Witness: Indianapolis man promised $10K for home explosion But their arrests wereonly the beginning of years of work to put them behind bars for good. "No one.". His sentencing is set for December 28, 2016 at 1 p.m. Marion County Prosecutor Terry Curry issued the following statement: We respect the Courts decision ordering Monserrate Shirley to serve a fifty-year prison sentence for her participation in this senseless conspiracy. The human toll is harder to estimate. He occasionally worked on those cars at Shirley's home so she saw he had a wide array of tools. Shirley recalled a later conversation that she had with Bob and Mark Leonard, after the explosion. Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. They said they didn't know. Its a difficult case. I always get the money.". She then spoke with another neighbor, who told her there had been an explosion. Deputy Prosecutor DeniseRobinson has said she will argue for 50 when the time comes. 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. While still at the hotel, Mark asked her to call a heating & cooling company on Sunday, November 4, to see what they would charge to check on the heat because the house was too cold. We firmly believed that Gary Thompson played a role, but until she cooperated, we couldnt prove that, Robinson said. ", 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.". It's also possible she will walk free if the judge sentences. Monserrate Shirley was ordered to serve out her sentence at the Indiana Womens Prison in Indianapolis. At the end of the interview, Carter asked Shirley what should happen to the person responsible for the explosion. 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. An autopsy will be conducted by the Marion County coroner's office Wednesday, according to the DOC. Leonard said he talked to Gary Thompson without her, telling him they were ready to do it. The defense certainly offered to stipulate that 60 homes were damaged. 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. She later worked at St. Francis and Community South. Shirley and her boyfriend Mark Leonard were out of town for the weekend while her 12-year-old daughter stayed with friends. She was crying and hysterical and said the house blew up.". The program is a spin-off of the Oxygen series Snapped and has a similar format to the Investigation Discovery program Wicked Attraction. Her earliest possible release date is December 19, 2037when she will be 72 years old. 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 alleged that Hults initially came up with the idea. I dont feel bad for Mr. Leonard, said Don Buxton, father of Jennifer Longworth, who was killed in the blast with her husband, Dion. Indiana Man Convicted of Murder in Home Explosion Case - Insurance Journal While there had been some communications early on, we were not willing to offer Monserrate Shirley a significant deal for her cooperation, Robinson said. It ended in the deaths of Dion and Jennifer Longworth. BREAKING: By a vote of 24-38, New York's State Senate has voted against same-sex marriage legislation. Jurors will later hear that the golf bags and clubs were found at Bob Leonard's home after the explosion. They started looking around the house at potential ways to start the fire. 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. 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. Mark. And then there was the arrangement that when I picked up my daughter I would get to take some of my belongings. She went to a bar on the south side of Indianapolis in November 2011 and they immediately noticed each other. Shirley says the house had three gas appliances when he lived there: furnace, water heater and fireplace. Shirley says they were his. You were a neighbor and you were a friend, Carlisle said. It was run by the daughter of a famous American actor who was very close to the owner. And you have to weigh that out? Prosecutors entered all three into evidence Tuesday. GitHub export from English Wikipedia. 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. Man Gets Murder Conviction in Deadly Indiana House Blast Fraud Case More than 4 years later, Monserrate Shirley to be sentenced in Richmond Richmond Hill Explosion - indyencyclopedia.org On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. This time, Leonard worked with Thompson instead of Thompson doing the work while Leonard stood next to him, watching and planning. Carter would testify that her emotions and demeanor seemed normal at the time, for someone whose house had just blown up. "She lost everything," he said. Neighbors, family testify in sentencing hearing of Monserrate Shirley, owner of the home. News, information &. Thats time served, and hes out. We used to cook together, have dinner together.Very charming, very lovely man.". She said Mark didn't actually want anyone to come to the house, he just wanted a trail they could point to after the fire so they could explain why they were in the hotel. "I don't understand it," Shircliff said of the judge's ruling. [20] The trials started in 2015. Shirley wasnt a suspect at the time, and the interview was a routine one. There have been days with only two people in the audience other than media, but there were more than 30 Wednesday. Defense attorney David Shircliff then said Shirley may not have provided the "means" for the explosion, but she took care of the logistics to make sure no one realized she was helping blow up her own home. Shirley said she would come back immediately, but they told her there was no house to come back to. After the second failed attempt to burn the home, Monserrate Shirley said she went to the home of Glenn Hults to pick up her daughter. They got to the room, but Mark wasn't feeling well so he stayed there while Shirley played slot machines for about an hour. Shirley said she recalled telling them two innocent people die out of this.THIS HAS TO BE DONE. 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. The case was expected to be the largest and most expensive trial in Marion County history. Much of the attention since the explosion has centered on Monserrate Shirley and her boyfriend Mark Leonard, who lived at the house in the center of the blast area. 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. The first time Shirley cried on the stand Wednesday was when she was asked about her neighbors. They are charged with. PREVIOUS|Timeline of events|Gallery: The Richmond Hill Explosion|Where were you at 11:11 PM? Check those tickets! But didnt the jury need to hear from the residents? I thought it was crazy, that cannot be done, and I asked Mark, Thats not what you told me, theres an explosion in there, (theres) people, my neighbors, that cannot be real, Shirley said. Shirley's daughterwent with them in Leonard's Cadillac. This story is Chapter III of a three-part series. No one, Shirley replied, crying.I WAS IN LOVE WITH HIM. Homeowner Monserrate Shirley sentenced to 50 years for role in - WTTV She has already been behind bars for four years. She now faces 20-50 years, though a judge has the right to suspend some, or all of that time. Thompson returned to their home to plan their next attempt. The Retaking Of Richmond Hill - Indianapolis Monthly Its also the name of the game of death in which our monserrate daughter will be taking us on. 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. I said, You guys are crazy, that my house is too big.. He gave her $3,000 to use, and they lost it all. Mark was a handsome man with sex appeal and a lot of money, judging by his stash of cash and fast luxury cars. The November 2012 blast claimed the lives of John and Jennifer Longworth and spawned an investigation that landed five people behind bars. Leonards death doesnt change the fact that Jennifer and Dion died, Buxton said. Contribute to chinapedia/wikipedia.en development by creating an account on GitHub. Arguing for the maximum in this case, when you live with this case and you see the impact, and you know what devastating effect its had on these lives, it just compels you to argue for that, said Robinson. When she told him, Holts said, "Between Mark and Gary, they're going to blow up the whole neighborhood.". Shirley is originally from Puerto Rico. The man he called was actually an undercover agent. She testified Wednesday she has a condition that prevents her tear ducts from actually producing tears. Prosecutors alleged that the men conspired to submit an insurance claim for a stolen motorcycle. 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. Leonard told him Shirley was ready and she agreed. Defendant in Indiana house explosion gets maximum 50 years - FOX 5 Atlanta [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. Shirley testified that friends called and told her there was a huge explosion. [18], Prosecutors initially sought to try the suspects together, but the defendants were granted the right to separate trials. Ms. Shirley ultimately took responsibility for her actions by pleading guilty and provided important information during the investigation. [13] A fourth person, Gary Thompson, was charged in January 2015 on the same charges. She told them she didn't want anything to do with them anymore. Sometimes they would go during the week while her daughterwas at school and leave in enough time to pick her back up. 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. I got upset with her and sent her some derogatory texts. That becomes eight years when good time credit is applied. Shirley says he and Monserrate married on July 17, 1993. In one case, she said the first attempt was supposed to be tied to gasoline not natural gas. Shirley says he was working at Eli Lilly at the time, and Monserrate was working as an RN at the VA hospital. 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. | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. I did everything to make him happy, Monserrate Shirley said in testimony. Glenn Hults, a friend of Leonard's who said he knew about the plot beforehand but didn't call police, was sentenced to three years. She was the nurse. Example video title will go here for this video. 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. Mark Leonards trial at the St. Joseph County Courthouse was eventful before it even started. 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. Officials did not release further information regarding his death. That's whatwe'll be asking the jury to consider.". We have done that. "We had a lot of parties," the late. From confusion to conviction, Richmond Hill blast recapped. The inmate and Leonard drew up a contract agreeing that Leonard would pay the inmate $15,000 when he was released, the affidavit said. FORT WAYNE, Ind. On multiple occasions Wednesday, Shirley said she didnt say no to Mark Leonard because she loved him. "You face one, you get over one and you've got another one all the way until the end. More than one-third of the families who lived in the neighborhood on the night of the blast have since moved away for good. And I understand it, because of their feelings about her. It wasnt the only curveball Black and Shircliff would throw at the prosecution. arranged for her daughter to stay . Leonard went to pick up Thompson in the white van witnesses in the neighborhood have previously testified seeing in Shirley's driveway. [15], Prosecutors contended that the trio filled the house with natural gas and then used the spark from a microwave which could be set in advance to detonate it. (WISH) - Monserrate Shirley told jurors Wednesday she would do anything for Mark Leonard, because she was in love with him. 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. "Our investigators believe natural gas is involved," the Indianapolis Department of Homeland Security said in a statement. Shirley: "In order to pay a very large amount of child support, I was working a full-time job and two part-time jobs. 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. 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. She didnt know anyone died, she said. Marion County Superior Court Judge Sheila Carlisle sentenced Monserrate Shirley to spend the maximum sentence of 50 years in prison on Tuesday. As stated previously, the investigation and prosecution of this matter has literally taken tens of thousands of hours of effort by numerous individuals. . Once the trial began, rather than trying to claim their client was innocent, Black and Shircliff instead told the jury up front that he was guilty but of trying to start a small fire, not cause an explosion. Monserrate Shirley and Mark leonard, profiled on the next "American Greed," staged a natural gas explosion to collect the insurance on their Indianapolis home. Snapped: Killer Couples - Wikipedia [6] Investigators said personal insurance on the home had recently been increased to $300,000. Leonard and Shirley went to the casino on Saturday, October 27, expecting Shirley's best friend and neighbor to call when the house caught fire. Richmond Hill explosion mastermind Mark Leonard dies Leonard died around 9:15 a.m. Tuesday at an Indianapolis hospital,according to an Indiana Department of Correction spokesman. UPDATE: Search for accused Johnson County scammer ends in arrest, Men's challenges in fatherhood and marriage explored in new documentary, Live Doppler 13 Weather Blog: Record-breaking rain raises ongoing flood concerns, Saturday Sunrise Live Doppler 13 forecast March 4, 2023. It was a good feeling.. 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. She asked Mark not to try the house fire plan again. I care about people. One year of his sentences wassuspended, and the rest was to be split between jail and work release. She moved to the United States when she was 25. If your child will play baseball or softball this spring, youll need to stock up on appropriate clothing and equipment. Mark Leonard was the first to go on trial. Prosecutors ended by asking Shirley if the Longworths or any of her other neighbors deserved what happened. The Richmond Hill neighbors had been waiting long enough without a trial. It was never no for an answer. Mr. Monserrate Morales was born on January 7, 1955 in Puerto Rico. For their families, the tree is one last connection to the loved ones they lost on Nov. 10, 2012. monserrate is the name of the dish, as well as its chef and owner. The host family had a lot of horses, so Shirley's daughter went to play with them under the supervision of Holts' girlfriend, Sharon, whose teen daughters often watched the girl. SOUTH BEND, Ind. Most importantly, Shirleys testimony would further tip the scales against the Leonard brothers. Shirley: "No. He never gave her money like that again, but did play with his own money, spending anywhere from $2,000 - 10,000 each trip. When testimony moved to the night of the explosion that killed Jennifer and Dion Longworth, Monserrate Shirley had a difficult time staying composed. Robinson knew that. 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. Get caught up on the first two chapters here:Chapter I: The Night the Sky Caught Fire|Chapter II: The $4 Million Arson Plot. Woman tells of failed tries before deadly Indianapolis house explosion Critics have accused Shirley of faking her reaction after the explosion because she seemed upset but never shed a tear. In addition to his roofing business, Mastercraft, Leonard also flipped cars on the side. 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. She found a house with a floorplan she liked." It was unclear when the complaint was made and whether the utility company was alerted. While Shirley said he lost a lot, he pointed out the toll was much greater on his then-13-year-old daughter Brook. In court, Shirley testified Leonard had promised to show her how to make a lot of money. Estimates for the total scope of the damage caused by the explosion exceeded $4.5 million. 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. "Two innocent people died because of this!" "Everything they were telling me, it could not be possible," Shirley said on the stand as she started to get emotional. She was able to take that to the prosecutor and get a protective order against me. Inquiry Into Indianapolis Blast Suggests Scheme Gone Wrong - The New And the game of death is the game of life itself. When you come out and say, My client attempted to commit insurance fraud through a small fire and this just happened, he had no idea, what the jury doesnt realize, because Im not allowed to tell them, is attempted insurance fraud even if coupled with reckless homicide is a class C felony. She could face 20-50 years in prison. 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.. Call IndyStar reporter Holly Hays at (317) 444-6156. By this time, Shirley's daughterhad noticed her portrait was no longer above the fireplace and asked Monserrate about it. The family, he said, will never truly get closure. 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. At about 11:10p.m., on November 10, 2012, a large explosion occurred in Richmond Hill, a subdivision on the southeast side of Indianapolis. 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. The Insurance Scam That Blew Up A Neighborhood - Medium 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. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated. [10] Included on the probable cause affidavit were complaints from several women claiming that Leonard scammed them out of thousands of dollars. The topic came up again around July 4. Its about not letting the person who was watching your game die ever have a say in your game. We knew somebody else was involved, and he was the only one whose name consistently came up, but it was only after she cooperated that we were able to charge Gary Thompson and Glenn Hults.. When she arrived at the bar, she found Mark and Bob in the white van at a nearby gas station. Monserrate worked Friday, November 9. Resolved: Release in which this issue/RFE has been resolved. Leonard is charged with 53 counts of murder, arson and conspiracy. 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. 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. She said they should be punished, Carter testified. She said she did not tell officers at the time what happened because she was scared. She, at first, struggled to identify her other neighbors. 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 Leonard was convicted in 2015 of two counts of murder as well as a litany of other charges, including multiple counts of arson and conspiracy to commit arson. While Shirley and the Leonards had been sitting in jail, Robinson and Hollingsworth had been traveling to the ATF lab in Washington D.C. to learn about explosions and taking a crash course on natural gas. The cat, nicknamed Snowy, was a birthday gift for their daughter, he said, and "she misses him.". Its about remembering who you are. Are they going to get bored with it?. Monserrate Shirley detailed the multiple attempts made to set the house on fire prior to the explosion that leveled the home. Monserrate and John had the home in Richmond Hill built in 2003. Aaron Carter. The jury found 46-year-old Mark Leonard guilty of all counts against him, including murder and felony murder. But I dont feel bad for the deceased.. After demands for a vote on the bill, we finally received one. Powerball winner sold in central Indiana! The men were reportedly in the home briefly and hurriedly left. Glenn Hults, who had known of the scheme and kept Shirleys daughter Brooke out of the house, pleaded guilty on Dec. 28, 2016, to one count of assisting a criminal. Wednesday in court, Shirley said that at the July 4th pool party, she called lighting the house on fire crazy. Again, she said, "Because I was not able to tell him 'no'." I thought it was crazy, but I went along with him. You may have noticed that the name monserrate has been replaced with the word shirley, which is used in both a variety of other games and in the game of death.