Monserrate Shirley, the Indianapolis homeowner whose house is suspected of being the source of a deadly explosion that damaged nearly 80 homes in her subdivision, was inconsolable Tuesday as she wept while speaking publicly for the first time about the horrific incident. I cant give back what was taken from them on November 10. The most money she ever remembered seeing him lose on a single trip was $7,000. [6] She claimed to have been horrified at the Longworths' deaths, as well as the massive destruction wrought by the explosion. Mark Leonard moved in with Monserrate Shirley about a month later. We interviewed our tech expert, Jaime Vazquez, to learn more about accessible smart home devices. And it wasn't the answer we were looking for. He never gave her money like that again, but did play with his own money, spending anywhere from $2,000 - 10,000 each trip. Did you see her on TV a few days later? 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. Dont make that kind of joke, Shirley testified. ", Minch: "You said you talked to Ms. Shirley on the 11th. The sentence accounts for time served and good time credit. Robinson told the residents what she could: That they didnt need Monserrate Shirley as a witness, but that she would help fill in blanks they hadnt been able to. The problem was that none of that criminal history would be admissible at trial. 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. Will they get to the felony murder?. He says sometimes strong winds would blow out the pilot light when someone opened the garage door. Mark started telling Shirley they needed to get their stories straight before police started asking questions. Leonard asked her to get a babysitter for her daughter, make a reservation at the casino's hotel for the two of them and to board the family cat, "Snowball." In a deposition before the trial, though, she reported saying, "I'm not doing this. "I don't understand it," Shircliff said of the judge's ruling. 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. 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. 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. "Except her cat, the clothes on her back and a teddy bear she got when she was 1.". I got upset with her and sent her some derogatory texts. 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. Made and inspired by a love triangle, this was written by a girl from Italy. . Bob Leonard's son told investigators that several items were in the van that had been taken from the home, including photos and financial documents. The blast killed two people and. Its a difficult case. Shirley said she would come back immediately, but they told her there was no house to come back to. Too little, too late, said Jennifer Longworths father, Don Buxton. "I am a nurse. FOLLOW|Rafael Sanchez on Twitter|Jordan Fischer on Twitter, RELATED LINKS |Richmond Hill Special Section|Mark Ray Leonard convicted on all counts. Shirley says he replaced the thermostat "so there were more options to heat the house during the day.". Defense attorneys tried to play that video for jurors Wednesday, but the judge wouldnt allow it. The topic came up again around July 4. 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. "I have everybody telling me stuff that they said on the TV," she said. That presented a potential pitfall in the case, Robinson said. 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. Monserrate Shirley was given the house after her divorce. He occasionally worked on those cars at Shirley's home so she saw he had a wide array of tools. "(Whoever is responsible will) have to pay for what they did to me and everybody else," Shirley said in the interview. Both the prosecution and defense attorneys asked Shirley if she thought Hults was joking. She came into the courtroom looking much different than she did the weekend of the explosion in 2012. And I think when the motivation is that, what we have is a person who is the worst of the worst.. Ms. Shirley, 47, and Mark Leonard, 43, her boyfriend, were 100 miles away at a casino when their home blew up. They claim that Leonard wanted the hit man to force the witness to call 9-1-1 and recant his statement before killing him. The men were reportedly in the home briefly and hurriedly left. Monserrate Shirley testified that Mark Leonard is the one who told her to increase the insurance on the contents of her house, and she also testified Mark Leonard brought up the idea of setting fire to her house for easy money. She was the nurse. Your email address will not be published. As stated previously, the investigation and prosecution of this matter has literally taken tens of thousands of hours of effort by numerous individuals. [23] The plea deal involved Shirley pleading guilty to two counts of conspiracy to commit arson in exchange for testifying against the other suspects. -- John Shirley told jurors Tuesday that, while his relationship with his ex-wife Monserrate was severely damaged by the time he moved out, the gas appliances in their home were not. After that, the fire wasn't mentioned again until the week before Halloween. Monserrate Shirley spent the entire day on the stand Wednesday, and the anticipation of her testimony was evident in courtroom attendance. I was scared for my life and the life of my daughter., Forgive me for my poor choices in life, she continued. Should I have accepted that stipulation? The next time, Monserrate Shirley said Mark Leonards brother, Bob, was supposed to carry out the plan. INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. The here, in this case, was the knowing murder of Dion and Jennifer Longworth. 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. John moved out in February 2010 and their divorce was finalized that summer. They are charged with. 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. It had three gas appliances - the water heater, the furnace and the fireplace. Monserrate worked Friday, November 9. Shirley spent hours on the stand. Shirley says they were his. Prosecutors entered all three into evidence Tuesday. 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. When she told him, Holts said, "Between Mark and Gary, they're going to blow up the whole neighborhood.". Shirley wasnt a suspect at the time, and the interview was a routine one. He did come to the house one week before the first attempt. Its also the name of the game of death in which our monserrate daughter will be taking us on. 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 entered a guilty plea in the case that started as an insurance scam in Richmond Hill in 2012. He told her to tell Holts, though, that they would be trying the fire again that night (Sunday night). ", She said Mark told her, "It cannot be that bad.Don't worry about it. At least half a dozen marriages in the Richmond Hill neighborhood ended in divorce in the years immediately following the blast. 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. "Cases are made up of hurdles all the time," Robinson said Wednesday. Wednesday in court, Shirley said that at the July 4th pool party, she called lighting the house on fire crazy. and one-eighth, Zionsvilles Brian Mason will be Colts coordinator, Indy east side fire kills dog, injures multiple people, Record breaking weather week in central Indiana, Indiana state trooper hit, killed in the line of, New billboard in Fountain Square tackles antisemitism, Trooper killed on I-69, speeding driver arrested, Everything you need to know about the 2023 Academy, Congressman Baird calls for pause on toxic shipments, Congress works to tackle military spouse unemployment, Indy man gets 16 years after shooting wife in arm, Spencer man killed in rollover crash on I-70, 3 Ind. Monserrate Shirley was a divorced Puerto Rican mother whose exotic looks quickly attracted Mark Leonard. The program is a spin-off of the Oxygen series Snapped and has a similar format to the Investigation Discovery program Wicked Attraction. In court Wednesday, she said he turned on the gas, but never lit the fire. 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. Monserrate Shirley, 49, said she became distraught when neighbors telephoned her after the November 2012 explosion and told her that her home was destroyed. But while he was living in the home, the only problem he had with its gas appliances the furnace, water heater and fireplace was that their pilot lights would sometimes go out when a draft blew in from an open garage door. Monserrate Shirley and Mark leonard, profiled on the next "American Greed," staged a natural gas explosion to collect the insurance on their Indianapolis home. This type of trial is unusual but not unheard of, and had been used in the trial of the Menendez brothers. 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. This time, Leonard worked with Thompson instead of Thompson doing the work while Leonard stood next to him, watching and planning. 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. [26], In a case unrelated to the explosion charges, Mark Leonard and two other men were charged with conspiracy to commit insurance fraud. The shirley daughter is an Italian restaurant that takes more than 15 minutes to make you feel at home. Shirley testified Leonard asked to see the insurance policy on the home within a few weeks of moving in. Prosecutors ended by asking Shirley if the Longworths or any of her other neighbors deserved what happened. Its about remembering who you are. monserrate is the name of the dish, as well as its . He asked how much was in the 401k, according to Shirley. 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. And I wanted to be able to tell them everything., TRANSCRIPT | The full testimony of Monserrate Shirley. A second home was reduced to rubble as well, and other houses were half-collapsed. The jury found 46-year-old Mark Leonard guilty of all counts against him, including murder and felony murder. He says the log lighter worked fine when he lived there. I don't want to be involved in any of this.". 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. On multiple occasions Wednesday, Shirley said she didnt say no to Mark Leonard because she loved him. I thought it was crazy, that cannot be done, and I asked Mark, Thats not what you told me, theres an explosion in there, (theres) people, my neighbors, that cannot be real, Shirley said. After he was done, the fireplace worked properly and they never smelled any gas inside the home because of it. I cant give the Olveys back a peace of mind. 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. Mark was a handsome man with sex appeal and a lot of money, judging by his stash of cash and fast luxury cars. Although the jury would eventually hear testimony and an audio recording of Leonard talking to an undercover ATF agent posing as a hitman (and Leonard would eventually get an extra 50 years in prison for it), having that information before the trial even began would have been extremely prejudicial against him. [28], Mark Leonard was found guilty on all 53 counts, including murder and felony murder charges, on July 14. Critics have accused Shirley of faking her reaction after the explosion because she seemed upset but never shed a tear. 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. But she had no hesitation when asked to identify the Longworths as her neighbors. 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. No one else was within earshot, so far as she knew. Heappears to have died of natural causes. "[6] The witness also told investigators that Leonard talked about buying a Ferrari with the insurance money from the house. She told him the attempt didnt work but that there would be another attempt. [30] He died on January 30, 2018, at an Indianapolis hospital, aged 48, of natural causes. [28] Prosecutors expected to submit nearly 3,000 pieces of evidence, and potentially call up to 175 witnesses. She wanted to put it on her plate. towns among 150 Best Small Town in America, Citizens support Ind. 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. Even years later, Robinson says she doesnt know why Black brought the hitman allegations up. Im thankful for my trial team for sticking with me. In court, Shirley testified Leonard had promised to show her how to make a lot of money. Shirley would receive over $300,000 in insurance money for the replacement of the home as well as personal items. [The residents] clearly knew the Leonards were the bad actors, and that we needed to do everything we could to get to them, Robinson said. 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. You were a mom. Shed said similar things in an interview with IMPD Det. She and her husband Gabriel Ferrer (son of Rosemary Clooney and Jos Ferrer, and a first cousin to George Clooney) had four children: Jordan Alexander Ferrer (born July 8, 1980), twin girls (Gabrielle Monserrate Ferrer & Dustin Boone Ferrer, born September 17, 1983), and Tessa Ferrer (born March 30, 1986). 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. When she got home, Mark told her he and Bob had gone to the library to research other similar homes that had been set on fire without anyone getting hurt. Shirley said that she was at a casino bar at the time of the explosion, and her boyfriend and daughter -- who also live with her -- weren't home either. Every day I ask myself why I didnt stop this. I didnt give it any credibility. By December 2014, two years after the explosion in the Richmond Hill subdivision, prosecutors were preparing to go to trial without any cooperating witnesses. Her role in the plan and execution of this act protected her own child and the family pet, but failed to consider the obvious danger it presented to anyone else. [16] On March 13, Leonard allegedly placed a call to a man who he believed to be a hit man. They should go to jail. At the trial I had firefighters crying on the stand. Shirley is originally from Puerto Rico. Prosecuting Mark Leonard presented with some challenges. Shirley says he was paying Monserrate $1,000 a month in child support and mortgage payments. On Thursday, Shirley worked a 12 hour shift. She testified Wednesday she has a condition that prevents her tear ducts from actually producing tears. Made and inspired by a love triangle, this was written by a girl from Italy. Robinson has said she will argue for 50 when the time comes. 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. She said he also told her not to worry because he took out the step-down valve on the gas line, "and put it away where no one else would ever find it. [5], The most damning piece of evidence was a witness statement from one of Mark Leonard's associates, who told investigators that the weekend before the explosion, Leonard told him that "the house blew up". Yes, I didnt think it would be possible, Monserrate Shirley said.HUGE EXPLOSION. Shirley and her boyfriend were hoping to collect $300,000 in insurance . I told them I dont even want to be a part of this, Shirley testified as telling the Leonards. 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. 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. 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. And the water heater." Bad food, non-first class flights drop Colts to middle-of-pack in player survey. Defense counsel said the deposition version showed she was actually in favor of burning the house down, she just didn't want to get caught. The couple's steamy relationship lasted for about a month before they moved in together. On Friday, October 26, Leonard told Shirley to get anything sentimental out of the house. We knew we were taking a week of testimony from the residents to talk about what had happened to their houses, Robinson said. Its an interesting concept. When a defense attorney comes out and says, My client didnt do anything at all, but you clearly can show they did, then usually its going to be an all-or-nothing verdict, Robinson said. She later pointed out she agreed to the plot under Mark Leonard's premise that it would be a small fire at just her home - not an explosion that would affect other people. The group researched methods of how to destroy the home and made more than one attempt at doing so before succeeding, authorities said. Hults and his then-fiance babysat Shirley's daughter on the night of the explosion. "I thought it was crazy," she told a jury, "but I went along with him." Denise Robinson, the Marion County Prosecutor on the case, told the court she rarely asks for the maximum sentence. Except her cat, the clothes on her back and a teddy bear she got when she was 1. At the end of the interview, Carter asked Shirley what should happen to the person responsible for the explosion. Bob had been asking for his $10,000 payment before the explosion even happened. I went into the breakroom and texted my ex about what happened. . [1] Thirty-three homes were damaged severely enough to require demolition. When we got in this case, we were asked to save her life, said defense attorney James Voyles. 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. She took care of all three. In her sentencing order, Judge Sheila Carlisle repeatedly stressed that Shirley could have stopped the plan at any time but didnt. He was working in Fishers on the night of the explosion. 2023 CIRCLE CITY BROADCASTING I, LLC. Its quite obvious that monserrate is the source of the name in this case. Once the trial began, rather than trying to claim their client was innocent, Black and Shircliff instead told the jury up front that he was guilty but of trying to start a small fire, not cause an explosion. [16][17] The alleged motive for the arson was to collect insurance money to ease financial strain. Leonard said he talked to Gary Thompson without her, telling him they were ready to do it. Monserrate Shirley, who had initally pleaded not guilty after she and two men were charged in late 2012, appeared Tuesday before a Marion County judge in a courtroom filled with current and. Prosecutors then proposed an unusual strategy involving one trial, but three separate juries, one for each defendant. The sentence accounts for time served and good. In addition to the thousands of pieces of physical evidence, they had more than 200 witnesses lined up to testify. Shirley didn't hear anything more about a plot to start a fire that night, and nothing happened. She lived in the four-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath home with her daughter. [6] Mark Leonards trial at the St. Joseph County Courthouse was eventful before it even started. Shirley: "Yes. [7] Shirley told the police she never smelled any natural gas, but that her daughter had thought she did recently. Indiana sheriffs deputy dies after falling ill during training, Myles Colvin captivates Heritage Christian crowds, preps for Purdue. [20] The trials started in 2015. [9], Investigators discovered a number of allegations of insurance fraud and other scams by Leonard prior to the blast, particularly involving stolen or wrecked automobiles. Leonards death doesnt change the fact that Jennifer and Dion died, Buxton said. Gary Thompson, who had helped with the first two unsuccessful attempts to blow up Monserrate Shirleys house, pleaded guilty on Dec. 2, 2016, to conspiracy to commit arson and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Shirley says the house had three gas appliances when he lived there: furnace, water heater and fireplace. 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. Monserrate Shirley agreed to testify against Mark Leonard as part of a plea agreement to reduce her potential prison time. [3][4] Damage to homes in the neighborhood was estimated at $4 million. 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. Including journalists, it was closer to four dozen. Shirley says Monserrate's sister moved out of the neighborhood around the same time they moved in. Glenn Hults, who pleaded guilty to a felony for knowing about the plot but failing to report it to police, is scheduled for sentencing on December 28. 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. Prosecutors told Judge Marnocha Tuesday they will likely rest their case next Wednesday or Thursday. I had seen it used in a couple of games, but I never knew it was the name of a real person. She grew up in Puerto Rico with a violently abusive father who would often beat Shirley as well as her siblings and mother. Its because the life of the game itself is the life of the game itself. On December 21, 2012, Monserrate Shirley, Mark Leonard, and his brother Bob Leonard were charged with 2 counts of felony murder and . PREVIOUS | Full testimony: Monserrate Shirley takes the stand. I dont wish them any hardship. Leonardwas placed under "imminent death watch" earlier this week. She told them she didn't want anything to do with them anymore. (Item updated.) But didnt the jury need to hear from the residents? I always get the money.". Mark Leonard first mentioned trying to burn the house down in February 2012, according to Shirley. Monserrate and John had the home in Richmond Hill built in 2003. 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. "No one.". 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. And your daughter lost some things?" She was crying and hysterical and said the house blew up.". 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. She was upset when she got home that night and saw her nicer digital thermostat sitting on the kitchen island and the new cheaper model on the wall. Shirley says he was working at Eli Lilly at the time, and Monserrate was working as an RN at the VA hospital. . 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. I dont feel bad for Mr. Leonard, said Don Buxton, father of Jennifer Longworth, who was killed in the blast with her husband, Dion. Four years after thedeadly Richmond Hill explosion, another chapter has closed. He says he and Monserrate never boarded the cat when they were married. "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. 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. At the end of the day, we still miss her and him, Dion, as much as ever, Buxton said. Marion County Superior Court Judge Sheila Carlisle sentenced Monserrate Shirley to spend the maximum sentence of 50 years in prison on Tuesday. "I want $300,000. Thompson said he'd been pulled over by a cop so he couldn't get to the house. Robinson knew that. Neighbors, family testify in sentencing hearing of Monserrate Shirley, owner of the home. Later that same day, an attorney asked Shirley if the Longworths deserved what happened to them. "That cannot be real. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Their funeral was held earlier today. An autopsy will be conducted by the Marion County coroner's office Wednesday, according to the DOC. She was the one who got her daughter and her cat out of the situation and left her neighbors in the situation. [28] The defense said that what became the Richmond Hill explosion was only supposed to be a "stupid and selfish insurance fraud that went horribly wrong", adding, "Precautions were taken to ensure people weren't harmed." Shirley: "She wanted us to live in a bigger house. He was, however, eventually able to return to his hobby of umpiring softball. So while I had that, I pretty quickly set it aside and put it in a file marked Mark Leonard and never looked at it, because I couldnt allow that to influence me in the decision. Shirley said she thought the fire plan was crazy, but went along with it anyway. For one: She had earned a reputation as a master liar, as Mark Leonards defense team would later call her. Until shed agreed and signed on the dotted line, there were things I could not tell them. We used to cook together, have dinner together.Very charming, very lovely man.". Monserrate Shirley spent the entire day on the stand Wednesday, and the anticipation of her testimony was evident in courtroom attendance. And I look at all the opportunity she had where she could have gone for help and she never did.. And then there was the arrangement that when I picked up my daughter I would get to take some of my belongings. On December 21, 2012, Monserrate Shirley, Mark Leonard, and his brother Bob Leonard were charged with 2 counts of felony murder and . [39] Glenn Hults received a three-year sentence.[40]. Exasperated, Judge John Marnocha, who was assigned to oversee the trial, dismissed dozens of potential jurors and ended the day early with an admonition for Black and her co-counsel, David Shircliff.

New England Fall Foliage Train Tours 2022, Kathy Stabler Funeral, Articles M