They got to the room, but Mark wasn't feeling well so he stayed there while Shirley played slot machines for about an hour. 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. . 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. Bob had been asking for his $10,000 payment before the explosion even happened. Shirley says they were his. At the end of the interview, Carter asked Shirley what should happen to the person responsible for the explosion. The two divorced on July 25, 2011. FORT WAYNE, Ind. But didnt the jury need to hear from the residents? "John Shirley, whose ex-wife Monserrate Shirley lives at the home with their 12 year-old-daughter, said he got a text from his daughter about a week-and-a-half ago telling him the heat. "I want $300,000. Shirley and Leonard had gone on television on multiple occasions following the blast to state their innocence, and to ask for privacy. [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. No one else was within earshot, so far as she knew. The entire day she answered questions from attorneys, repeatedly crying. As stated previously, the investigation and prosecution of this matter has literally taken tens of thousands of hours of effort by numerous individuals. They moved into a home they built in Richmond Hill toward the end of 2003. 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.. Robinson also couldnt tell the residents that Shirleys cooperation would mean charges against two more suspects: Gary Thompson and Glenn Hults. He asked how much was in the 401k, according to Shirley. 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. 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. Its an interesting concept. Its about remembering who you are. Leonardwas placed under "imminent death watch" earlier this week. At least three of his possessions did survive, however: two golf bags, with clubs, and a driver he'd been gifted. It's also possible she will walk free if the judge sentences. Leonard went to pick up Thompson in the white van witnesses in the neighborhood have previously testified seeing in Shirley's driveway. She was the neighbor that all the other neighbors were looking at. Later that same day, an attorney asked Shirley if the Longworths deserved what happened to them. Shirley may have been the prosecution's highest profile witness, but that doesn't mean they're done. I want everyone to know how sorry I am for this horrible tragedy, she said in court in front of Richmond Hill residents. The third weekends attempt was the one that killed the Longworths. Shirley testified in Fort Wayne at the trial of Bob Leonard, Jr. one of five people accused in the deadly 2012 Richmond Hill Explosion. I care about people. Its about your game being the only game that matters. Ms. Shirley ultimately took responsibility for her actions by pleading guilty and provided important information during the investigation. But their arrests wereonly the beginning of years of work to put them behind bars for good. So you do get concerned about, will they see the arsons? They claim that Leonard wanted the hit man to force the witness to call 9-1-1 and recant his statement before killing him. [22], On January 16, 2015, Shirley agreed to a plea deal with prosecutors. [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. Thompson left after a few hours and Shirley didn't hear anything else before the first attempt that Saturday. 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. Monserrate and John had the home in Richmond Hill built in 2003. Too little, too late, said Jennifer Longworths father, Don Buxton. 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. He did come to the house one week before the first attempt. "He'll do anything I ask," Mark said of his brother. Leonard is charged with 53 counts of murder, arson and conspiracy. The shirley daughter is an Italian restaurant that takes more than 15 minutes to make you feel at home. They'd soon get a new roommate. Shirley: "I moved out in February of 2011. She then got food for them both and went back to the room around midnight. The sentence accounts for time served and good. 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. Are they going to get bored with it?. [The residents] clearly knew the Leonards were the bad actors, and that we needed to do everything we could to get to them, Robinson said. Prosecutors started by addressing her plea agreement. That hit man was later revealed to be an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. She told her daughter a friend had taken it to put a new frame on it. The blast killed two people and. FAIL: New York Senate Says NO to Gay Marriage - Queerty In Indianapolis, Search For Answers Continues After Massive - NPR She took care of all three. Woman agrees to testify against others in Indianapolis house explosion [13] A fourth person, Gary Thompson, was charged in January 2015 on the same charges. 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. By the time wed got to trial, hed already been in jail for going on three years. Marion County Superior Court Judge Sheila Carlisle sentenced Monserrate Shirley to spend the maximum sentence of 50 years in prison on Tuesday. In her sentencing order, Judge Sheila Carlisle repeatedly stressed that Shirley could have stopped the plan at any time but didnt. IndyStar reporter Robert King contributed to this story. I should have been there.". Leonard was being held at the Wabash Valley Correctional Facilitybut was transferred to the hospital several days ago. [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. She later found out her neighbors didnt make it. This time, Leonard worked with Thompson instead of Thompson doing the work while Leonard stood next to him, watching and planning. -- 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. 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. You were a nurse. The evidence Robinson and Hollingsworth had was substantial. A second home was reduced to rubble as well, and other houses were half-collapsed. 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. Its a difficult case. Robinson could not tell them, for example, that Shirley would be facing a sentencing range of 20-50 years in prison. 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. But while he was living in the home, the only problem he had with its gas appliances the furnace, water heater and fireplace was that their pilot lights would sometimes go out when a draft blew in from an open garage door. Critics have accused Shirley of faking her reaction after the explosion because she seemed upset but never shed a tear. 2023 CIRCLE CITY BROADCASTING I, LLC. They laughed at her for asking, but it was switched back out. Another woman reported that she had loaned him about $5,000 for a construction job, which he had yet to pay back. Leonard asked Holts to tell the story of his own fire, how easily he'd gotten the money and to re-assure Shirley everything would be alright if they did it at her house. I always get the money.". 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. 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. At a routine pretrial hearing, deputy prosecutor Denise Robinson, not thinking much of it, told Monserrate Shirleys defense counsel that if their client wanted anything other than a trial seeking life without parole, they had better work something out by the end of January 2015. Thompson arrived on Monday or Tuesday, October 22-23, while Shirley's daughter was at school. She was crying and hysterical and said the house blew up.". The first attempt was supposed to be carried out by Gary Thompson, but it failed. Estimates for the total scope of the damage caused by the explosion exceeded $4.5 million. 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. Then there was the question of Leonards history. She got in the van with them, and Mark asked her to give Bob $40. None of them had given any indication they were willing to take a plea under the terms prosecutors were offering. She was an RN for more than 20 years, starting her career in Michigan where she attended college, before moving to Indianapolis after her then-husband John Shirley got a job offer there. Monserrate Shirley, 51, was one of five people charged in the explosion that left two people dead. [18], Prosecutors initially sought to try the suspects together, but the defendants were granted the right to separate trials. After speaking with detectives, they went to Mark's sister's home, where they spent the night. Its about not letting the person who was watching your game die ever have a say in your game. . Their first trip together was to the Hollywood Casino roughly 3-4 months after they first met. At least half a dozen marriages in the Richmond Hill neighborhood ended in divorce in the years immediately following the blast. It was the last time she would be in her home before the explosion. She transferred from her job in Michigan to the VA hospital in Indianapolis, where she worked for 17 years, focusing in the ICU. 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. So in the game of death, monserrate daughter is the Shirley of the game of death. Robinson has said she will argue for 50 when the time comes. Shirley said she thought the fire plan was crazy, but went along with it anyway. The program is a spin-off of the Oxygen series Snapped and has a similar format to the Investigation Discovery program Wicked Attraction. 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. Its because the life of the game itself is the life of the game itself. We've got a few more.". Shirley met Mark Leonard. The home was owned by his girlfriend at the time, Monserrate Shirley, who testified earlier this month that Bob. JDK-8141210 : Very slow loading of JavaScript file with recent JDK 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." Monserrate Shirley spent the entire day on the stand Wednesday, and the anticipation of her testimony was evident in courtroom attendance. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. 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. While we knew that Monserrate Shirley on her own would never have caused this crime, it couldnt have happened without her. On December 21, 2012, Monserrate Shirley, Mark Leonard, and his brother Bob Leonard were charged with 2 counts of felony murder and . TRANSCRIPT | Opening statements in the trial of Mark Leonard. Most importantly, Shirleys testimony would further tip the scales against the Leonard brothers. We did what prosecutors are supposed to do. "I have everybody telling me stuff that they said on the TV," she said. Prosecutors contend that the motorcycle was disassembled in Shirley's garage. Again, Monserrate agreed to do her same three preparations: a casino hotel reservation, a babysitter for her daughterand boarding for Snowball. One of the projects he took on was working on the gas line in the fireplace. Leonard died around 9:15. The explosion in the subdivision just south of the city on Saturday, Nov. 10, killed John and Jennifer Longworth. 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. The family, he said, will never truly get closure. When she arrived at the bar, she found Mark and Bob in the white van at a nearby gas station. Below, find a transcript of John Shirley's testimony from Tuesday's hearing: 2:22 p.m. John Shirley, Monserrate Shirley's ex-husband, called as witness. It had three gas appliances - the water heater, the furnace and the fireplace. She met Mark Leonard at a bar on November 12, 2011. Its because the game of death is the game of life itself. 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.". When testimony moved to the night of the explosion that killed Jennifer and Dion Longworth, Monserrate Shirley had a difficult time staying composed. She has already been behind bars for four years. rosemary clooney george clooney relationship Wednesday in court, Shirley said that at the July 4th pool party, she called lighting the house on fire crazy. FORT WAYNE, Ind. The blast the product of an insurance fraud scheme killed two people and injured dozens of others. Holts invited Leonard and Shirley to his friend's house for a pool party in the Geist neighborhood. When a defense attorney comes out and says, My client didnt do anything at all, but you clearly can show they did, then usually its going to be an all-or-nothing verdict, Robinson said. Shirley's sentencing started Monday morning at 9 a.m. She faces 20 to 50 years in prison for two counts conspiracy to commit arson. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 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. Gary Thompson pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit arson and received a 30-year sentence, with 10 years suspended. In another, she said Mark Leonard turned on the gas line and actually lit the fire during the second attempt. This type of trial is unusual but not unheard of, and had been used in the trial of the Menendez brothers. But I dont feel bad for the deceased.. 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. Shirley says he was worried Brook's cat Snowball was in the house and might have been killed. [20] The trials started in 2015. 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. Your email address will not be published. Dion and Jennifer Longworth, two occupants in the house at 8355 Fieldfare Way, died in the explosion; seven others were injured. [1] Thirty-three homes were damaged severely enough to require demolition. I dont wish them any hardship. The name comes from a restaurant that is on the run called theserie rossa which translates to the run of the wits. She, at first, struggled to identify her other neighbors. Marion County Superior Court Judge Sheila Carlisle sentenced Monserrate Shirley to spend the maximum sentence of 50 years in prison on Tuesday. Thompson said he'd been pulled over by a cop so he couldn't get to the house. He was going to bring Thompson to their house so she could say she was okay to move forward, too. She agreed that's what happened, but insisted she only said what Mark told her to say. [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. The explosion leveled 8349 Fieldfare Way, the home at the center of the explosion, and severely damaged a number of other residences, including several (on either side) which were damaged by the ensuing fire. . So in the end there were a couple of people who were opposed to it, and I respected that. Investigators found that the couple had substantial debt, including $63,000 in credit card debt, and were in bankruptcy proceedings. [38], Gary Thompson pled guilty to conspiracy to commit arson and was sentenced to 30 years in prison. She asked Mark not to try the house fire plan again. Man Gets Murder Conviction in Deadly Indiana House Blast Fraud Case Indianapolis explosion may have been caused by furnace, says owner of Prosecutors ask if Shirley was asked by police to identify personal property following the explosion. monserrate is a real-life cousin of Shirley, and its said that her daughter monserrate will be taking us on when we die. 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. The couple's steamy relationship lasted for about a month before they moved in together. He says he "was very surprised" to learn Snowball had been boarded on the night of the explosion. She was crying and hysterical and said the house blew up.". He asked whose name the house was under, and she said it was entirely in her name after the divorce. On August 14, 2015, Mark Ray Leonard was sentenced to two consecutive terms of life without parole, plus an additional 75 years, on 53 counts, including murder, arson and insurance fraud. Its also the name of the game of death in which our monserrate daughter will be taking us on. 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. Monserrate Shirley said Mark Leonard was very, very mad., Mark Leonard said, Were going to do it again. To begin the day, Monserrate Shirley explained how she and Mark Leonard met. It wasnt the only curveball Black and Shircliff would throw at the prosecution. During the course of this lengthy process, we have sincerely appreciated the cooperation and patience of these families. More than 4 years later, Monserrate Shirley to be sentenced in Richmond Your email address will not be published. Prosecutors entered all three into evidence Tuesday. After he was done, the fireplace worked properly and they never smelled any gas inside the home because of it. At one point, after one of the failed attempts to burn the home, Monserrate Shirley said she offered Mark Leonard her 401k instead. You're a piece of [expletive]. Among the "no" votes, inexplicably: political dancer Hiram Monserrate. Richmond Hill Explosion - indyencyclopedia.org Man convicted of murder in deadly Indiana house explosion You were a neighbor and you were a friend, Carlisle said. 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. ", 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?" At the time her friends called her, Monserrate was at a casino with Mark Leonard. . Monserrate Shirley sentencing: 'She is the worst of the bunch' - WTHR And I wanted to be able to tell them everything., TRANSCRIPT | The full testimony of Monserrate Shirley. Shirley, her boyfriend Mark Leonard, and three others were convicted and sentenced to prison on various charges, including felony murder for Leonard. We knew we were taking a week of testimony from the residents to talk about what had happened to their houses, Robinson said. Call 6 Investigator Rafael Sanchez and Senior Digital Correspondent Jordan Fischer will be in Fort Wayne covering the trial every day. An offhand comment would change that. Indiana sheriffs deputy dies after falling ill during training, Myles Colvin captivates Heritage Christian crowds, preps for Purdue. . Bob Leonard said, "Well, you're in it. When we got in this case, we were asked to save her life, said defense attorney James Voyles. Indiana Man Convicted of Murder in Home Explosion Case - Insurance Journal [31][32][33] Bob Leonard was convicted on all 51 counts, including murder and conspiracy to commit arson, on February 24, 2016. 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. While Leonard has been in slacks, a dress shirt and tie throughout the trial, Shirley walked into the courtroom in shackles and a prison jumpsuit. She went to a bar on the south side of Indianapolis in November 2011 and they immediately noticed each other. She said Leonard had bought it a few months beforehand at that point. "I was at one of my part-time jobs when I got a text from my daughter, which was very unusual. Hults faces no prison time to three years . Monserrate "Moncy" Shirley, a nurse, owned the home at the center of the explosion. GitHub export from English Wikipedia. Shirley says the house had three gas appliances when he lived there: furnace, water heater and fireplace. I went into the breakroom and texted my ex about what happened. "I thought it was crazy," she told a jury, "but I went along with him." Having Shirley as a witness came with its own pitfalls, though. The now 49-year-old originally faced life in prison without parole. Defense attorney Ted Minch on cross-examination: "You're not happy to be here today." She found a house with a floorplan she liked." I cant give the Olveys back a peace of mind. On Monday, November 5, they changed out the thermostat for a "cheaper" model. The Richmond Hill neighbors had been waiting long enough without a trial. monserrate is the name of the dish, as well as its . "Cases are made up of hurdles all the time," Robinson said Wednesday. 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. I was introduced to this once-a-year dish at a party and she was one of the first people to give it a shot. And the game of death is the game of life itself. Monserrate Shirley, Indianapolis Homeowner - AOL Real Estate Leonard is the brother of Mark Leonard, who is dating Montserrate Shirley, who along with Mark Leonard, lives in the home . Monserrate Shirley spent the entire day on the stand Wednesday, and the anticipation of her testimony was evident in courtroom attendance. 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. 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. Resolved: Release in which this issue/RFE has been resolved. [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". . 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. In addition to his roofing business, Mastercraft, Leonard also flipped cars on the side. Shirley said she has been reeling from the pain of people blaming her for the tragic event. [25] Leonard allegedly asked another inmate at the Marion County jail if he could put him in contact with a hitman, according to the probable cause affidavit. [6] Mr. Monserrate Morales was born on January 7, 1955 in Puerto Rico.
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