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. I had a homicide detective crying on the stand. 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. Shirley says the house had three gas appliances when he lived there: furnace, water heater and fireplace. 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. Sgt. Monserrate Shirley detailed the multiple attempts made to set the house on fire prior to the explosion that leveled the home. He occasionally worked on those cars at Shirley's home so she saw he had a wide array of tools. To the uninitiated, it seems to be a reference to a nickname used by the family of the deceased who are being called Shirley by their name. Shirley testified Leonard asked to see the insurance policy on the home within a few weeks of moving in. The brothers were sentenced to terms of life without parole for spearheading the conspiracy. ", She re-iterated that she offered him her retirement savings in place of burning the home. I don't want to be involved in any of this.". She would then go to a southside bar to meet Mark before they left for the casino. He said there wouldn't be a problem because it would be a small fire so no one would get hurt, and since she had a long history with the insurance company and no criminal record, they would get the money almost immediately. At the end of the interview, Carter asked Shirley what should happen to the person responsible for the explosion. 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. Woman pleads guilty in deadly Indianapolis explosion - CBS News "Everything they were telling me, it could not be possible," Shirley said on the stand as she started to get emotional. Too little, too late, said Jennifer Longworths father, Don Buxton. 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. Prosecutors entered all three into evidence Tuesday. 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. Most importantly, Shirleys testimony would further tip the scales against the Leonard brothers. As Mark Leonards defense team would point out repeatedly throughout his trial, there was a chance, however small, that Shirleys cooperation could end with her walking free at the end. Indiana Man Convicted of Murder in Home Explosion Case - Insurance Journal An autopsy will be conducted by the Marion County coroner's office Wednesday, according to the DOC. A class C felony carries 2-8 years. "Mark can insult [Thompson], and he never does anything," Shirley said. Later that same day, an attorney asked Shirley if the Longworths deserved what happened to them. If your child will play baseball or softball this spring, youll need to stock up on appropriate clothing and equipment. 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. 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. Monserrate Shirley sentencing: 'She is the worst of the bunch' - WTHR Prosecutors ended by asking Shirley if the Longworths or any of her other neighbors deserved what happened. And that, Im sure, will never change.. Below, former IMPD Det. I certainly might feel bad for his family. After the first failure, Leonard decided he also wanted to bring in his half-brother, Bob. Monserrate Shirley, Indianapolis Homeowner - AOL Real Estate He was sentenced to two life sentences without parole, as well as 70 years from other charges, on March 18, 2016. Everything's under control.". She came into the courtroom looking much different than she did the weekend of the explosion in 2012. [20] The trials started in 2015. 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. (Item updated.) [6] Prosecutors also allege that he offered the hit man a $5,000 bonus if he made the murder look like a suicide. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. [23] The plea deal involved Shirley pleading guilty to two counts of conspiracy to commit arson in exchange for testifying against the other suspects. Eventually, hed be asked to repeat her answer at her boyfriends murder trial. Their first trip together was to the Hollywood Casino roughly 3-4 months after they first met. The now 49-year-old originally faced life in prison without parole. [7], An investigation involving the Indianapolis Division of Homeland Security, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Indianapolis Fire Department was begun. Leonard started talking the next week about trying for a second time to burn down the home. You were a mom. When she left that morning, her daughterand Snowball were still there (Mark was going to take them to school and the kennel). Shirley and her boyfriend Mark Leonard were out of town for the weekend while her 12-year-old daughter stayed with friends. Hults faces no prison time to three years . The Retaking Of Richmond Hill - Indianapolis Monthly Unresolved: Release in which this issue/RFE will be addressed. According to Shirleys account, she was struggling to stay financially afloat when she met Leonard, and within a month of dating, he came up with the idea. Example video title will go here for this video. They laughed at her for asking, but it was switched back out. The couple says their neighbor Bob Leonard was led away for questioning. He never gave her money like that again, but did play with his own money, spending anywhere from $2,000 - 10,000 each trip. 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. Then there was the question of Leonards history. "John Shirley, whose ex-wife Monserrate Shirley lives at the home with their 12 year-old-daughter, said he got a text from his daughter about a week-and-a-half ago telling him the heat. They'd soon get a new roommate. 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. [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. John did all the maintenance on the home - she never did any. Although prosecutors didnt need their blessing to go ahead with the plea, Robinson said they felt it was important to tell the residents as much as they could. TRANSCRIPT | Opening statements in the trial of Mark Leonard. Marion County Superior Court Judge Sheila Carlisle sentenced Monserrate Shirley to spend the maximum sentence of 50 years in prison on Tuesday. But the majority supported us.. For their families, the tree is one last connection to the loved ones they lost on Nov. 10, 2012. While she was driving, Mark called to tell her to book a hotel room and to tell her daughter it was because the house was too cold to stay at. She told him the attempt didnt work but that there would be another attempt. "I feel like, you know, it would have been better off for me to be there [at the house when it exploded]," Shirley said. 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). Indianapolis blast: house owner, 2 others accused of deadly plot But the plan went horribly awry when a vast amount of natural gas had built up in the home before something set inside a microwave oven ignited the blaze. She didnt know anyone died, she said. Shirley: "Yes. . I tried to ignore Mark Leonards history as much as I could, Robinson said. The next time, Monserrate Shirley said Mark Leonards brother, Bob, was supposed to carry out the plan. Shirley and her boyfriend were hoping to collect $300,000 in insurance . JDK-8141210 : Very slow loading of JavaScript file with recent JDK [6] Investigators said personal insurance on the home had recently been increased to $300,000. FAIL: New York Senate Says NO to Gay Marriage - Queerty 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. 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. The Oscars will air on ABC and can be streamed on ABC.com and the ABC app as well as Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, AT&T TV or FuboTV. She still qualifies as a practicing nurse. Investigators found that the couple had substantial debt, including $63,000 in credit card debt, and were in bankruptcy proceedings. At least half a dozen marriages in the Richmond Hill neighborhood ended in divorce in the years immediately following the blast. Leonard later tried telling Shirley that the only reason Holts wouldn't talk about his own fire was because he didn't want Leonard to end up with more money than he had. SOUTH BEND, Ind. 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. Your email address will not be published. I cant give the Olveys back a peace of mind. They went to the casino and waited for the call that a fire had broken out, but again, the call never came. Iwas scared. I was at one of my part-time jobs when I got a text from my daughter, which was very unusual. 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. Leonard got sick in March 2012. Gary Thompson pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit arson and received a 30-year sentence, with 10 years suspended. Leonard said he talked to Gary Thompson without her, telling him they were ready to do it. I know it caught us by surprise and we had to react to it.. Hed also been previously accused of insurance fraud in connection with a car accident. Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. 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. We've got a few more.". Its an interesting concept. Shirley met Mark Leonard. 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. They are charged with. We are sure to have a lot more weird coincidences in the next few days, but this one is pretty crazy. 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. [11], Monserrate Shirley, Mark Leonard, and Bob Leonard were initially charged with two counts of murder and arson in the deaths of Dion and Jennifer Longworth. This time, Shirley's daughterwas at home, but she was upstairs. Monserrate Shirley, Mark Leonard: 'Killer Couples' Airs Richmond Hills The family, he said, will never truly get closure. After court adjourned for the day, Shircliff said he attacked her inconsistencies "to show that she can tell the truth as easily as she tells a lie, and it's hard for the jury to know the difference. [16][17] The alleged motive for the arson was to collect insurance money to ease financial strain. Prosecutors ask if Shirley was asked by police to identify personal property following the explosion. On Friday, October 26, Leonard told Shirley to get anything sentimental out of the house. Two of those alleged co-conspirators were arrested as a direct result of her cooperation: Gary Thompson and Glenn Holts. IndyStar reporter Robert King contributed to this story. He refused, though, and warned them, "You guys be careful, because I know someone who committed arson and got 75 years in prison. And then there was the arrangement that when I picked up my daughter I would get to take some of my belongings. Shirley says he was paying Monserrate $1,000 a month in child support and mortgage payments. While she was charged in December 2012 for her role in the explosion, she pleaded guilty to two felony conspiracy charges earlier this year in exchange for her testimony. And the water heater." [12] Though the trio was eligible for the death penalty under Indiana law, prosecutors chose to pursue life sentences without parole because they believed a jury would be unlikely to impose the death penalty without any evidence that the suspects intended to cause the deaths. At one point you replaced the thermostat." [18], Prosecutors initially sought to try the suspects together, but the defendants were granted the right to separate trials. She later worked at St. Francis and Community South. Its very difficult sentencing hearing weve been through for two days. It was unclear when the complaint was made and whether the utility company was alerted. The blast the product of an insurance fraud scheme killed two people and injured dozens of others. Yes, I didnt think it would be possible, Monserrate Shirley said.HUGE EXPLOSION. 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. Minch: "You testified about some things you lost in the explosion. But no other problems. Many people may remember Shirley giving an interview to the media, including WISH-TV, after the explosion. Shirley stated that her daughter had smelled gas during the week before the explosion. I care about people. As stated previously, the investigation and prosecution of this matter has literally taken tens of thousands of hours of effort by numerous individuals. Mark Leonard, the man considered the mastermind behind the 2012 Richmond Hill neighborhood explosion that killed two people and wounded at least a dozen others, is dead. 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. Shortly thereafter I moved some furniture into the apartment. INTERACTIVE MAP|Residents relive Richmond Hill explosion, ViewExplosion Damaged Homesin a larger map, Download the new and improved RTV6 app to get the latest news on the go and receive alerts to your phone, Sign up to have the latest news headlines delivered straight to your email inbox, Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way, Indianapolis, IN Interactive Weather Radar, Full testimony: Monserrate Shirley takes the stand. Prosecuting Mark Leonard presented with some challenges. Shirley had earlier cooperated in providing testimony against alleged co-conspirators but. On Monday, November 5, they changed out the thermostat for a "cheaper" model. She was 11 years old at that point. 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. 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 says the log lighter worked fine when he lived there. [28] Prosecutors expected to submit nearly 3,000 pieces of evidence, and potentially call up to 175 witnesses. At that point, Shirley and her co-defendants her boyfriend Mark Leonard and his brother, Bob Leonard Jr. had been sitting in jail for two years following their arrest on charges of murder, arson and attempted insurance fraud in connection with the explosion. "I mean, I'm totally devastated like my neighbors are.". When she told him there was around $10,000-12,000 in it, he said that wasn't enough. "That's not what you told me," she remembered saying to Mark. Shed said similar things in an interview with IMPD Det. Fixed: Release in which this issue/RFE has been fixed.The release containing this fix may be available for download as an Early Access Release or a General Availability Release. She owned the house. Robinson could not tell them, for example, that Shirley would be facing a sentencing range of 20-50 years in prison. "I am a nurse. But a whole days-worth of potential jurors would end up tainted anyway not by media coverage, but by Leonards defense team. [19] Judge Shelia Carlisle rejected the proposal, noting that no Indiana law authorizes the use of concurrent jury trials. In court, Shirley testified Leonard had promised to show her how to make a lot of money. 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.