She then spoke with another neighbor, who told her there had been an explosion. Later that same day, an attorney asked Shirley if the Longworths deserved what happened to them. The defense said if prosecutors wrapped up early enough on Thursday, they could call all of their witnesses that day alone and closing arguments could be held Friday, July 10. 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. They went to the casino and waited for the call that a fire had broken out, but again, the call never came. Sometimes they would go during the week while her daughterwas at school and leave in enough time to pick her back up. Investigators quickly honed in on the home's owner, Monserrate Shirley, her boyfriend Mark Leonard and his brother, Bob Leonard Jr., as the primary suspects. Leonard died around 9:15 a.m. Tuesday at an Indianapolis hospital,according to an Indiana Department of Correction spokesman. On December 21, 2012, Monserrate Shirley, Mark Leonard, and his brother Bob Leonard were charged with 2 counts of felony murder and . TRANSCRIPT | Opening statements in the trial of Mark Leonard. I said I think theres ($10,000) or $12,000 in there, and he said, That was not enough, I want $300,000, Shirley said. He leaves to cherish his memory his daughters: Britney Morales (Malcolm Richardson) and Maria Morales: two step-daughters Latasha (Nathan) Roberts and Kizzy Carter; three grandchildren and a host of other relatives and friends. They agreed to say they'd been having trouble with the thermostat and smelling gas for a while. To do that, the team moved 80 boxes of documents connected to the case to an office on the east side of Indianapolis. Thompson said he'd been pulled over by a cop so he couldn't get to the house. INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. "That cannot be real. Download the RTV6 app to get the latest live blog posts as the proceedings unfold. [28] Prosecutors expected to submit nearly 3,000 pieces of evidence, and potentially call up to 175 witnesses. I cant give the Olveys back a peace of mind. You were a nurse. Bob Leonard, Monserrate Shirley, Gary Thompson and Glenn Hults also face charges in connection to the explosion. I didnt want it to affect the trial date, Robinson said. In November 2014, Glenn Olvey who was trapped with his family in his collapsing house finally gave up on rebuilding his home in the neighborhood. Made and inspired by a love triangle, this was written by a girl from Italy. Their funeral was held earlier today. Shirley: "Yes. When she told him there was around $10,000-12,000 in it, he said that wasn't enough. 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? 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. He faces up to life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted. Monserrate Shirley, 49, said she became distraught when neighbors telephoned her after the November 2012 explosion and told her that her home was destroyed. Robinson could not tell them, for example, that Shirley would be facing a sentencing range of 20-50 years in prison. You were a neighbor and you were a friend, Carlisle said. She met Mark Leonard at a bar on November 12, 2011. Witness: Indianapolis man promised $10K for home explosion "In order to pay a very large amount of child support, I was working a full-time job and two part-time jobs," he said. But these were good defense attorneys. And I wanted to be able to tell them everything., TRANSCRIPT | The full testimony of Monserrate Shirley. Indiana Man Convicted of Murder in Home Explosion Case - Insurance Journal They then worked to establish a pattern of poor decisions in her personal life and changing stories throughout the investigation. 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. She was crying and hysterical and said the house blew up.". Shortly thereafter I moved some furniture into the apartment. 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). Monserrate Shirley spent the entire day on the stand Wednesday, and the anticipation of her testimony was evident in courtroom attendance. Heappears to have died of natural causes. Instead, on Dec. 20, 2016 after a two-day sentencing hearing that would be the closest her former neighbors would get to seeing her on trial Shirley was sentenced to the maximum term of 50 years in prison. Monserrate Shirley is lead into her sentencing hearing in December 2016. Except her cat, the clothes on her back and a teddy bear she got when she was 1. "No one deserves what happened," she said. On Monday, November 5, they changed out the thermostat for a "cheaper" model. In exchange, she offered him the money in her 401K. "Shortly thereafter I moved some furniture into the apartment. Monserrate worked Friday, November 9. "I don't know what happened. Prosecutors entered all three into evidence Tuesday. The Richmond Hill explosion took place on November 10, 2012, in the Richmond Hill subdivision in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. That presented a potential pitfall in the case, Robinson said. 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. ", Minch: "You've had problems over the years with the furnace and the water heater. No one deserved what happened. FAIL: New York Senate Says NO to Gay Marriage - Queerty [26], In a case unrelated to the explosion charges, Mark Leonard and two other men were charged with conspiracy to commit insurance fraud. 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. I went into the breakroom and texted my ex about what happened. They moved into a home they built in Richmond Hill toward the end of 2003. Lisa Marie Presley's daughter Riley Keough wears a Graceland sweater as she . Powerball winner sold in central Indiana! It was run by the daughter of a famous American actor who was very close to the owner. She was the nurse. Will they get to the felony murder?. Gary Thompson pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit arson and received a 30-year sentence, with 10 years suspended. 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.. Shirley wasnt a suspect at the time, and the interview was a routine one. 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. . Homeowner Monserrate Shirley sentenced to 50 years in Richmond Hill Marion County Superior Court Judge Sheila Carlisle sentenced Monserrate Shirley to spend the maximum sentence of 50 years in prison on Tuesday. [24], On March 28, 2015, Mark Leonard was charged with conspiring to murder the key witness against him, Mark Duckworth. Neighbors, family testify in sentencing hearing of Monserrate Shirley, owner of the home. Mark Leonard moved in with Monserrate Shirley about a month later. Shirley says Monserrate's sister moved out of the neighborhood around the same time they moved in. I did everything to make him happy, Monserrate Shirley said in testimony. Police arrest Monserrate Shirley, Mark Leonard and Robert Leonard for 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. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. Monserrate Shirley sentenced to 50 years in prison - YouTube Robert Leonard, who was convicted of murder and multiple felonies, was sentenced to life without parole. [20] The trials started in 2015. 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.. Follow his reporting on Twitter at @Jordan_RTV6 or on Facebook. 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. While Shirley said he lost a lot, he pointed out the toll was much greater on his then-13-year-old daughter Brook. She will be 72 years old. The original posters source was a little bit of a weird little coincidence, but the name was still alive and well. Prosecutors ended by asking Shirley if the Longworths or any of her other neighbors deserved what happened. Including journalists, it was closer to four dozen. Follow her on Twitter:@hollyvhays. You were a mom. [6] They had arranged for Shirley's 12-year-old daughter to stay with friends and had boarded their cat, Snowball, for the weekend. On the other two days, Robinson still the head of the prosecutors homicide division would review pending cases and prepare for other trials on her plate. "That's not what you told me," she remembered saying to Mark. Four years after thedeadly Richmond Hill explosion, another chapter has closed. [15], Prosecutors contended that the trio filled the house with natural gas and then used the spark from a microwave which could be set in advance to detonate it. On multiple occasions Wednesday, Shirley said she didnt say no to Mark Leonard because she loved him. . Shirley owned the home at the epicenter of the November 2012 explosion that killed two people and damaged dozens of other homes causing more than $4 million in damages. 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. 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. [38], Gary Thompson pled guilty to conspiracy to commit arson and was sentenced to 30 years in prison. Glenn told me, Between Mark and Gary, theyre going to explode the whole neighborhood. I said, Dont play like that. Monserrate Shirley, Indianapolis Homeowner - AOL Real Estate She said that she hasn't been eating or sleeping well and that she has been taking Xanax to get what little sleep she can. 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 didn't do nothing wrong.". 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/. [21] Mark Leonard was granted a change of venue and was tried in South Bend. [29] He was sentenced to life in prison plus 75 years without parole on August 14, 2015. But a whole days-worth of potential jurors would end up tainted anyway not by media coverage, but by Leonards defense team. Prosecutors alleged that the natural gas explosion was intentionally set to collect insurance money. "I have everybody telling me stuff that they said on the TV," she said. She died at age 85 in 2014, but Shirley Temple's childrenand fans gathered in LA on Monday, April 23 to celebrate what would have been her 90th birthday. You're done.". [6] The case was expected to be the largest and most expensive trial in Marion County history. Should I have accepted that stipulation? 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. Inquiry Into Indianapolis Blast Suggests Scheme Gone Wrong - The New Leonard is charged with 53 counts of murder, arson and conspiracy. [16] On March 13, Leonard allegedly placed a call to a man who he believed to be a hit man. At the trial I had firefighters crying on the stand. I didnt give it any credibility. Below, find a transcript of John Shirley's testimony from Tuesday's hearing: 2:22 p.m. John Shirley, Monserrate Shirley's ex-husband, called as witness. Mark then asked Bob twice to "go get the part that we need." If Monserrate Shirley keeps up her part of the agreement, a judge will decide her sentence after all the Richmond Hill explosiontrials have been completed. Shirley is originally from Puerto Rico. Estimates for the total scope of the damage caused by the explosion exceeded $4.5 million. arranged for her daughter to stay . document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. She said she did not tell officers at the time what happened because she was scared. Thompson arrived on Monday or Tuesday, October 22-23, while Shirley's daughter was at school. By this time, Shirley's daughterhad noticed her portrait was no longer above the fireplace and asked Monserrate about it. Shirley's daughterwent with them in Leonard's Cadillac. The here, in this case, was the knowing murder of Dion and Jennifer Longworth. Leonard told him Shirley was ready and she agreed. But she put an end to that in August 2011.". 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. Crime scene photos from the Richmond Hill explosion Mark. I commend Det. Shirley: "Back in August (2011) she just stopped taking my phone calls and letting me talk to Brook. 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. For years, the team holed up in that office three days a week to avoid being distracted by other ongoing cases. And the water heater." On December 21, 2012, Monserrate Shirley, Mark Leonard, and his brother Bob Leonard were charged with 2 counts of felony murder and . A prosecuting attorney showed her a photo of the house that exploded and asked her who lived on either side of her. She transferred from her job in Michigan to the VA hospital in Indianapolis, where she worked for 17 years, focusing in the ICU. Monserrate Shirley: 'I did everything to make him happy' - WISH-TV 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. SOUTH BEND, Ind. After her 12 hour shift, she planned to see her daughter at the Holts' house and change there. While we knew that Monserrate Shirley on her own would never have caused this crime, it couldnt have happened without her. We knew we were taking a week of testimony from the residents to talk about what had happened to their houses, Robinson said. She would sit with him, eat and drink and occasionally play slot machines. "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.". On Friday, October 26, Leonard told Shirley to get anything sentimental out of the house. One of the projects he took on was working on the gas line in the fireplace. Four years after Richmond Hill explosion, Monserrate Shirley to be 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. By December 2014, two years after the explosion in the Richmond Hill subdivision, prosecutors were preparing to go to trial without any cooperating witnesses. We again offer our condolences to the families of Dion and Jennifer Longworth and to those who suffered injury and loss. During the course of this lengthy process, we have sincerely appreciated the cooperation and patience of these families. 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. His sentencing is set for December 28, 2016 at 1 p.m. Marion County Prosecutor Terry Curry issued the following statement: We respect the Courts decision ordering Monserrate Shirley to serve a fifty-year prison sentence for her participation in this senseless conspiracy. She told them she didn't want anything to do with them anymore. That becomes eight years when good time credit is applied. At one point you replaced the thermostat." The blast the product of an insurance fraud scheme killed two people and injured dozens of others. The defense team started their cross-examination by establishing Shirley's ability to make life-and-death decisions in high-pressure situations while a charge nurse in the ICU. Shirley and her boyfriend were hoping to collect $300,000 in insurance . I always get the money.".