed and had bleach blonde hair. The program is a spin-off of the Oxygen series Snapped and has a similar format to the Investigation Discovery program Wicked Attraction. 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. She was inspired by the way Chef Alberto Marinovich put on this dish and it was a joy to serve. Or that, because it was her first serious offense, a judge could eventually decide to suspend some or all of that sentence. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. The force of the blast shattered windows and ripped down garage doors at dozens of other homes in the neighborhood. When she arrived at the bar, she found Mark and Bob in the white van at a nearby gas station. Shortly thereafter I moved some furniture into the apartment. "In order to pay a very large amount of child support, I was working a full-time job and two part-time jobs," he said. The men were reportedly in the home briefly and hurriedly left. Another woman reported that she had loaned him about $5,000 for a construction job, which he had yet to pay back. 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. Shirley says he was paying Monserrate $1,000 a month in child support and mortgage payments. 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 says he replaced the thermostat "so there were more options to heat the house during the day.". Deputy Prosecutor DeniseRobinson has said she will argue for 50 when the time comes. One of the projects he took on was working on the gas line in the fireplace. After court adjourned for the day, Shircliff said he attacked her inconsistencies "to show that she can tell the truth as easily as she tells a lie, and it's hard for the jury to know the difference. 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. Shirley struck a plea deal with prosecutors and was sentenced to 50 years in prison. 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. 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. A prosecuting attorney showed her a photo of the house that exploded and asked her who lived on either side of her. 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. Shirley: "In order to pay a very large amount of child support, I was working a full-time job and two part-time jobs. [20] The trials started in 2015. HOW TO SOLVE ERROR CODE PII_EMAIL_DE03C2D55A4B639F558D. [36] Shirley was sentenced to 50 years in prison, the maximum possible under her plea agreement, on December 20, 2016. 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? 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. 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. A second mortgage had been taken out on the home for $65,000 in addition to the original mortgage of $116,000. "I was at one of my part-time jobs when I got a text from my daughter, which was very unusual. He also told Bob to go get Gary Thompson. [7], An investigation involving the Indianapolis Division of Homeland Security, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Indianapolis Fire Department was begun. "I thought it was crazy," she told a jury, "but I went along with him." The first time Shirley cried on the stand Wednesday was when she was asked about her neighbors. She owned the house. I tried to ignore Mark Leonards history as much as I could, Robinson said. The two divorced on July 25, 2011. ", 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 time, Mark and Bob talked alone while Monserrate left to pick up her daughter. I cant give back what was taken from them on November 10. 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. [1] Thirty-three homes were damaged severely enough to require demolition. 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. Among the "no" votes, inexplicably: political dancer Hiram Monserrate. 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. We are sure to have a lot more weird coincidences in the next few days, but this one is pretty crazy. The shirley daughter is an Italian restaurant that takes more than 15 minutes to make you feel at home. This story is Chapter III of a three-part series. He told her to tell Holts, though, that they would be trying the fire again that night (Sunday night). Prosecutors entered all three into evidence Tuesday. Your email address will not be published. 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. By this time, Shirley's daughterhad noticed her portrait was no longer above the fireplace and asked Monserrate about it. -- John Shirley told jurors Tuesday that, while his relationship with his ex-wife Monserrate was severely damaged by the time he moved out, the gas appliances in their home were not. "Mark can insult [Thompson], and he never does anything," Shirley said. You can't do anything," he said. 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. Most importantly, Shirleys testimony would further tip the scales against the Leonard brothers. You were a neighbor and you were a friend, Carlisle said. But didnt the jury need to hear from the residents? That was the last time she saw Bob before they were arrested. 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. Leonardwas placed under "imminent death watch" earlier this week. Prosecutors ask if Shirley was asked by police to identify personal property following the explosion. Would you describe her demeanor the same way?" In the game of death, monserrate daughter is the only way to be reunited with the game of life. When she told him, Holts said, "Between Mark and Gary, they're going to blow up the whole neighborhood.". For years, the team holed up in that office three days a week to avoid being distracted by other ongoing cases. "I moved out in February of 2011," he said. She and her daughterwent to the hotel, where Mark later joined them. ", Holts then asked who would get the money if they went through with it and Mark said, "Of course, me. Shirley had heard of Bob before, but had not met him before he came over Thursday, November 1. You were a mom. 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. Mark and Bob stayed in the garage while they talked about what Bob's part would be, while Shirley stayed inside. Jordan Fischer is the senior digital reporter for RTV6. At the time her friends called her, Monserrate was at a casino with Mark Leonard. He says he and Monserrate never boarded the cat when they were married. While Shirley said he lost a lot, he pointed out the toll was much greater on his then-13-year-old daughter Brook. Check those tickets! Its because the game of death is the game of life itself. Follow us on Twitter at @AOLRealEstate, or connect with AOL Real Estate on Facebook and Pinterest. "She lost everything," he said. They had left town the night before, after Ms. Shirley's nursing shift at a local. Get caught up on the first two chapters here:Chapter I: The Night the Sky Caught Fire|Chapter II: The $4 Million Arson Plot.
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