[28], Mark Leonard was found guilty on all 53 counts, including murder and felony murder charges, on July 14. The blast killed two people and. [10] Included on the probable cause affidavit were complaints from several women claiming that Leonard scammed them out of thousands of dollars. He says he "was very surprised" to learn Snowball had been boarded on the night of the explosion. 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 and Leonard had gone on television on multiple occasions following the blast to state their innocence, and to ask for privacy. He did come to the house one week before the first attempt. Monserrate Shirley, who had initally pleaded not guilty after she and two men were charged in late 2012, appeared Tuesday before a Marion County judge in a courtroom filled with current and. This may help explain why this dish is beloved by patrons like myself. Mark started telling Shirley they needed to get their stories straight before police started asking questions. After her 12 hour shift, she planned to see her daughter at the Holts' house and change there. Thompson arrived on Monday or Tuesday, October 22-23, while Shirley's daughter was at school. 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. Woman agrees to testify against others in Indianapolis house explosion Shirley stated that her daughter had smelled gas during the week before the explosion. I don't want to be involved in any of this.". Its been around since the late 80s, but Im sure well find more of it on our own site. I don't want anyone to get hurt," then started cooking dinner. That was the last time she saw Bob before they were arrested. 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. But I cant do that, and everybody knows you cant do that, but sometimes theres this perception that getting through the justice system will make things better. They decided to cut a piece of cardboard to block off the chimney path. Leonard told him Shirley was ready and she agreed. 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. [8], Prosecutors alleged that on the Friday before the explosion, Leonard and his brother Bob spoke with a neighbor who was a Citizens Energy employee, asking that person about the differences between natural gas and propane. She was wearing a jail jumpsuit, was shackled and her hair had grown long, dark and curly.IM TELLING THE TRUTH. So in the end there were a couple of people who were opposed to it, and I respected that. Write For Us: Investigative Articles are Intriguing. Follow her on Twitter:@hollyvhays. Two of those alleged co-conspirators were arrested as a direct result of her cooperation: Gary Thompson and Glenn Holts. While she was driving, Mark called to tell her to book a hotel room and to tell her daughter it was because the house was too cold to stay at. And your daughter lost some things?" Homeowner Monserrate Shirley sentenced to 50 years in Richmond Hill 2023 CIRCLE CITY BROADCASTING I, LLC. FULL STORY | Mark Leonards friend says he knew too much. 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. There's little remaining of Shirley's home (pictured at left) after Saturday's explosion. 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. Mr. Monserrate Morales was born on January 7, 1955 in Puerto Rico. 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. The first attempt was supposed to be carried out by Gary Thompson, but it failed. 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. 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. 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. Deputy prosecutor Denise Robinson returned from prosecuting the Richmond Hill cases to a pile of homicides waiting on her desk. Woman tells of failed tries before deadly Indianapolis house explosion 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. Shirley had heard of Bob before, but had not met him before he came over Thursday, November 1. Shirley's next-door neighbors, John and Jennifer Longworth, died in the blast. 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. Robinson, all-too-aware of the limitations of the justice system after decades as a prosecutor, says she is just glad they were able to get some amount of justice for the victims. Shirley says the house had three gas appliances when he lived there: furnace, water heater and fireplace. She would sit with him, eat and drink and occasionally play slot machines. [27], Mark Leonard's trial began in June 2015. Leonard said he talked to Gary Thompson without her, telling him they were ready to do it. 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. She came into the courtroom looking much different than she did the weekend of the explosion in 2012. That's whatwe'll be asking the jury to consider.". 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). The name comes from a restaurant that is on the run called theserie rossa which translates to the run of the wits. 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. 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. I dont wish them any hardship. He was sentenced in August to two life sentences, along with 75 years in prison. They started looking around the house at potential ways to start the fire. Monserrate and John had the home in Richmond Hill built in 2003. [16] On March 13, Leonard allegedly placed a call to a man who he believed to be a hit man. Robinson could not tell them, for example, that Shirley would be facing a sentencing range of 20-50 years in prison. 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? Indiana Neighborhood Explosion: Two Questioned in Connection to Blast "I am a nurse. Her house exploded on their third attempt of trying to claim insurance money. Shirley Temple's Children Remember Their Late Mother - Closer Weekly Monserrate Shirley leaves court after learning her sentence. An Indianapolis woman said she asked her then-boyfriend's half-brother what he had done when she learned the fire they planned to ignite using natural gas had Monserrate Shirley detailed the multiple attempts made to set the house on fire prior to the explosion that leveled the home. I went into the breakroom and texted my ex about what happened. Thompson said he'd been pulled over by a cop so he couldn't get to the house. Call 6 Investigator Rafael Sanchez and Senior Digital Correspondent Jordan Fischer will be in Fort Wayne covering the trial every day. 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. Leonard then tried to get Thompson to talk about what he did at Holts' home, but he refused, saying they shouldn't talk about it. "They are currently in the process of recovering the appliances from destroyed homes to help determine the cause.". Its a difficult case. Even years later, Robinson says she doesnt know why Black brought the hitman allegations up. It would have shortened the trial a week. [21] Mark Leonard was granted a change of venue and was tried in South Bend. Monserrate Shirley was ordered to serve out her sentence at the Indiana Womens Prison in Indianapolis. The home was owned by his girlfriend at the time, Monserrate Shirley, who testified earlier this month that Bob. And I understand it, because of their feelings about her. [6] Prosecutors also allege that he offered the hit man a $5,000 bonus if he made the murder look like a suicide. She and Mark then gassed up her car and drove to the casino. 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 was 11 years old at that point. How to fix pii_email_029231e8462fca76041e Error Code? At sentencing, St. Joseph Superior Court Judge John Marnocha said Leonard demonstrated a sheer indifference for the safety of others., The motivation here is greed, Marnocha said. She, at first, struggled to identify her other neighbors. Denise Robinson, the Marion County Prosecutor on the case, told the court she rarely asks for the maximum sentence. ", She re-iterated that she offered him her retirement savings in place of burning the home. Richmond Hill explosion mastermind Mark Leonard dies If I could bring Dion and Jennifer back, I would do that in a heartbeat, she said. At least three of his possessions did survive, however: two golf bags, with clubs, and a driver he'd been gifted. In the game of death, monserrate daughter is the only way to be reunited with the game of life. I certainly might feel bad for his family. Leonard is charged with 53 counts of murder, arson and conspiracy. Are they going to get bored with it?. At the end of the day, we still miss her and him, Dion, as much as ever, Buxton said. A second mortgage had been taken out on the home for $65,000 in addition to the original mortgage of $116,000. Mark Leonard is on trial in South Bend in connection to the explosion in the Richmond Hill neighborhood that killed Jennifer and Dion Longworth in November 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. 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. Both the prosecution and defense attorneys asked Shirley if she thought Hults was joking. 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. rosemary clooney george clooney relationship The couple's steamy relationship lasted for about a month before they moved in together. They claim that Leonard wanted the hit man to force the witness to call 9-1-1 and recant his statement before killing him. The man he called was actually an undercover agent. On Thursday, Shirley worked a 12 hour shift. Monserrate Shirley sentencing: 'She is the worst of the bunch' - WTHR 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/. Shirley said she was attracted to Mark Leonard, particularly noting he was well-dressed and had bleach blonde hair. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. Four years after thedeadly Richmond Hill explosion, another chapter has closed. Prosecutors told Judge Marnocha Tuesday they will likely rest their case next Wednesday or Thursday. After a while, Mark came back in and said Bob had agreed to help for $10,000, but never specified what exactly Bob would be doing. You were a nurse. Eventually, hed be asked to repeat her answer at her boyfriends murder trial. 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?
How To Claim An Abandoned Car In Ontario, Unlike Mitosis, Meiosis Results In The Formation Of, Mohave Transportation Insurance Company Rating, Articles M