Shirley and Leonard had gone on television on multiple occasions following the blast to state their innocence, and to ask for privacy. The men were reportedly in the home briefly and hurriedly left. Leonardwas placed under "imminent death watch" earlier this week. She didnt know anyone died, she said. Your email address will not be published. He eventually improved enough to return home, but Shirley had to continue caring for him for several months. Its a difficult case. The name was inspired by the work of the famous Italian poet Leonardo da Vinci, but it was actually a combination of the two that are so influential in the history of Italian cooking that the name was changed to monserrate. After the first failure, Leonard decided he also wanted to bring in his half-brother, Bob. More: Richmond Hill: 'The scars still remain', More: Richmond Hill explosion: 'It's the toughest thing I've ever done in my career', More: Richmond Hill explosion: 7 keys that solved the case. 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. I care about people. The home was owned by his girlfriend at the time, Monserrate Shirley, who testified earlier this month that Bob. Shirley testified that friends called and told her there was a huge explosion. At least half a dozen marriages in the Richmond Hill neighborhood ended in divorce in the years immediately following the blast. When she arrived at the bar, she found Mark and Bob in the white van at a nearby gas station. Their challenge was to distill two-and-a-half years of research and investigation into a six week trial without losing the jury in the process. That's whatwe'll be asking the jury to consider.". 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. John Duncan was the one to call, saying something horrible had happened on her street and he wanted to make sure she and her daughterwere okay. [2] Over sixty firefighters responded to the blaze. It was the last time she would be in her home before the explosion. Its been around since the late 80s, but Im sure well find more of it on our own site. That was the last time she saw Bob before they were arrested. Everything's under control.". ", She said Mark told her, "It cannot be that bad.Don't worry about it. The Retaking Of Richmond Hill - Indianapolis Monthly ", Minch: "You said you talked to Ms. Shirley on the 11th. She was able to take that to the prosecutor and get a protective order against me. Attorneys walked Shirley through a number of conversations she had with Mark Leonard from the time they met until the house exploded. 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. "He'll do anything I ask," Mark said of his brother. 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. The sentence accounts for time served and good time credit. Leonard went to pick up Thompson in the white van witnesses in the neighborhood have previously testified seeing in Shirley's driveway. 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. Its because the life of the game itself is the life of the game itself. She was the neighbor that all the other neighbors were looking at. Thompson said he'd been pulled over by a cop so he couldn't get to the house. I should have been there.". Shirley wasnt a suspect at the time, and the interview was a routine one. While there had been some communications early on, we were not willing to offer Monserrate Shirley a significant deal for her cooperation, Robinson said. Her house exploded on their third attempt of trying to claim insurance money. Bob had been asking for his $10,000 payment before the explosion even happened. They had left town the night before, after Ms. Shirley's nursing shift at a local. PREVIOUS | Full testimony: Monserrate Shirley takes the stand. Monserrate Shirley, 49, said she became distraught when neighbors telephoned her after the November 2012 explosion and told her that her home was destroyed. This may help explain why this dish is beloved by patrons like myself. She was crying and hysterical and said the house blew up.". More than one-third of the families who lived in the neighborhood on the night of the blast have since moved away for good. A class C felony carries 2-8 years. After he was done, the fireplace worked properly and they never smelled any gas inside the home because of it. Minch: "Before that, you did have some problems with the pilot light on the furnace?" I always get the money.". Much of Tuesdays testimony included accounts of Shirleys difficult childhood. That becomes eight years when good time credit is applied. You may have noticed that the name monserrate has been replaced with the word shirley, which is used in both a variety of other games and in the game of death. A copy of her plea agreement was entered into evidence and handed out to each member of the jury. 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. The sentence accounts for time served and good. By December 2014, two years after the explosion in the Richmond Hill subdivision, prosecutors were preparing to go to trial without any cooperating witnesses. And your daughter lost some things?" To do that, the team moved 80 boxes of documents connected to the case to an office on the east side of Indianapolis. Monserrate Shirley, Indianapolis Homeowner Whose House Exploded, Bereft He gave her $3,000 to use, and they lost it all. The co-conspirators include Shirleys boyfriend at the time, Mark Leonard, and his brother, Bob Leonard Jr. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. But no other problems. He was sentenced in August to two life sentences, along with 75 years in prison. I dont feel bad for Mr. Leonard, said Don Buxton, father of Jennifer Longworth, who was killed in the blast with her husband, Dion. The blast killed two people and. The couple says their neighbor Bob Leonard was led away for questioning. Robert Leonard, who was convicted of murder and multiple felonies, was sentenced to life without parole. It also didnt carry much weight for the families of Dion and Jennifer Longworth, who died in the blast. If that timeline holds, final jury instructions would be given Monday, July 13 then deliberation would begin. Will they get to the felony murder?. Woman pleads guilty in deadly Indianapolis explosion - CBS News I didnt give it any credibility. In Indianapolis, Search For Answers Continues After Massive - NPR Carter would testify that her emotions and demeanor seemed normal at the time, for someone whose house had just blown up. . Richmond Hill trial: Monserrate Shirley testifies | wthr.com And you said she was crying? Robinson has said she will argue for 50 when the time comes. She lived in the four-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath home with her daughter. She could face 20-50 years in prison. When they arrived, Mark told her the fire would happen Saturday night so she needed to ask to keep their room a second night (Saturday night). [39] Glenn Hults received a three-year sentence.[40]. "Mark can insult [Thompson], and he never does anything," Shirley said. Prosecutors alleged that the men conspired to submit an insurance claim for a stolen motorcycle. See also:Shantonia Heard of Atlanta Left Her 2 Children Alone With No Power and Gas Oven On, Police Say Apartment Fire Safety Tips Man Killed as Gas Explosion Destroys Connecticut Home. It was never no for an answer. 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. Neighbors, family testify in sentencing hearing of Monserrate Shirley, owner of the home. [6] A friend of the couple reported that Mark Leonard had lost $10,000 at the casino approximately three weeks before the explosion. Get caught up on the first two chapters here:Chapter I: The Night the Sky Caught Fire|Chapter II: The $4 Million Arson Plot. "Two innocent people died because of this!" This time, Shirley's daughterwas at home, but she was upstairs. I didnt want to do anything that would cause that trial date to be continued.. Although the jury would eventually hear testimony and an audio recording of Leonard talking to an undercover ATF agent posing as a hitman (and Leonard would eventually get an extra 50 years in prison for it), having that information before the trial even began would have been extremely prejudicial against him. Man convicted of murder in deadly Indiana house explosion Monserrate Shirley, Mark Leonard: 'Killer Couples' Airs Richmond Hills Mark Leonard drove her home that night and stayed with her for what the defense characterized as a romantic, sexual night. To see the faces of the neighborhood people and the sense of relief and calmness when the verdicts came in was a good thing, Garza said. Shirley, her boyfriend Mark Leonard, and three others were convicted and sentenced to prison on various charges, including felony murder for Leonard. Four years after thedeadly Richmond Hill explosion, another chapter has closed. PREVIOUS|Timeline of events|Gallery: The Richmond Hill Explosion|Where were you at 11:11 PM? The Insurance Scam That Blew Up A Neighborhood - Medium Shirley: "She wanted us to live in a bigger house. 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. Monserrate "Moncy" Shirley, a nurse, owned the home at the center of the explosion. Mark then asked Bob twice to "go get the part that we need." John Shirley, her ex-husband, who owns the home with her, told The Associated Press that he believed the home's faulty furnace could have led to the explosion.
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