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. So you do get concerned about, will they see the arsons? This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Shirley: "Back in August (2011) she just stopped taking my phone calls and letting me talk to Brook. 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/. In Indianapolis, Search For Answers Continues After Massive - NPR [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. Minch: "Before that, you did have some problems with the pilot light on the furnace?" Should I have accepted that stipulation? 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. I got upset with her and sent her some derogatory texts. This time, Shirley's daughterwas at home, but she was upstairs. Out of fear that a Marion County jury would be too tainted by extensive media coverage of the case, the trial had been moved to South Bend, Indiana. Bob Leonard, Monserrate Shirley, Gary Thompson and Glenn Hults also face charges in connection to the explosion. [7] Shirley told the police she never smelled any natural gas, but that her daughter had thought she did recently. Shirley claims Leonard coerced her involvement, testifying that he threatened her and her daughter. When she left that morning, her daughterand Snowball were still there (Mark was going to take them to school and the kennel). I worked from the smaller charges to the larger ones to say, Of course its clear he did this, this and this, but heres how you get to here, Robinson said. She was too involved. We used to cook together, have dinner together.Very charming, very lovely man.". One year of his sentences wassuspended, and the rest was to be split between jail and work release. Woman tells of failed tries before deadly Indianapolis house explosion 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. ", When asked if the attacks on Shirley's credibility would damage the State's case, Deputy Prosecutor Denise Robinson said, "If you think about anybody who gives a number of statements, and you think about inconsistencies when you're asked questions and you have to answer the questions that you're asked [no more, no less]. Robinson knew that. 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. Leonards death doesnt change the fact that Jennifer and Dion died, Buxton said. Heappears to have died of natural causes. An offhand comment would change that. They then worked to establish a pattern of poor decisions in her personal life and changing stories throughout the investigation. More than one-third of the families who lived in the neighborhood on the night of the blast have since moved away for good. Monserrate Shirley spent the entire day on the stand Wednesday, and the anticipation of her testimony was evident in courtroom attendance. I don't want anyone to get hurt," then started cooking dinner. JDK-8141210 : Very slow loading of JavaScript file with recent JDK Woman pleads guilty in deadly Indianapolis explosion - CBS News Seven months later, on March 18, 2016, his brother Bob Leonard Jr. received his own sentence of life without parole in a courtroom in Fort Wayne, Indiana. "Cases are made up of hurdles all the time," Robinson said Wednesday. They agreed to say they'd been having trouble with the thermostat and smelling gas for a while. 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 struck a plea deal with prosecutors and was sentenced to 50 years in prison. Neighbors seek max sentence in fatal home blast - USA TODAY Shirley said she recalled telling them two innocent people die out of this.THIS HAS TO BE DONE. The topic came up again around July 4. 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. Residents, particularly the younger ones, report experiencing continued psychological trauma from the incident. At one point, after one of the failed attempts to burn the home, Monserrate Shirley said she offered Mark Leonard her 401k instead. Shirleys apology rang hollow to many Richmond Hill residents in the courtroom. Leonard is the brother of Mark Leonard, who is dating Montserrate Shirley, who along with Mark Leonard, lives in the home . Monserrate Shirley, Mark Leonard: 'Killer Couples' Airs Richmond Hills 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 was able to take that to the prosecutor and get a protective order against me. Did you see her on TV a few days later? While Shirley said he lost a lot, he pointed out the toll was much greater on his then-13-year-old daughter Brook. Leonard went to pick up Thompson in the white van witnesses in the neighborhood have previously testified seeing in Shirley's driveway. 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. Monserrate Shirley sentencing: 'She is the worst of the bunch' - WTHR Shirley Temple's Children Remember Their Late Mother - Closer Weekly Its a difficult case. On the day of the explosion, another neighbor saw a white van pull into the driveway of Shirley's residence between 2:00 and 3:00p.m. The family, he said, will never truly get closure. The defendants requested that the trials be moved over concerns they would not receive a fair trial in Central Indiana due to the high-profile media coverage received by the case. After demands for a vote on the bill, we finally received one. [30] He died on January 30, 2018, at an Indianapolis hospital, aged 48, of natural causes. [21] Mark Leonard was granted a change of venue and was tried in South Bend. . Will they get to the felony murder?. The courtroom was crowded Monday as the proceedings began, as those who were hurt or lost their homes, plus the parents of Dion and Jennifer Longworth wait to learn Shirley's . The next time, Monserrate Shirley said Mark Leonards brother, Bob, was supposed to carry out the plan. | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. In her sentencing order, Judge Sheila Carlisle repeatedly stressed that Shirley could have stopped the plan at any time but didnt. After her 12 hour shift, she planned to see her daughter at the Holts' house and change there. 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. Its been around since the late 80s, but Im sure well find more of it on our own site. "I want $300,000. BREAKING: By a vote of 24-38, New York's State Senate has voted against same-sex marriage legislation. And you have to weigh that out? After speaking with detectives, they went to Mark's sister's home, where they spent the night. It was a good feeling.. 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. I went into the breakroom and texted my ex about what happened. From confusion to conviction, Richmond Hill blast recapped. 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. But ultimately I think we were able to accomplish what we needed to do for her.. (Item updated.) 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. After the first failure, Leonard decided he also wanted to bring in his half-brother, Bob. 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. For one: She had earned a reputation as a master liar, as Mark Leonards defense team would later call her. "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. 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. SOUTH BEND, Ind. 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 . The explosion leveled 8349 Fieldfare Way, the home at the center of the explosion, and severely damaged a number of other residences, including several (on either side) which were damaged by the ensuing fire. Monserrate Shirley: 'I did everything to make him happy' - WISH-TV Its quite obvious that monserrate is the source of the name in this case. Mark Leonard was the first to go on trial. The name comes from a restaurant that is on the run called theserie rossa which translates to the run of the wits. Below, former IMPD Det. While we knew that Monserrate Shirley on her own would never have caused this crime, it couldnt have happened without her. "You face one, you get over one and you've got another one all the way until the end. ", Minch: "You've had problems over the years with the furnace and the water heater. Monserrate Shirley cried at various points Wednesdaybut didnt shed any actual tears. It started as a bad headache, but quickly grew until he was hospitalized with an autoimmune disease serious enough he would need a blood transfusion. 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. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Monserrate Shirley was ordered to serve out her sentence at the Indiana Womens Prison in Indianapolis. Get caught up on the first two chapters here:Chapter I: The Night the Sky Caught Fire|Chapter II: The $4 Million Arson Plot. The brothers were sentenced to terms of life without parole for spearheading the conspiracy. This time, Mark and Bob talked alone while Monserrate left to pick up her daughter. A class C felony carries 2-8 years. I was scared for my life and the life of my daughter., Forgive me for my poor choices in life, she continued. He says sometimes strong winds would blow out the pilot light when someone opened the garage door. "I don't understand it," Shircliff said of the judge's ruling. Shirley and her boyfriend Mark Leonard were out of town for the weekend while her 12-year-old daughter stayed with friends. GitHub export from English Wikipedia. The sentence accounts for time served and good. Prosecutors said Leonard planned to pay a person he thought was a hit man $15,000, giving him a $5,000 bonus if a witness in the case called police to say he had lied about information he had given investigators. He was sentenced to two life sentences without parole, as well as 70 years from other charges, on March 18, 2016. "[6] The witness also told investigators that Leonard talked about buying a Ferrari with the insurance money from the house. 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. Prosecutors ended by asking Shirley if the Longworths or any of her other neighbors deserved what happened. In November 2014, Glenn Olvey who was trapped with his family in his collapsing house finally gave up on rebuilding his home in the neighborhood. All I can say is, I had one small role in this. I dont know why they did it. 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. The problem was that none of that criminal history would be admissible at trial. Except her cat, the clothes on her back and a teddy bear she got when she was 1. She still wiped under her eyes with a tissue several times while she was on the stand. Its a game that only you can play. But their arrests wereonly the beginning of years of work to put them behind bars for good. She came into the courtroom looking much different than she did the weekend of the explosion in 2012. Most importantly, Shirleys testimony would further tip the scales against the Leonard brothers. 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. You were a mom. Its about not letting the person who was watching your game die ever have a say in your game. But she put an end to that in August 2011.". The third weekends attempt was the one that killed the Longworths. The crowd watched in grim silence as a Marion County judge entered not guilty pleas for Monserrate Shirley, her boyfriend Mark Leonard, and his brother, Bob Leonard. Your email address will not be published. [6] They had arranged for Shirley's 12-year-old daughter to stay with friends and had boarded their cat, Snowball, for the weekend. "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.". Homeowner Monserrate Shirley sentenced to 50 years in Richmond Hill Authorities blamed a natural gas explosion inside the home of Monserrate Shirley, who was away at the time of the explosion. It was the last time she would be in her home before the explosion. 2012 explosion in Richmond Hill, Indianapolis, Indiana, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, "At least 2 killed, others injured in explosion, fire in Indianapolis neighborhood", "Family breaks ground on new home in Richmond Hill subdivision after Indianapolis home explosion", "36 homes critically damaged in explosion in south side neighborhood", "Homeowner at center of explosion feels lucky to be alive", "Authorities call Richmond Hill explosion a homicide case, seek details on white van", "Probable cause suggests pattern of fraud, details inconsistencies", "Richmond Hill suspect, friend face insurance fraud charges", "Affidavit: women say richmond hill blast suspect Mark Leonard has long history of scheming", "Shattered Subdivision Offers a Trail of Clues", "Life sentences without parole sought for Indianapolis explosion suspects", "4th person arrested in Indianapolis house explosion", "Fifth suspect charged in 2012 Indianapolis south side explosion", "Mark Leonard, Indy Blast suspect, pleads not guilty in murder plot", "Jim Voyles now representing Monserrate Shirley", "Home Explosion Case: Monserrate Shirley, Mark And Bob Leonard Due In Indianapolis Court", "Richmond Hill explosion: 3 trials for price of 1?
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