One year of his sentences wassuspended, and the rest was to be split between jail and work release. Of the dozens and dozens of homes damaged by the blast, 33 were affected so severely they had to be demolished. More on AOL Real Estate:Find homes for rent in your area.Find out how to calculate mortgage payments.Find homes for sale in your area.Find foreclosures in your area. wishtv.com your home page, Business, Equity and Opportunities Podcast with Scott Sander. You can't do anything," he said. Leonards death doesnt change the fact that Jennifer and Dion died, Buxton said. The couple says their neighbor Bob Leonard was led away for questioning. She was the one who got her daughter and her cat out of the situation and left her neighbors in the situation. [28], Mark Leonard was found guilty on all 53 counts, including murder and felony murder charges, on July 14. Shirley: "No. 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. "I moved out in February of 2011," he said. 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. After her 12 hour shift, she planned to see her daughter at the Holts' house and change there. In the game of death, monserrate daughter is the only way to be reunited with the game of life. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way, Indianapolis, IN Interactive Weather Radar, Mark Leonards friend says he knew too much, Opening statements in the trial of Mark Leonard. Glenn told me, Between Mark and Gary, theyre going to explode the whole neighborhood. I said, Dont play like that. Call IndyStar reporter Holly Hays at (317) 444-6156. This time, Leonard worked with Thompson instead of Thompson doing the work while Leonard stood next to him, watching and planning. towns among 150 Best Small Town in America, Citizens support Ind. 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. 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. Psychologist Dr. Stephanie Callaway diagnosed her with dependent personality disorder, but stated under cross-examination that, while the diagnosis explains Shirley's actions, it does not absolve her of responsibility. Once they were alone, Leonard, Holts and Shirley started talking about the fire again while they sat around the pool drinking beer. Most importantly, Shirleys testimony would further tip the scales against the Leonard brothers. I thought it was crazy, but I went along with him. As stated previously, the investigation and prosecution of this matter has literally taken tens of thousands of hours of effort by numerous individuals. "Everybody's pointing a finger at me like I did something wrong," Shirley said in a video posted on the Indianapolis Star newspaper's website. 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. Mark Leonard, the man considered the mastermind behind the 2012 Richmond Hill neighborhood explosion that killed two peopleand wounded at least adozen others, is dead. Her sister had lived in the same housing complex. He was sentenced to 75 years in prison on the arson charges on top of two life sentences for the murder charges. Shirley said she would come back immediately, but they told her there was no house to come back to. We knew somebody else was involved, and he was the only one whose name consistently came up, but it was only after she cooperated that we were able to charge Gary Thompson and Glenn Hults.. Deputy prosecutor Denise Robinson returned from prosecuting the Richmond Hill cases to a pile of homicides waiting on her desk. (WISH) Monserrate Shirley told jurors Wednesday she would do anything for Mark Leonard, because she was in love with him. It was a good feeling.. The name comes from a restaurant that is on the run called theserie rossa which translates to the run of the wits. For years, the team holed up in that office three days a week to avoid being distracted by other ongoing cases. An autopsy will be conducted by the Marion County coroner's office Wednesday, according to the DOC. Somebody knew that I was out of town. "(Whoever is responsible will) have to pay for what they did to me and everybody else," Shirley said in the interview. [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. In addition to the thousands of pieces of physical evidence, they had more than 200 witnesses lined up to testify. Aaron Carter. "I mean, sometimes I wish I was there and I'd be dead, and now I wouldn't have to be asked so many questions.". There was discussion about: Should we cut all of those? Residents, particularly the younger ones, report experiencing continued psychological trauma from the incident. Estimates for the total scope of the damage caused by the explosion exceeded $4.5 million. 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. 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). The sentence accounts for time served and good time credit. Ms. Shirley, 47, and Mark Leonard, 43, her boyfriend, were 100 miles away at a casino when their home blew up. 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 refused, though, and warned them, "You guys be careful, because I know someone who committed arson and got 75 years in prison. And you said she was crying? SOUTH BEND, Ind. Shirley struck a plea deal with prosecutors and was sentenced to 50 years in prison. "You can't even do a fire. At the center of the case, Mark Leonard, a womanizer with gambling debts who preyed on divorcees, hatched an arson plot for money with his girlfriend, Monserrate Shirley. In a deposition before the trial, though, she reported saying, "I'm not doing this. [23] The plea deal involved Shirley pleading guilty to two counts of conspiracy to commit arson in exchange for testifying against the other suspects. She was inspired by the way Chef Alberto Marinovich put on this dish and it was a joy to serve. John moved out in February 2010 and their divorce was finalized that summer. I tried to ignore Mark Leonards history as much as I could, Robinson said. Monserrate Shirley sentenced to 50 years in prison - YouTube Charged in the deadly Richmond Hill Fire RTV6 News brings you the best breaking news coverage in Indiana. Shirley stated that her daughter had smelled gas during the week before the explosion. He says sometimes strong winds would blow out the pilot light when someone opened the garage door. We used to cook together, have dinner together.Very charming, very lovely man.". FORT WAYNE, Ind. 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. For one: She had earned a reputation as a master liar, as Mark Leonards defense team would later call her. Monserrate Shirley, who had pleaded not guilty after she and two men were charged in late 2012, appeared before a Marion County judge in a courtroom filled with current and former residents of the . "I feel like, you know, it would have been better off for me to be there [at the house when it exploded]," Shirley said. 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. She grabbed a few pictures, including the canvas portrait of her daughterat age 5 that hung above the fireplace. Glenn Hults, a friend of Leonard's who said he knew about the plot beforehand but didn't call police, was sentenced to three years. At the trial I had firefighters crying on the stand. 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. 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. 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. I know it caught us by surprise and we had to react to it.. 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. To begin the day, Monserrate Shirley explained how she and Mark Leonard met. Mark then asked Bob twice to "go get the part that we need." "They are currently in the process of recovering the appliances from destroyed homes to help determine the cause.". Prosecutors alleged Leonard was the mastermind behind the explosion that damaged or destroyed more than 80 homes in Indianapolis, plotting with his then-live-in girlfriend Monserrate Shirley. [10] Included on the probable cause affidavit were complaints from several women claiming that Leonard scammed them out of thousands of dollars. I cant give the Olveys back a peace of mind. Having Shirley as a witness came with its own pitfalls, though. [37] She is serving her sentence at Indiana Women's Prison in Indianapolis. Monserrate Shirley spent the entire day on the stand Wednesday, and the anticipation of her testimony was evident in courtroom attendance. 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. Unresolved: Release in which this issue/RFE will be addressed. After he was done, the fireplace worked properly and they never smelled any gas inside the home because of it. ", Minch: "You said you talked to Ms. Shirley on the 11th. Prosecuting Mark Leonard presented with some challenges. The cat, nicknamed Snowy, was a birthday gift for their daughter, he said, and "she misses him.". She then spoke with another neighbor, who told her there had been an explosion. The stove was electric. . Bad food, non-first class flights drop Colts to middle-of-pack in player survey. Shirley didn't hear anything more about a plot to start a fire that night, and nothing happened. Ms. Shirley ultimately took responsibility for her actions by pleading guilty and provided important information during the investigation. Start the day smarter Notable deaths in 2023 The world's largest war 2023 meteor showers And you have to weigh that out? She later worked at St. Francis and Community South. One of the projects he took on was working on the gas line in the fireplace. [6] Eventually, hed be asked to repeat her answer at her boyfriends murder trial. She still wiped under her eyes with a tissue several times while she was on the stand. The force of the blast shattered windows and ripped down garage doors at dozens of other homes in the neighborhood. 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. Today, Snowball, a white Persian cat, is in the care of John Shirley, Monserrate's ex-husband. . Im thankful for my trial team for sticking with me. And the game of death is the game of life itself. He was sentenced in August to two life sentences, along with 75 years in prison. [30] He died on January 30, 2018, at an Indianapolis hospital, aged 48, of natural causes. 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. This has to be done, Shirley testified. 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. But didnt the jury need to hear from the residents? She was the neighbor that all the other neighbors were looking at. And that, Im sure, will never change.. Mark Leonard first mentioned trying to burn the house down in February 2012, according to Shirley. . 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. While Shirley said he lost a lot, he pointed out the toll was much greater on his then-13-year-old daughter Brook. The first time Gary Thompson first came over to discuss starting a fire, she told him, "I'm ready, as long is this is a small fire. Mark Leonard was the first to go on trial. They claim that Leonard wanted the hit man to force the witness to call 9-1-1 and recant his statement before killing him. Shirley says he was paying Monserrate $1,000 a month in child support and mortgage payments. She could face 20-50 years in prison. 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. If I could bring Dion and Jennifer back, I would do that in a heartbeat, she said. [36] Shirley was sentenced to 50 years in prison, the maximum possible under her plea agreement, on December 20, 2016. (WISH) - Monserrate Shirley told jurors Wednesday she would do anything for Mark Leonard, because she was in love with him. Ultimately, she could end up serving 21 years if she maintains good behavior in prison. While there had been some communications early on, we were not willing to offer Monserrate Shirley a significant deal for her cooperation, Robinson said. ", She re-iterated that she offered him her retirement savings in place of burning the home. The co-conspirators include Shirleys boyfriend at the time, Mark Leonard, and his brother, Bob Leonard Jr. The meeting was difficult for me because I couldnt ethically tell them everything, Robinson said. ", Minch: "You've had problems over the years with the furnace and the water heater. Made and inspired by a love triangle, this was written by a girl from Italy. While questioning potential jurors, one of Leonards attorneys, Diane Black, brought up out of the blue that her client had tried to hire a hitman from jail to kill his friend, and potential witness against him, Mark Duckworth. Its an interesting concept. 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 went to pick up Thompson in the white van witnesses in the neighborhood have previously testified seeing in Shirley's driveway. . Shirley said she recalled telling them two innocent people die out of this.THIS HAS TO BE DONE. Monserrate Shirley, 49, would have to testify against former boyfriend Mark Leonard and his brother in the plea deal . The original posters source was a little bit of a weird little coincidence, but the name was still alive and well. Robinson has said she will argue for 50 when the time comes. She said Leonard had bought it a few months beforehand at that point. Monserrate Shirley was ordered to serve out her sentence at the Indiana Womens Prison in Indianapolis. monserrate is the name of the dish, as well as its . But I cant do that, and everybody knows you cant do that, but sometimes theres this perception that getting through the justice system will make things better. Richmond Hill explosion: 'It's the toughest thing I've ever done in my career', Richmond Hill explosion: 7 keys that solved the case, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. [34][35], Monserrate Shirley pled guilty to conspiracy to commit arson. 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. "I don't know what happened. Monserrate Shirley, 49, said she became distraught when neighbors telephoned her after the November 2012 explosion and told her that her home was destroyed. Get caught up on the first two chapters here:Chapter I: The Night the Sky Caught Fire|Chapter II: The $4 Million Arson Plot. "No one deserves what happened," she said. On November 19, it was announced that the investigation had become a criminal investigation. They moved into a home they built in Richmond Hill toward the end of 2003. So you do get concerned about, will they see the arsons? [1] Thirty-three homes were damaged severely enough to require demolition. Thompson left after a few hours and Shirley didn't hear anything else before the first attempt that Saturday. The Version table provides details related to the release that this issue/RFE will be addressed. FULL STORY | Mark Leonards friend says he knew too much. (They were) my neighbors for a very long time since we built the house, Shirley said. Hults and his then-fiance babysat Shirley's daughter on the night of the explosion. SOUTH BEND, Ind. At one point, after one of the failed attempts to burn the home, Monserrate Shirley said she offered Mark Leonard her 401k instead. When she arrived at the bar, she found Mark and Bob in the white van at a nearby gas station. [8], Prosecutors alleged that on the Friday before the explosion, Leonard and his brother Bob spoke with a neighbor who was a Citizens Energy employee, asking that person about the differences between natural gas and propane. "She lost everything," he said. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. The sentence accounts for time served and good. We are sure to have a lot more weird coincidences in the next few days, but this one is pretty crazy. [6] A friend of the couple reported that Mark Leonard had lost $10,000 at the casino approximately three weeks before the explosion. I was introduced to this once-a-year dish at a party and she was one of the first people to give it a shot. 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. 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. Investigators found that the couple had substantial debt, including $63,000 in credit card debt, and were in bankruptcy proceedings. Shirley's daughter went with them in Leonard's Cadillac. Their first trip together was to the Hollywood Casino roughly 3-4 months after they first met. At the time her friends called her, Monserrate was at a casino with Mark Leonard. Shirley spent hours on the stand. When we got in this case, we were asked to save her life, said defense attorney James Voyles. Glenn Hults, who had known of the scheme and kept Shirleys daughter Brooke out of the house, pleaded guilty on Dec. 28, 2016, to one count of assisting a criminal. 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. FORT WAYNE, Ind. I was scared for my life and the life of my daughter., Forgive me for my poor choices in life, she continued. The explosion in the subdivision just south of the city on Saturday, Nov. 10, killed John and Jennifer Longworth. The shirley daughter is an Italian restaurant that takes more than 15 minutes to make you feel at home. "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.". Jurors will later hear that the golf bags and clubs were found at Bob Leonard's home after the explosion. She talked about being Catholic and said it was in God's hands, but still, they should be punished.". She said Mark didn't actually want anyone to come to the house, he just wanted a trail they could point to after the fire so they could explain why they were in the hotel. Monserrate Shirley, 51, was one of five people charged in the explosion that left two people dead. Leonard got sick in March 2012. "[6] The witness also told investigators that Leonard talked about buying a Ferrari with the insurance money from the house. 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. At least half a dozen marriages in the Richmond Hill neighborhood ended in divorce in the years immediately following the blast. She found a house with a floorplan she liked." 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. On August 14, 2015, Mark Ray Leonard was sentenced to two consecutive terms of life without parole, plus an additional 75 years, on 53 counts, including murder, arson and insurance fraud. 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. An offhand comment would change that. The human toll is harder to estimate. (Item updated.) After speaking with detectives, they went to Mark's sister's home, where they spent the night. Prosecutors told Judge Marnocha Tuesday they will likely rest their case next Wednesday or Thursday. Shirley's daughterwent with them in Leonard's Cadillac. He never gave her money like that again, but did play with his own money, spending anywhere from $2,000 - 10,000 each trip. [6] She claimed to have been horrified at the Longworths' deaths, as well as the massive destruction wrought by the explosion. We believed that he did, we had some very thin evidence that he did. Monserrate Shirley was given the house after her divorce. He gave her $3,000 to use, and they lost it all. She was too involved. Minch: "Before that, you did have some problems with the pilot light on the furnace?" Should we not use all those witnesses? She asked Mark not to try the house fire plan again. While Shirley and the Leonards had been sitting in jail, Robinson and Hollingsworth had been traveling to the ATF lab in Washington D.C. to learn about explosions and taking a crash course on natural gas. 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. But after a second round of boarding Snowball the cat, getting a babysitter for Shirleys daughter and setting hotel reservations, the house again was standing. He also told Bob to go get Gary Thompson. [21] Mark Leonard was granted a change of venue and was tried in South Bend. 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. He says the log lighter worked fine when he lived there. The next morning, they went to Bob Leonard's mobile home. Monserrate and John had the home in Richmond Hill built in 2003. That's whatwe'll be asking the jury to consider.". The jury found 46-year-old Mark Leonard guilty of all counts against him, including murder and felony murder. There have been days with only two people in the audience other than media, but there were more than 30 Wednesday. She took care of all three. She found a house with a floorplan she liked." You're done.". I went into the breakroom and texted my ex about what happened. She came into the courtroom looking much different than she did the weekend of the explosion in 2012. Mr. Monserrate Morales was born on January 7, 1955 in Puerto Rico. Bob Leonard said, "Well, you're in it. 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. In another, she said Mark Leonard turned on the gas line and actually lit the fire during the second attempt. Shirley says Monserrate got the house in the divorce. 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/. If your child will play baseball or softball this spring, youll need to stock up on appropriate clothing and equipment. Leonard died around 9:15 a.m. Tuesday at an Indianapolis hospital,according to an Indiana Department of Correction spokesman. she said. Its a game that only you can play. Gary Thompson pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit arson and received a 30-year sentence, with 10 years suspended. Again, she said, "Because I was not able to tell him 'no'." Neighbors, family testify in sentencing hearing of Monserrate Shirley, owner of the home. Shirley said she thought the fire plan was crazy, but went along with it anyway. He couldn't get a card to play with so she got a card for him and played on his behalf. Download the RTV6 app to get the latest live blog posts as the proceedings unfold. The most money she ever remembered seeing him lose on a single trip was $7,000. Shirley says he and Monserrate married on July 17, 1993. I had a homicide detective crying on the stand. Its about not letting the person who was watching your game die ever have a say in your game. 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. Leonard, his ex-girlfriend Monserrate Shirley, his half-brother Robert Leonard and Mark Leonards former employee blew up Shirleys home in the Richmond Hill subdivision to collect about $300,000 in insurance money to pay off the houses mortgage and Mark Leonards gambling and credit card debts. I certainly might feel bad for his family. PREVIOUS | Full testimony: Monserrate Shirley takes the stand. How to fix pii_email_029231e8462fca76041e Error Code? Once again, she agreed to make the same three arrangements: the casino reservation, a babysitter for her daughterand boarding for Snowball. Its not the only weird coincidence Ive noticed in the past few months, but the name shirley was the one that stood out to me most. It had three gas appliances - the water heater, the furnace and the fireplace. She went to a bar on the south side of Indianapolis in November 2011 and they immediately noticed each other. 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. 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. 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. Monserrate Shirley entered a guilty plea in the case that started as an insurance scam in Richmond Hill in 2012. This is too risky." 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. Shirley: "No.". A prosecuting attorney showed her a photo of the house that exploded and asked her who lived on either side of her. We did what prosecutors are supposed to do. When she left that morning, her daughterand Snowball were still there (Mark was going to take them to school and the kennel). 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? 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.
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