He says he and Monserrate never boarded the cat when they were married. 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. Ultimately, she could end up serving 21 years if she maintains good behavior in prison.
Mark Leonard was the first to go on trial. During the course of this lengthy process, we have sincerely appreciated the cooperation and patience of these families. Prosecutors told Judge Marnocha Tuesday they will likely rest their case next Wednesday or Thursday. He said there wouldn't be a problem because it would be a small fire so no one would get hurt, and since she had a long history with the insurance company and no criminal record, they would get the money almost immediately. We have done that. "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.". Shirley's daughterwent with them in Leonard's Cadillac.
Indianapolis trio accused of blowing up their home to collect insurance When we got in this case, we were asked to save her life, said defense attorney James Voyles. Holts invited Leonard and Shirley to his friend's house for a pool party in the Geist neighborhood. Download the RTV6 app to get the latest live blog posts as the proceedings unfold. Monserrate Shirley, 51, was one of five people charged in the explosion that left two people dead. wishtv.com your home page, Business, Equity and Opportunities Podcast with Scott Sander. [27], Mark Leonard's trial began in June 2015. Prosecuting Mark Leonard presented with some challenges. 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. And I understand it, because of their feelings about her. She grabbed a few pictures, including the canvas portrait of her daughterat age 5 that hung above the fireplace. Richmond Hill explosion: 'It's the toughest thing I've ever done in my career', Richmond Hill explosion: 7 keys that solved the case, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. HOW TO SOLVE ERROR CODE PII_EMAIL_DE03C2D55A4B639F558D. [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". 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. 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. Sgt.
Neighbors seek max sentence in fatal home blast - USA TODAY Aaron Carter. arranged for her daughter to stay . And then there was the arrangement that when I picked up my daughter I would get to take some of my belongings. 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. "I mean, sometimes I wish I was there and I'd be dead, and now I wouldn't have to be asked so many questions.". Investigators quickly honed in on the home's owner, Monserrate Shirley, her boyfriend Mark Leonard and his brother, Bob Leonard Jr., as the primary suspects. Most importantly, Shirleys testimony would further tip the scales against the Leonard brothers. She would sit with him, eat and drink and occasionally play slot machines. Somebody knew that I was out of town. . Leonard got sick in March 2012. In one case, she said the first attempt was supposed to be tied to gasoline not natural gas. The couple says their neighbor Bob Leonard was led away for questioning. Shirley testified Leonard asked to see the insurance policy on the home within a few weeks of moving in. . Thompson left after a few hours and Shirley didn't hear anything else before the first attempt that Saturday.
American Greed: Property, auto insurance fraud is $30B problem - WSAV-TV 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. Shirley's daughter went with them in Leonard's Cadillac. ", Holts then asked who would get the money if they went through with it and Mark said, "Of course, me. Contribute to chinapedia/wikipedia.en development by creating an account on GitHub. Their first trip together was to the Hollywood Casino roughly 3-4 months after they first met. While Shirley said he lost a lot, he pointed out the toll was much greater on his then-13-year-old daughter Brook. I said OK, she said. Heappears to have died of natural causes. Shirley: "Yes. At one point, after one of the failed attempts to burn the home, Monserrate Shirley said she offered Mark Leonard her 401k instead. Leonard said he talked to Gary Thompson without her, telling him they were ready to do it. Her sister had lived in the same housing complex. I look at a neighbor that I would have been happy to help if she would have just come across the street and said, man I got a problem will you give me a hand? [10] Included on the probable cause affidavit were complaints from several women claiming that Leonard scammed them out of thousands of dollars. The here, in this case, was the knowing murder of Dion and Jennifer Longworth. Ms. Shirley ultimately took responsibility for her actions by pleading guilty and provided important information during the investigation. Mark had called her asking which credit card he could buy the thermostat with, but she didn't see him actually switch out the thermostat for the new one, nor did he ever say who did it. 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." He asked how much was in the 401k, according to Shirley. 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. 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. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 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. The couple's steamy relationship lasted for about a month before they moved in together. "I want $300,000. . Marion County Superior Court Judge Sheila Carlisle sentenced Monserrate Shirley to spend the maximum sentence of 50 years in prison on Tuesday. [36] Shirley was sentenced to 50 years in prison, the maximum possible under her plea agreement, on December 20, 2016. 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.". Prosecutors alleged Leonard was the mastermind behind the explosion that damaged or destroyed more than 80 homes in Indianapolis, plotting with his then-live-in girlfriend Monserrate Shirley. So in the game of death, monserrate daughter is the Shirley of the game of death. They enter into evidence two golf bags with clubs and a driver. The only improvement he ever made was to buy two flat screen TV's, a 65-70 inch model for the master bedroom and a 42 inch screen for her daughter'sroom. I didn't do nothing wrong.". 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. [19] Judge Shelia Carlisle rejected the proposal, noting that no Indiana law authorizes the use of concurrent jury trials. Then there was the question of Leonards history. They are charged with. 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. 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. Mark Leonard moved in with Monserrate Shirley about a month later. If I could bring Dion and Jennifer back, I would do that in a heartbeat, she said. 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. The shirley daughter is an Italian restaurant that takes more than 15 minutes to make you feel at home. Many Git commands accept both tag and branch names, so creating this branch may cause unexpected behavior. I had a homicide detective crying on the stand. 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. Sometimes they would go during the week while her daughterwas at school and leave in enough time to pick her back up. She said she did not tell officers at the time what happened because she was scared. Its about not letting the person who was watching your game die ever have a say in your game.
ProjectEuler/Program.cs at master gknicker/ProjectEuler I don't want anyone to get hurt," then started cooking dinner. Monserrate and John had the home in Richmond Hill built in 2003. After demands for a vote on the bill, we finally received one.
Indianapolis blast: house owner, 2 others accused of deadly plot Prosecutors alleged Leonard was the mastermind behind the explosion, plotting with his. FORT WAYNE, Ind. It wasnt the only curveball Black and Shircliff would throw at the prosecution. . The name comes from a restaurant that is on the run called theserie rossa which translates to the run of the wits. Estimates for the total scope of the damage caused by the explosion exceeded $4.5 million. To begin the day, Monserrate Shirley explained how she and Mark Leonard met. One of the projects he took on was working on the gas line in the fireplace. "I thought it was crazy," she told a jury, "but I went along with him." . 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. I got upset with her and sent her some derogatory texts. Monserrate Shirley was ordered to serve out her sentence at the Indiana Womens Prison in Indianapolis. Shirley: "Back in August (2011) she just stopped taking my phone calls and letting me talk to Brook. They decided to cut a piece of cardboard to block off the chimney path. It was never no for an answer. Ms. Shirley, 47, and Mark Leonard, 43, her boyfriend, were 100 miles away at a casino when their home blew up. ", Minch: "At no time did she ever say she was involved in the explosion?" To this day, absolutely they had the right to do that. The Richmond Hill neighbors had been waiting long enough without a trial. They went home together that night and he moved in the first week of December. We firmly believed that Gary Thompson played a role, but until she cooperated, we couldnt prove that, Robinson said. Its about becoming who you were meant to be. She was upset when she got home that night and saw her nicer digital thermostat sitting on the kitchen island and the new cheaper model on the wall. He told her to tell Holts, though, that they would be trying the fire again that night (Sunday night). This time, Shirley's daughterwas at home, but she was upstairs. Not until the following morning, when I went from this job to another job, did I get a text from a friend who thought it might be my house. 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. This may help explain why this dish is beloved by patrons like myself. He faces up to life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted. Powerball winner sold in central Indiana! Its very difficult sentencing hearing weve been through for two days. Shirley agreed to plead guilty to two counts conspiracy to commit arson and testify against the co-conspirators in exchange for having all other charges dropped. . ", Minch: "You said you talked to Ms. Shirley on the 11th. "I moved out in February of 2011," he said.
Monserrate Shirley, Indianapolis Homeowner Whose House Exploded, Bereft 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. 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.
Three charged with murder after 'setting off deadly Indiana house 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. Below, former IMPD Det.
wikipedia.en/Richmond_Hill_explosion.md at main - github.com It was a restaurant that had the name of a famous Italian poet who died young, but the restaurant only lasted for a year.
Four years after Richmond Hill explosion, Monserrate Shirley to be He refused, though, and warned them, "You guys be careful, because I know someone who committed arson and got 75 years in prison. And in each of those categories, you betrayed your trust.. You were a nurse. While Thompson checked the digital thermostat, Shirley heard him and Leonard say they could use it to trigger the fireplace as the source of the fire, but they never directly gave her any specifics on how they were going to do it. A copy of her plea agreement was entered into evidence and handed out to each member of the jury. We did the right thing, for the right reason, and got the right result in the right way.. After the first failure, Leonard decided he also wanted to bring in his half-brother, Bob. Its been around since the late 80s, but Im sure well find more of it on our own site. Robert Leonard, who was convicted of murder and multiple felonies, was sentenced to life without parole. Gary Thompson, who had helped with the first two unsuccessful attempts to blow up Monserrate Shirleys house, pleaded guilty on Dec. 2, 2016, to conspiracy to commit arson and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. 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. The program is a spin-off of the Oxygen series Snapped and has a similar format to the Investigation Discovery program Wicked Attraction. Another woman reported that she had loaned him about $5,000 for a construction job, which he had yet to pay back. 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. In fact, they said that at the time she raised her insurance policy to $300,000, she was roughly $300,000 in debt (more than $200K between her two mortgages on top of the bankruptcy settlement left over from her divorce). Shirley didn't hear anything more about a plot to start a fire that night, and nothing happened. The evidence Robinson and Hollingsworth had was substantial. They then worked to establish a pattern of poor decisions in her personal life and changing stories throughout the investigation. [6] Investigators said personal insurance on the home had recently been increased to $300,000. Shirley had heard of Bob before, but had not met him before he came over Thursday, November 1. And I look at all the opportunity she had where she could have gone for help and she never did.. Until shed agreed and signed on the dotted line, there were things I could not tell them. Its not the only weird coincidence Ive noticed in the past few months, but the name shirley was the one that stood out to me most. Prosecutors ended by asking Shirley if the Longworths or any of her other neighbors deserved what happened. [6] He was working in Fishers on the night of the explosion. [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. Shirley: "I moved out in February of 2011. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. Everything's under control.". Jordan Fischer is the senior digital reporter for RTV6. . FOLLOW|Rafael Sanchez on Twitter|Jordan Fischer on Twitter, RELATED LINKS |Richmond Hill Special Section|Mark Ray Leonard convicted on all counts. The men were reportedly in the home briefly and hurriedly left. Monserrate Shirley leaves court after learning her sentence. She owned the house. 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. I told them I dont even want to be a part of this, Shirley testified as telling the Leonards. He also told Bob to go get Gary Thompson. Bob Leonard, Monserrate Shirley, Gary Thompson and Glenn Hults also face charges in connection to the explosion. For their families, the tree is one last connection to the loved ones they lost on Nov. 10, 2012. 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 never got a call, though. Defense attorney Ted Minch on cross-examination: "You're not happy to be here today." GitHub export from English Wikipedia. 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 . Shirley recalled a later conversation that she had with Bob and Mark Leonard, after the explosion. Jurors will later hear that the golf bags and clubs were found at Bob Leonard's home after the explosion. The courtroom was crowded Monday as the proceedings began, as those who were hurt or lost their homes, plus the parents of Dion and Jennifer Longworth wait to learn Shirley's . The next time, Monserrate Shirley said Mark Leonards brother, Bob, was supposed to carry out the plan. Leonards death doesnt change the fact that Jennifer and Dion died, Buxton said. 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. Bob Leonard's son told investigators that several items were in the van that had been taken from the home, including photos and financial documents. Having Shirley as a witness came with its own pitfalls, though. [28] Prosecutors expected to submit nearly 3,000 pieces of evidence, and potentially call up to 175 witnesses. To do that, the team moved 80 boxes of documents connected to the case to an office on the east side of Indianapolis. She would then go to a southside bar to meet Mark before they left for the casino. Attorneys walked Shirley through a number of conversations she had with Mark Leonard from the time they met until the house exploded. Among the "no" votes, inexplicably: political dancer Hiram Monserrate. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Prosecutors alleged Leonard was the mastermind behind the explosion that damaged or destroyed more than 80 homes in Indianapolis, plotting with his then-live-in girlfriend Monserrate Shirley. I was scared for my life and the life of my daughter., Forgive me for my poor choices in life, she continued. [5], Monserrate "Moncy" Shirley, a nurse, owned the home at the center of the explosion. Or that, because it was her first serious offense, a judge could eventually decide to suspend some or all of that sentence. She testified Wednesday she has a condition that prevents her tear ducts from actually producing tears. 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. Robinson says she didnt expect anything to change. I commend Det. An offhand comment would change that. (Item updated.) She has already been behind bars for four years. John moved out in February 2010 and their divorce was finalized that summer. she said. Of the dozens and dozens of homes damaged by the blast, 33 were affected so severely they had to be demolished. Monserrate Shirley testified that Mark Leonard is the one who told her to increase the insurance on the contents of her house, and she also testified Mark Leonard brought up the idea of setting fire to her house for easy money. She was crying and hysterical and said the house blew up.". 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?