They agreed to say they'd been having trouble with the thermostat and smelling gas for a while. Of the dozens and dozens of homes damaged by the blast, 33 were affected so severely they had to be demolished. It had three gas appliances - the water heater, the furnace and the fireplace. And the water heater." There was discussion about: Should we cut all of those? . The man he called was actually an undercover agent. In 2017, Leonard wasconvicted and received an additional 50-year sentencein a murder-for-hire scheme authorities say he concocted from jail after his arrest. PREVIOUS|Timeline of events|Gallery: The Richmond Hill Explosion|Where were you at 11:11 PM? 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.. Shirley claims Leonard coerced her involvement, testifying that he threatened her and her daughter. This type of trial is unusual but not unheard of, and had been used in the trial of the Menendez brothers. Shirley says he and Monserrate married on July 17, 1993. 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. Every day I ask myself why I didnt stop this. Indiana Neighborhood Explosion: Two Questioned in Connection to Blast Shirley may have been the prosecution's highest profile witness, but that doesn't mean they're done. Jeff Wager, the lead homicide investigator in the case, talks about the surveillance and arrests of Mark Leonard and Monserrate Shirley: It was at a meeting with prosecutors in early 2015 that Richmond Hill residents learned of the plea deal being worked out with their former neighbor, Monserrate Shirley. [26], In a case unrelated to the explosion charges, Mark Leonard and two other men were charged with conspiracy to commit insurance fraud. 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. He was, however, eventually able to return to his hobby of umpiring softball. "No one.". John Shirley, 50, of Noblesville, told The Associated Press that his daughter sent him a text message last week complaining that the furnace in the home where she lives with her mother and her. Indianapolis House Explosion Case Now a Criminal Homicide Investigation Her sister had lived in the same housing complex. INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. Heappears to have died of natural causes. Even years later, Robinson says she doesnt know why Black brought the hitman allegations up. Monserrate Shirley detailed the multiple attempts made to set the house on fire prior to the explosion that leveled the home. Start the day smarter Notable deaths in 2023 The world's largest war 2023 meteor showers She found a house with a floorplan she liked." She was crying and hysterical and said the house blew up.". She was the one who got her daughter and her cat out of the situation and left her neighbors in the situation. Monserrate Shirley and Mark leonard, profiled on the next "American Greed," staged a natural gas explosion to collect the insurance on their Indianapolis home. Bad food, non-first class flights drop Colts to middle-of-pack in player survey. Shirley Temple's Children Remember Their Late Mother - Closer Weekly After the first failure, Leonard decided he also wanted to bring in his half-brother, Bob. It was a good feeling.. On multiple occasions Wednesday, Shirley said she didnt say no to Mark Leonard because she loved him. Richmond Hill explosion mastermind Mark Leonard dies A source who claimed to be in contact with the Shirley family told WISH-TV in Indianapolis that a family member had complained about smelling gas in the home at one time. Leonardwas placed under "imminent death watch" earlier this week. "I feel like, you know, it would have been better off for me to be there [at the house when it exploded]," Shirley said. 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. None of them had given any indication they were willing to take a plea under the terms prosecutors were offering. Thompson arrived on Monday or Tuesday, October 22-23, while Shirley's daughter was at school. Monserrate Shirley, Indianapolis Homeowner - AOL Real Estate We used to cook together, have dinner together.Very charming, very lovely man.". Neighbors seek max sentence in fatal home blast - USA TODAY Once they were alone, Leonard, Holts and Shirley started talking about the fire again while they sat around the pool drinking beer. 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. 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. [28], Mark Leonard was found guilty on all 53 counts, including murder and felony murder charges, on July 14. She was wearing a jail jumpsuit, was shackled and her hair had grown long, dark and curly.IM TELLING THE TRUTH. We did the right thing, for the right reason, and got the right result in the right way.. Gary Thompsonwas handed a 30-year prison sentence, 20 years executed, for his role in the murderous insurance fraud scheme. Shirley: "No.". Snapped: Killer Couples - Wikipedia 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. . Homeowner Monserrate Shirley sentenced to 50 years for role in - WTTV [34][35], Monserrate Shirley pled guilty to conspiracy to commit arson. Leonard got sick in March 2012. "That's not what you told me," she remembered saying to Mark. With good behavior, her earliest possible release date is Dec. 19, 2032. I thought it was crazy, but I went along with him. Monserrate Shirley leaves court after learning her sentence. In addition to his roofing business, Mastercraft, Leonard also flipped cars on the side. Shirley told jurors he lost a number of things in the explosion, including a collection of tennis rackets and a drafting table. But I dont feel bad for the deceased.. 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. Leonard went to pick up Thompson in the white van witnesses in the neighborhood have previously testified seeing in Shirley's driveway. Thirty-three homes were damaged so severely they were deemed unrecoverable, and had to be torn down to the foundation. . 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. Sgt. "I don't know what happened. 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. She lived in the four-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath home with her daughter. She found a house with a floorplan she liked." But a whole days-worth of potential jurors would end up tainted anyway not by media coverage, but by Leonards defense team. He asked whose name the house was under, and she said it was entirely in her name after the divorce. Richmond Hill trial: Monserrate Shirley testifies | wthr.com 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. 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 Leonard moved in with Monserrate Shirley about a month later. [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." It was a restaurant that had the name of a famous Italian poet who died young, but the restaurant only lasted for a year. Prosecutors then proposed an unusual strategy involving one trial, but three separate juries, one for each defendant. 'But for Monserrate Shirley:' Betrayal next door - WRTV The home of Monserrate Shirley was the center of the explosion that resulted in the deaths of next-door neighbors John "Dion" Longworth and his wife Jennifer (ne Buxton), the injuries of seven others, and $4 million in property damage. Its because the game of death is the game of life itself. 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. A prosecuting attorney showed her a photo of the house that exploded and asked her who lived on either side of her. [39] Glenn Hults received a three-year sentence.[40]. 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 Richmond Hill explosion took place on November 10, 2012, in the Richmond Hill subdivision in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. I didn't do nothing wrong.". Inquiry Into Indianapolis Blast Suggests Scheme Gone Wrong - The New Leonard was at the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility inSullivan County serving two life sentences for his role in the explosion that rocked the southeast-side neighborhood that destroyed five homes and damaged more than 80 others. Sometimes they would go during the week while her daughterwas at school and leave in enough time to pick her back up. 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 the game of death, monserrate daughter is the only way to be reunited with the game of life. Before meeting Mark, Shirley had never been to a casino. And in each of those categories, you betrayed your trust.. [2] Over sixty firefighters responded to the blaze. She still qualifies as a practicing nurse. While there had been some communications early on, we were not willing to offer Monserrate Shirley a significant deal for her cooperation, Robinson said. Thompson said he'd been pulled over by a cop so he couldn't get to the house. "I don't understand it," Shircliff said of the judge's ruling. We have done that. Investigators found that the couple had substantial debt, including $63,000 in credit card debt, and were in bankruptcy proceedings. [27], Mark Leonard's trial began in June 2015. [29] He was sentenced to life in prison plus 75 years without parole on August 14, 2015. monserrate is the name of the dish, as well as its chef and owner. The truth is, I was scared.. Shirley: "Yes. Follow her on Twitter:@hollyvhays. When asked why she didn't take Leonard's hospitalization in March 2012 as an opportunity not to let him back into her home since she knew what he wanted to do by that point, she said she couldn't turn away a sick person. Authorities blamed a natural gas explosion inside the home of Monserrate Shirley, who was away at the time of the explosion. 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.
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