I was at one of my part-time jobs when I got a text from my daughter, which was very unusual. arranged for her daughter to stay . Shirley: "I moved out in February of 2011. They had left town the night before, after Ms. Shirley's nursing shift at a local. 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. Start the day smarter Notable deaths in 2023 The world's largest war 2023 meteor showers ", 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?" Mark and Bob stayed in the garage while they talked about what Bob's part would be, while Shirley stayed inside. I dont wish them any hardship. 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. "Shortly thereafter I moved some furniture into the apartment. Glenn Hults, who pleaded guilty to a felony for knowing about the plot but failing to report it to police, is scheduled for sentencing on December 28. Will they get to the felony murder?. Minch: "You testified about some things you lost in the explosion. On November 19, it was announced that the investigation had become a criminal investigation. 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. 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. But no other problems. He faces up to life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted. Mark Leonard was the first to go on trial. PREVIOUS | Full testimony: Monserrate Shirley takes the stand. 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. And then there was the arrangement that when I picked up my daughter I would get to take some of my belongings. 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. Gary Thompsonwas handed a 30-year prison sentence, 20 years executed, for his role in the murderous insurance fraud scheme. Mark Leonard first mentioned trying to burn the house down in February 2012, according to Shirley. The couple's steamy relationship lasted for about a month before they moved in together. [16][17] The alleged motive for the arson was to collect insurance money to ease financial strain. "I thought it was crazy," she told a jury, "but I went along with him." 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." 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. After speaking with detectives, they went to Mark's sister's home, where they spent the night. 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. 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? The case was expected to be the largest and most expensive trial in Marion County history. I didnt give it any credibility. Saturday morning, they headed to the casino and Mark played a blackjack table, then they went to the bar and sat, waiting to get the phone call their home had caught fire. 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. ", 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.". An autopsy will be conducted by the Marion County coroner's office Wednesday, according to the DOC. She was 11 years old at that point. [6] Prosecutors also allege that he offered the hit man a $5,000 bonus if he made the murder look like a suicide. Aaron Carter. Monserrate Shirley said Mark Leonard was very, very mad., Mark Leonard said, Were going to do it again. [19] Judge Shelia Carlisle rejected the proposal, noting that no Indiana law authorizes the use of concurrent jury trials. And the game of death is the game of life itself. Marion County Superior Court Judge Sheila Carlisle sentenced Monserrate Shirley to spend the maximum sentence of 50 years in prison on Tuesday. Its very difficult sentencing hearing weve been through for two days. Wednesday in court, Shirley said that at the July 4th pool party, she called lighting the house on fire crazy. 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. Bob had been asking for his $10,000 payment before the explosion even happened. The topic came up again around July 4. Shirley's daughterwent with them in Leonard's Cadillac. 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 didnt want it to affect the trial date, Robinson said. [29] He was sentenced to life in prison plus 75 years without parole on August 14, 2015. It was a restaurant that had the name of a famous Italian poet who died young, but the restaurant only lasted for a year. Mark Leonard drove her home that night and stayed with her for what the defense characterized as a romantic, sexual night. But these were good defense attorneys. ", Minch: "You've had problems over the years with the furnace and the water heater. I was scared for my life and the life of my daughter., Forgive me for my poor choices in life, she continued. 2023 CIRCLE CITY BROADCASTING I, LLC. She said she did not tell officers at the time what happened because she was scared. Unresolved: Release in which this issue/RFE will be addressed. We have done that. She moved to the United States when she was 25. That was the last time she saw Bob before they were arrested. This time, Shirley's daughterwas at home, but she was upstairs. Follow her on Twitter:@hollyvhays. On the day of the explosion, another neighbor saw a white van pull into the driveway of Shirley's residence between 2:00 and 3:00p.m. Robert Leonard, who was convicted of murder and multiple felonies, was sentenced to life without parole. Prosecutors told Judge Marnocha Tuesday they will likely rest their case next Wednesday or Thursday. The entire day she answered questions from attorneys, repeatedly crying. A second home was reduced to rubble as well, and other houses were half-collapsed. Leonard is the brother of Mark Leonard, who is dating Montserrate Shirley, who along with Mark Leonard, lives in the home . He says he "was very surprised" to learn Snowball had been boarded on the night of the explosion. [39] Glenn Hults received a three-year sentence.[40]. Shirley and her boyfriend Mark Leonard were out of town for the weekend while her 12-year-old daughter stayed with friends. Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. He asked whose name the house was under, and she said it was entirely in her name after the divorce. Dont make that kind of joke, Shirley testified. I did everything to make him happy, Monserrate Shirley said in testimony. "You can't even do a fire. The sentence accounts for time served and good. 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. [6] They had arranged for Shirley's 12-year-old daughter to stay with friends and had boarded their cat, Snowball, for the weekend. She took care of all three. More than one-third of the families who lived in the neighborhood on the night of the blast have since moved away for good. 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. 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. Jurors will later hear that the golf bags and clubs were found at Bob Leonard's home after the explosion. Eventually, hed be asked to repeat her answer at her boyfriends murder trial. 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. Jordan Fischer is the senior digital reporter for RTV6. This type of trial is unusual but not unheard of, and had been used in the trial of the Menendez brothers. Its because the game of death is the game of life itself. While Shirley said he lost a lot, he pointed out the toll was much greater on his then-13-year-old daughter Brook. When we got in this case, we were asked to save her life, said defense attorney James Voyles. Deputy prosecutor Denise Robinson returned from prosecuting the Richmond Hill cases to a pile of homicides waiting on her desk. 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. [38], Gary Thompson pled guilty to conspiracy to commit arson and was sentenced to 30 years in prison. She would then go to a southside bar to meet Mark before they left for the casino. He told her to tell Holts, though, that they would be trying the fire again that night (Sunday night). How to fix pii_email_029231e8462fca76041e Error Code? [13] A fourth person, Gary Thompson, was charged in January 2015 on the same charges. Authorities blamed a natural gas explosion inside the home of Monserrate Shirley, who was away at the time of the explosion. [30] He died on January 30, 2018, at an Indianapolis hospital, aged 48, of natural causes. The cat, nicknamed Snowy, was a birthday gift for their daughter, he said, and "she misses him.". The inmate and Leonard drew up a contract agreeing that Leonard would pay the inmate $15,000 when he was released, the affidavit said. He never gave her money like that again, but did play with his own money, spending anywhere from $2,000 - 10,000 each trip. 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. This is too risky." monserrate is a real-life cousin of Shirley, and its said that her daughter monserrate will be taking us on when we die. She agreed that's what happened, but insisted she only said what Mark told her to say. [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. Mr. Monserrate Morales was born on January 7, 1955 in Puerto Rico. They agreed to say they'd been having trouble with the thermostat and smelling gas for a while. Shirley met Mark Leonard. Residents, particularly the younger ones, report experiencing continued psychological trauma from the incident. Shirley is originally from Puerto Rico. Thompson left after a few hours and Shirley didn't hear anything else before the first attempt that Saturday. It was the last time she would be in her home before the explosion. There have been days with only two people in the audience other than media, but there were more than 30 Wednesday. "(Whoever is responsible will) have to pay for what they did to me and everybody else," Shirley said in the interview. "I don't know what happened. 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. She would sit with him, eat and drink and occasionally play slot machines. ", Holts then asked who would get the money if they went through with it and Mark said, "Of course, me. I don't want to be involved in any of this.". 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. They said they didn't know. Monserrate and John had the home in Richmond Hill built in 2003. Shirley and her boyfriend Mark Leonard were out of town for the weekend while her 12-year-old daughter stayed with friends. The stove was electric. Shirley says the house had three gas appliances when he lived there: furnace, water heater and fireplace. Mark. If your child will play baseball or softball this spring, youll need to stock up on appropriate clothing and equipment. She told her daughter a friend had taken it to put a new frame on it. We believed that he did, we had some very thin evidence that he did. On December 21, 2012, Monserrate Shirley, Mark Leonard, and his brother Bob Leonard were charged with 2 counts of felony murder and . [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. 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. Its about your game being the only game that matters. 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. 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. [7] Shirley told the police she never smelled any natural gas, but that her daughter had thought she did recently. "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.". Leonard told him Shirley was ready and she agreed. Shirley's daughter went with them in Leonard's Cadillac. Except her cat, the clothes on her back and a teddy bear she got when she was 1. Defense attorney Ted Minch on cross-examination: "You're not happy to be here today." From confusion to conviction, Richmond Hill blast recapped. Investigators found that the couple had substantial debt, including $63,000 in credit card debt, and were in bankruptcy proceedings. They started looking around the house at potential ways to start the fire. Monserrate Shirley, who had pleaded not guilty after she and two men were charged in late 2012, appeared before a Marion County judge in a courtroom filled with current and former residents of the . She then spoke with another neighbor, who told her there had been an explosion. FORT WAYNE, Ind. Your email address will not be published. [3][4] Damage to homes in the neighborhood was estimated at $4 million. It's also possible she will walk free if the judge sentences. They decided to cut a piece of cardboard to block off the chimney path. Made and inspired by a love triangle, this was written by a girl from Italy. They should go to jail. Hed also been previously accused of insurance fraud in connection with a car accident. 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 lost everything," he said. Shirley spent hours on the stand. She was inspired by the way Chef Alberto Marinovich put on this dish and it was a joy to serve. [2] Over sixty firefighters responded to the blaze. It's been hard for me and my daughter. They went to the casino and waited for the call that a fire had broken out, but again, the call never came. They laughed at her for asking, but it was switched back out. [28] The defense said that what became the Richmond Hill explosion was only supposed to be a "stupid and selfish insurance fraud that went horribly wrong", adding, "Precautions were taken to ensure people weren't harmed." This may help explain why this dish is beloved by patrons like myself. "Our investigators believe natural gas is involved," the Indianapolis Department of Homeland Security said in a statement. No one else was within earshot, so far as she knew. He questioned her about the multiple boardings of her cat, Snowball, which he found odd. She explained that Snowball had anxiety. News, information &. Everything's under control.". 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. Monserrate worked Friday, November 9. 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. Including journalists, it was closer to four dozen. Mark started telling Shirley they needed to get their stories straight before police started asking questions. Shirley says he and Monserrate married on July 17, 1993. 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? 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. A class C felony carries 2-8 years. The crowd watched in grim silence as a Marion County judge entered not guilty pleas for Monserrate Shirley, her boyfriend Mark Leonard, and his brother, Bob Leonard. [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". Mark Leonards trial at the St. Joseph County Courthouse was eventful before it even started. The original posters source was a little bit of a weird little coincidence, but the name was still alive and well.
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