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. She told them she didn't want anything to do with them anymore. Residents, particularly the younger ones, report experiencing continued psychological trauma from the incident. She said she did not tell officers at the time what happened because she was scared. With good behavior, her earliest possible release date is Dec. 19, 2032. 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. When she told him, Holts said, "Between Mark and Gary, they're going to blow up the whole neighborhood.". Defense attorneys later pointed out she allowed him to move in and eventually drive her daughter to school despite knowing he was serving house detention for a DUI charge. I certainly might feel bad for his family. Until shed agreed and signed on the dotted line, there were things I could not tell them. The inmate and Leonard drew up a contract agreeing that Leonard would pay the inmate $15,000 when he was released, the affidavit said. I did everything to make him happy, Monserrate Shirley said in testimony. He was sentenced to 75 years in prison on the arson charges on top of two life sentences for the murder charges. From confusion to conviction, Richmond Hill blast recapped. We again offer our condolences to the families of Dion and Jennifer Longworth and to those who suffered injury and loss. 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. Neighbors, family testify in sentencing hearing of Monserrate Shirley, owner of the home. [39] Glenn Hults received a three-year sentence.[40]. 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. It would have shortened the trial a week. [37] She is serving her sentence at Indiana Women's Prison in Indianapolis. They decided to cut a piece of cardboard to block off the chimney path. Shirley: "Yes. [6] They had arranged for Shirley's 12-year-old daughter to stay with friends and had boarded their cat, Snowball, for the weekend. They agreed to say they'd been having trouble with the thermostat and smelling gas for a while. Robert Leonard, who was convicted of murder and multiple felonies, was sentenced to life without parole. Much of Tuesdays testimony included accounts of Shirleys difficult childhood. Four years after thedeadly Richmond Hill explosion, another chapter has closed. (WISH) Monserrate Shirley told jurors Wednesday she would do anything for Mark Leonard, because she was in love with him. The here, in this case, was the knowing murder of Dion and Jennifer Longworth. Shirley stated that her daughter had smelled gas during the week before the explosion. . She grew up in Puerto Rico with a violently abusive father who would often beat Shirley as well as her siblings and mother. She then got food for them both and went back to the room around midnight. 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. [21] Mark Leonard was granted a change of venue and was tried in South Bend. 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. The defense attorney told the judge without the jury in the room that he planned to use the video to show that Shirley had the same demeanor in the courtroom as she did while lying to reporters. After demands for a vote on the bill, we finally received one. More than one-third of the families who lived in the neighborhood on the night of the blast have since moved away for good. Prosecutors told Judge Marnocha Tuesday they will likely rest their case next Wednesday or Thursday. 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. 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. "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. Her sister had lived in the same housing complex. The case was expected to be the largest and most expensive trial in Marion County history. Prosecutors alleged that the natural gas explosion was intentionally set to collect insurance money. 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. arranged for her daughter to stay . Carter would testify that her emotions and demeanor seemed normal at the time, for someone whose house had just blown up. Monserrate Shirley, 51, was one of five people charged in the explosion that left two people dead. She was the one who got her daughter and her cat out of the situation and left her neighbors in the situation. Shirley met Mark Leonard. ", "Richmond Hill explosion suspects to get separate trials", "Attorneys: Change of venue likely in Monserrate Shirley case", "Richmond Hill suspect trial moved to South Bend", "Defendant in deadly Indiana explosion agrees to plea deal", "Richmond Hill trial: Informant says Mark Leonard wanted witness killed", "Home> U.S. Indianapolis House Explosion: Suspect Charged in Murder-for-Hire Plot", "Marion county prosecutor's office asks for life without parole sentences in richmond hill explosion", "Richmond Hill trial to focus on greed and desperation", "Mark Leonard convicted of murder in explosion scheme", "Mark Leonard gets life without parole for Richmond Hill explosion", "Richmond Hill explosion mastermind Mark Leonard dies", "Cause of death of Richmond Hill conspirator Mark Leonard determined", "Richmond Hill explosion culprit Mark Leonard dies at Indy hospital", "Leonard found guilty of all counts in Richmond Hill trial", "Indianapolis man get 2 life sentences in deadly house blast", "Psychologist Says Monserrate Shirley Was Abused as Child, Has 'Dependent Personality Disorder', "Monserrate Shirley sentenced to maximum 50 years in prison", "Gary Thompson sentenced in Richmond Hill explosion after pleading guilty to arson charge", "Glenn Hults sentenced to 3 years in deadly Richmond Hill blast", Affidavit of Probable Cause, Dec. 20, 2012, Affidavit of Probable Cause, April 14, 2015, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Richmond_Hill_explosion&oldid=1133693717, November 2012 crimes in the United States, Articles with incomplete citations from March 2015, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 15 January 2023, at 02:18. 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. Prosecutors started by addressing her plea agreement. 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. On the night of the explosion, Shirley said he was working a second job in Fishers. "I mean, I'm totally devastated like my neighbors are.". 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. He questioned her about the multiple boardings of her cat, Snowball, which he found odd. She explained that Snowball had anxiety. 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. 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. For years, the team holed up in that office three days a week to avoid being distracted by other ongoing cases. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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.. Download the RTV6 app to get the latest live blog posts as the proceedings unfold. While still at the hotel, Mark asked her to call a heating & cooling company on Sunday, November 4, to see what they would charge to check on the heat because the house was too cold. 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. She later worked at St. Francis and Community South. She found a house with a floorplan she liked." 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. She would then go to a southside bar to meet Mark before they left for the casino. I told them I dont even want to be a part of this, Shirley testified as telling the Leonards. [16][17] The alleged motive for the arson was to collect insurance money to ease financial strain. After that, the fire wasn't mentioned again until the week before Halloween. She then spoke with another neighbor, who told her there had been an explosion. For their families, the tree is one last connection to the loved ones they lost on Nov. 10, 2012. For one thing, the trial team deputy prosecutors Denise Robinson and Mark Hollingsworth, plus two junior deputies would have to wade through an entire subdivision-worth of evidence to build, arguably, the largest criminal prosecution in Indiana history. 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. 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. Leonard and Shirley went to the casino on Saturday, October 27, expecting Shirley's best friend and neighbor to call when the house caught fire. "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. [34][35], Monserrate Shirley pled guilty to conspiracy to commit arson. Indianapolis trio accused of blowing up their home to collect insurance Will they get to the felony murder?. At the time her friends called her, Monserrate was at a casino with Mark Leonard. 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.

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