(WISH) Monserrate Shirley told jurors Wednesday she would do anything for Mark Leonard, because she was in love with him. At about 11:10p.m., on November 10, 2012, a large explosion occurred in Richmond Hill, a subdivision on the southeast side of Indianapolis. [3][4] Damage to homes in the neighborhood was estimated at $4 million. Shirley's daughterwent with them in Leonard's Cadillac. 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. ", Holts then asked who would get the money if they went through with it and Mark said, "Of course, me. This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. "Cases are made up of hurdles all the time," Robinson said Wednesday. Shirley says he and Monserrate married on July 17, 1993. Shirley: "I moved out in February of 2011. He was going to bring Thompson to their house so she could say she was okay to move forward, too. Prosecutors ended by asking Shirley if the Longworths or any of her other neighbors deserved what happened. Monserrate Shirley, Indianapolis Homeowner - AOL Real Estate If I could bring Dion and Jennifer back, I would do that in a heartbeat, she said. Dont make that kind of joke, Shirley testified. He was working in Fishers on the night of the explosion. For one: She had earned a reputation as a master liar, as Mark Leonards defense team would later call her. 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. Monserrate Shirley was a divorced Puerto Rican mother whose exotic looks quickly attracted Mark Leonard. She will not learn her fate until after all four of her alleged co-conspirators has been tried. While Shirley said he lost a lot, he pointed out the toll was much greater on his then-13-year-old daughter Brook. Prosecutors entered all three into evidence Tuesday. At the trial I had firefighters crying on the stand. FAIL: New York Senate Says NO to Gay Marriage - Queerty Unresolved: Release in which this issue/RFE will be addressed. When testimony moved to the night of the explosion that killed Jennifer and Dion Longworth, Monserrate Shirley had a difficult time staying composed. Defense attorneys tried to play that video for jurors Wednesday, but the judge wouldnt allow it. I was scared for my life and the life of my daughter., Forgive me for my poor choices in life, she continued. "Everything they were telling me, it could not be possible," Shirley said on the stand as she started to get emotional. The group researched methods of how to destroy the home and made more than one attempt at doing so before succeeding, authorities said. Indiana sheriffs deputy dies after falling ill during training, Myles Colvin captivates Heritage Christian crowds, preps for Purdue. The next morning, they went to Bob Leonard's mobile home. 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. [5], Monserrate "Moncy" Shirley, a nurse, owned the home at the center of the explosion. In one case, she said the first attempt was supposed to be tied to gasoline not natural gas. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated. Prosecutors alleged Leonard was the mastermind behind the explosion, plotting with his. Of the dozens and dozens of homes damaged by the blast, 33 were affected so severely they had to be demolished. Shirley stated that her daughter had smelled gas during the week before the explosion. 2023 CIRCLE CITY BROADCASTING I, LLC. A tag already exists with the provided branch name. Two of those alleged co-conspirators were arrested as a direct result of her cooperation: Gary Thompson and Glenn Holts. One of the projects he took on was working on the gas line in the fireplace. 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. Required fields are marked *. Including journalists, it was closer to four dozen. 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. Worried that jurors might easily convict Leonard of the lesser charges against him, but not the larger ones that carried the life without parole sentence prosecutors were asking for, Robinson built her closing argument from the bottom up. But no other problems. Shirley didn't hear anything more about a plot to start a fire that night, and nothing happened. Monserrate Shirley and Mark leonard, profiled on the next "American Greed," staged a natural gas explosion to collect the insurance on their Indianapolis home. . SOUTH BEND, Ind. They are charged with. But a whole days-worth of potential jurors would end up tainted anyway not by media coverage, but by Leonards defense team. "I thought it was crazy," she told a jury, "but I went along with him." If that timeline holds, final jury instructions would be given Monday, July 13 then deliberation would begin. The explosion in the subdivision just south of the city on Saturday, Nov. 10, killed John and Jennifer Longworth. 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.. "Our investigators believe natural gas is involved," the Indianapolis Department of Homeland Security said in a statement. Monserrate Shirley: 'I did everything to make him happy' - WISH-TV Among the "no" votes, inexplicably: political dancer Hiram Monserrate. I see a con artist when I look at her., If she really is apologetic, then I accept the apology, said Dion Longworths father, John Longworth. [10] Included on the probable cause affidavit were complaints from several women claiming that Leonard scammed them out of thousands of dollars. He also told Bob to go get Gary Thompson. On Monday, November 5, they changed out the thermostat for a "cheaper" model. Ms. Shirley ultimately took responsibility for her actions by pleading guilty and provided important information during the investigation. "He'll do anything I ask," Mark said of his brother. This has to be done, Shirley testified. Monserrate Shirley, 47, her boyfriend, Mark Leonard, 43, and his brother, Bob Leonard Jr., 54, are accused of intentionally leaking natural gas into the house and then using the kitchen's. "No one.". 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. Shirley says he and Monserrate married on July 17, 1993. But she put an end to that in August 2011.". "(Whoever is responsible will) have to pay for what they did to me and everybody else," Shirley said in the interview. The brothers were sentenced to terms of life without parole for spearheading the conspiracy. "I was at one of my part-time jobs when I got a text from my daughter, which was very unusual. She came into the courtroom looking much different than she did the weekend of the explosion in 2012. By the time wed got to trial, hed already been in jail for going on three years. At the end of the interview, Carter asked Shirley what should happen to the person responsible for the explosion. While there had been some communications early on, we were not willing to offer Monserrate Shirley a significant deal for her cooperation, Robinson said. Heappears to have died of natural causes. Again, she said, "Because I was not able to tell him 'no'." [38], Gary Thompson pled guilty to conspiracy to commit arson and was sentenced to 30 years in prison. On multiple occasions Wednesday, Shirley said she didnt say no to Mark Leonard because she loved him. In an interview with former RTV6 reporter Stacia Matthews, Shirley suggested the explosion may have been an attempt on her life. She transferred from her job in Michigan to the VA hospital in Indianapolis, where she worked for 17 years, focusing in the ICU. "[6] The witness also told investigators that Leonard talked about buying a Ferrari with the insurance money from the house. [26], In a case unrelated to the explosion charges, Mark Leonard and two other men were charged with conspiracy to commit insurance fraud. FULL STORY | Mark Leonards friend says he knew too much. monserrate shirley daughter - Investigative Guide Im telling the truth and nothing but the truth was a phrase repeated by Monserrate Shirley throughout the day. Richmond Hill Explosion - indyencyclopedia.org Shirley says he was working at Eli Lilly at the time, and Monserrate was working as an RN at the VA hospital. Shirley testified that friends called and told her there was a huge explosion. The couple's steamy relationship lasted for about a month before they moved in together. Richmond Hill explosion: Where are they now? - indystar.com He occasionally worked on those cars at Shirley's home so she saw he had a wide array of tools. The home also had a microwave above the stove which had a programmable timer. 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. Leonard started talking the next week about trying for a second time to burn down the home. Woman tells of failed tries before deadly Indianapolis house explosion Marion County Superior Court Judge Sheila Carlisle sentenced Monserrate Shirley to spend the maximum sentence of 50 years in prison on Tuesday. The jury found 46-year-old Mark Leonard guilty of all counts against him, including murder and felony murder. As of summer 2022 the show has aired sixteen . Shirley's sentencing started Monday morning at 9 a.m. She faces 20 to 50 years in prison for two counts conspiracy to commit arson. Shirley had heard of Bob before, but had not met him before he came over Thursday, November 1. An offhand comment would change that. On November 19, it was announced that the investigation had become a criminal investigation. Monserrate Shirley sentencing: 'She is the worst of the bunch' - WTHR Bob Leonard said, "Well, you're in it. Shirley told jurors he lost a number of things in the explosion, including a collection of tennis rackets and a drafting table. Prosecutors started by addressing her plea agreement. He says he "was very surprised" to learn Snowball had been boarded on the night of the explosion. Many people may remember Shirley giving an interview to the media, including WISH-TV, after the explosion. She found a house with a floorplan she liked." This time, Leonard worked with Thompson instead of Thompson doing the work while Leonard stood next to him, watching and planning. Make Everything's under control.". They went to the casino and waited for the call that a fire had broken out, but again, the call never came. On December 21, 2012, Monserrate Shirley, Mark Leonard, and his brother Bob Leonard were charged with 2 counts of felony murder and . 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. And then there was the arrangement that when I picked up my daughter I would get to take some of my belongings. You're done.". Ultimately, she could end up serving 21 years if she maintains good behavior in prison. Marion County Superior Court Judge Sheila Carlisle sentenced Monserrate Shirley to spend the maximum sentence of 50 years in prison on Tuesday. [28] Prosecutors expected to submit nearly 3,000 pieces of evidence, and potentially call up to 175 witnesses. 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. This story is Chapter III of a three-part series. Shirley: "She wanted us to live in a bigger house. He refused, though, and warned them, "You guys be careful, because I know someone who committed arson and got 75 years in prison. Shirley and her boyfriend were hoping to collect $300,000 in insurance . Shirley, her boyfriend Mark Leonard, and three others were convicted and sentenced to prison on various charges, including felony murder for Leonard. The blast killed two people and. Shirley had earlier cooperated in providing testimony against alleged co-conspirators but. Shirley's next-door neighbors, John and Jennifer Longworth, died in the blast. Defendant in Indiana house explosion gets maximum 50 years - FOX 5 Atlanta Her sister had lived in the same housing complex. She later found out her neighbors didnt make it. "I moved out in February of 2011," he said. Thompson returned to their home to plan their next attempt. She and Mark then gassed up her car and drove to the casino. American Greed: Property, auto insurance fraud is $30B problem - WSAV-TV 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 . After he was done, the fireplace worked properly and they never smelled any gas inside the home because of it. "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. [21] Mark Leonard was granted a change of venue and was tried in South Bend. | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. If your child will play baseball or softball this spring, youll need to stock up on appropriate clothing and equipment.
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