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After that, the fire wasn't mentioned again until the week before Halloween. She was 11 years old at that point. HS counselor at board meeting, Serial Indianapolis rapist pleads guilty to 9 counts, Mom speaks out after 2 kids killed by falling tree, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. I had to know I could make this case based on the evidence I had.. ", When asked if the attacks on Shirley's credibility would damage the State's case, Deputy Prosecutor Denise Robinson said, "If you think about anybody who gives a number of statements, and you think about inconsistencies when you're asked questions and you have to answer the questions that you're asked [no more, no less]. This has to be done, Shirley testified. She later found out her neighbors didnt make it. 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 said she was attracted to Mark Leonard, particularly noting he was well-dressed and had bleach blonde hair. Its about remembering who you are. It wasnt the only curveball Black and Shircliff would throw at the prosecution. Another woman reported that she had loaned him about $5,000 for a construction job, which he had yet to pay back. None of them had given any indication they were willing to take a plea under the terms prosecutors were offering. [14] Shirley admitted raising the limit on her insurance coverage at Mark Leonard's urging, and only went along with the plot out of love for him. It was unclear when the complaint was made and whether the utility company was alerted. Shed said similar things in an interview with IMPD Det. Bob Leonard said, "Well, you're in it. Gary Thompsonwas handed a 30-year prison sentence, 20 years executed, for his role in the murderous insurance fraud scheme. Federal grand jury indicts man on hate crime charges after he allegedly shot 2 Jewishmen in Los Angelesin February, Pot vote has Oklahoma hungry to rake in green from Texas, Indonesia fuel depot fire kills 18, over dozen missing, Fishers firefighters assist car flipped NB over I-69. Leonard went to pick up Thompson in the white van witnesses in the neighborhood have previously testified seeing in Shirley's driveway. 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. [6] Mark was a handsome man with sex appeal and a lot of money, judging by his stash of cash and fast luxury cars. Shirley says he was working at Eli Lilly at the time, and Monserrate was working as an RN at the VA hospital. From confusion to conviction, Richmond Hill blast recapped. But ultimately I think we were able to accomplish what we needed to do for her.. Robinson knew that. Prosecutors ask if Shirley was asked by police to identify personal property following the explosion. Somebody knew that I was out of town. But no other problems. 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 . When the relationship first started, she said, "He was a nice guy. 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. Lisa Marie Presley's daughter Riley Keough wears a Graceland sweater as she . One year of his sentences wassuspended, and the rest was to be split between jail and work release. . 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 daughters often watched the girl. They claim that Leonard wanted the hit man to force the witness to call 9-1-1 and recant his statement before killing him. Leonard died around 9:15. Shirley spent hours on the stand. There's little remaining of Shirley's home (pictured at left) after Saturday's explosion. By the time wed got to trial, hed already been in jail for going on three years. 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. [3][4] Damage to homes in the neighborhood was estimated at $4 million. Four years after thedeadly Richmond Hill explosion, another chapter has closed. For her cooperation with the prosecutions of the Leonard brothers, and the information she provided that led to the convictions of Hults and Thompson, Monserrate Shirley was spared the possibility of life without parole. The November 2012 blast claimed the lives of John and Jennifer Longworth and spawned an investigation that landed five people behind bars. 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. We firmly believed that Gary Thompson played a role, but until she cooperated, we couldnt prove that, Robinson said. "[6] The witness also told investigators that Leonard talked about buying a Ferrari with the insurance money from the house. The sentence accounts for time served and good. They'd soon get a new roommate. INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. Shirley is originally from Puerto Rico. She found a house with a floorplan she liked." He occasionally worked on those cars at Shirley's home so she saw he had a wide array of tools. [38], Gary Thompson pled guilty to conspiracy to commit arson and was sentenced to 30 years in prison. He was, however, eventually able to return to his hobby of umpiring softball. You were a mom. I didnt give it any credibility. The stove was electric. (They were) my neighbors for a very long time since we built the house, Shirley said. Everything's under control.". When she arrived at the bar, she found Mark and Bob in the white van at a nearby gas station. They enter into evidence two golf bags with clubs and a driver. As fate would have it, it would be Carter, just a few weeks later, who would place Monserrate Shirley in handcuffs. 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. That's whatwe'll be asking the jury to consider.". In one case, she said the first attempt was supposed to be tied to gasoline not natural gas. Shirley said after he and his wife's divorce was finalized in July 2011, the last time he was at the home at 8349 Fieldfare Way was August of that year. An autopsy will be conducted by the Marion County coroner's office Wednesday, according to the DOC. [13] A fourth person, Gary Thompson, was charged in January 2015 on the same charges. 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. Iwas scared. Monserrate and John had the home in Richmond Hill built in 2003. Just to prepare the evidence list which eventually numbered more than 2,000 items Robinson said the entire four-person team worked 24 hours straight. 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. Leonard is charged with 53 counts of murder, arson and conspiracy. Your email address will not be published. Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. Today, Snowball, a white Persian cat, is in the care of John Shirley, Monserrate's ex-husband. The original posters source was a little bit of a weird little coincidence, but the name was still alive and well. Shirley and her boyfriend Mark Leonard were out of town for the weekend while her 12-year-old daughter stayed with friends. Its a game that only you can play. 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. Thompson left after a few hours and Shirley didn't hear anything else before the first attempt that Saturday. On Monday, November 5, they changed out the thermostat for a "cheaper" model. She owned the house. All I can say is, I had one small role in this. 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. We used to cook together, have dinner together.Very charming, very lovely man.". Prosecutors ended by asking Shirley if the Longworths or any of her other neighbors deserved what happened. Their first trip together was to the Hollywood Casino roughly 3-4 months after they first met. A tag already exists with the provided branch name. "I moved out in February of 2011," he said. Among the "no" votes, inexplicably: political dancer Hiram Monserrate. 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. The inmate and Leonard drew up a contract agreeing that Leonard would pay the inmate $15,000 when he was released, the affidavit said. Get caught up on the first two chapters here:Chapter I: The Night the Sky Caught Fire|Chapter II: The $4 Million Arson Plot. "Everything they were telling me, it could not be possible," Shirley said on the stand as she started to get emotional. Shirley claims Leonard coerced her involvement, testifying that he threatened her and her daughter. Officials did not release further information regarding his death. They then worked to establish a pattern of poor decisions in her personal life and changing stories throughout the investigation. We have done that. She asked Mark not to try the house fire plan again. Jeffrey Wager and IMPD investigators, Lt. Mario Garza and IFD investigators, agents of the Federal ATF, and our trial team for their commitment and perseverance to bring justice for the Richmond Hill residents.. So in the end there were a couple of people who were opposed to it, and I respected that. . Arguing for the maximum in this case, when you live with this case and you see the impact, and you know what devastating effect its had on these lives, it just compels you to argue for that, said Robinson. I didn't do nothing wrong.". 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. She was an RN for more than 20 years, starting her career in Michigan where she attended college, before moving to Indianapolis after her then-husband John Shirley got a job offer there. The defense wrapped up a little more quickly than expected after Judge John Marnocha denied their request to play a video of Shirley's 2012 interview with the media. 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. [2] Over sixty firefighters responded to the blaze. 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. And then there was the arrangement that when I picked up my daughter I would get to take some of my belongings. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. [30] He died on January 30, 2018, at an Indianapolis hospital, aged 48, of natural causes. 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 Mark Leonard was the first to go on trial. She was crying and hysterical and said the house blew up.". Shirley recalled a later conversation that she had with Bob and Mark Leonard, after the explosion. [20] The trials started in 2015. 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. 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. Leonards death doesnt change the fact that Jennifer and Dion died, Buxton said. I dont believe in vengeance and I know that my son is not a person that would accept vengeance and such things, he didnt live that way., I look at Monserrate Shirley and I see a wasted life, said Tony Burnett, who lived across the street from Shirley. She was the nurse. Her house exploded on their third attempt of trying to claim insurance money. I certainly might feel bad for his family. [6] One woman had previously won a $70,000 judgment against Leonard in a civil suit after lending him $53,000, which he never repaid.