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The program is a spin-off of the Oxygen series Snapped and has a similar format to the Investigation Discovery program Wicked Attraction. 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. They agreed to say they'd been having trouble with the thermostat and smelling gas for a while. How to fix pii_email_029231e8462fca76041e Error Code? 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. Prosecutors alleged Leonard was the mastermind behind the explosion, plotting with his. 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. ", She said Mark told her, "It cannot be that bad.Don't worry about it. [20] The trials started in 2015. [27], Mark Leonard's trial began in June 2015. Its because the life of the game itself is the life of the game itself. The blast the product of an insurance fraud scheme killed two people and injured dozens of others. We are sure to have a lot more weird coincidences in the next few days, but this one is pretty crazy. [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. For their families, the tree is one last connection to the loved ones they lost on Nov. 10, 2012. The name comes from a restaurant that is on the run called theserie rossa which translates to the run of the wits. The stove was electric. Shirley claims Leonard coerced her involvement, testifying that he threatened her and her daughter. Follow her on Twitter:@hollyvhays. 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. Shirleys apology rang hollow to many Richmond Hill residents in the courtroom. Would you describe her demeanor the same way?" At least half a dozen marriages in the Richmond Hill neighborhood ended in divorce in the years immediately following the blast. Even years later, Robinson says she doesnt know why Black brought the hitman allegations up. "Except her cat, the clothes on her back and a teddy bear she got when she was 1.". They are charged with. Roughly a week afterward, Mark asked Shirley for $500. The Version table provides details related to the release that this issue/RFE will be addressed. Prosecutors alleged that the natural gas explosion was intentionally set to collect insurance money. 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. monserrate is the name of the dish, as well as its chef and owner. For one: She had earned a reputation as a master liar, as Mark Leonards defense team would later call her. I certainly might feel bad for his family. You're a piece of [expletive]. [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. Many Git commands accept both tag and branch names, so creating this branch may cause unexpected behavior. She and Mark then gassed up her car and drove to the casino. After demands for a vote on the bill, we finally received 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. 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. The next time, Monserrate Shirley said Mark Leonards brother, Bob, was supposed to carry out the plan. Shirley may have been the prosecution's highest profile witness, but that doesn't mean they're done. The brothers were sentenced to terms of life without parole for spearheading the conspiracy. "[6] The witness also told investigators that Leonard talked about buying a Ferrari with the insurance money from the house. I was scared for my life and the life of my daughter., Forgive me for my poor choices in life, she continued. "We had a lot of parties," the late. A tag already exists with the provided branch name. Shirley recalled a later conversation that she had with Bob and Mark Leonard, after the explosion. She agreed that's what happened, but insisted she only said what Mark told her to say. Their funeral was held earlier today. Gary Thompson pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit arson and received a 30-year sentence, with 10 years suspended. Another woman reported that she had loaned him about $5,000 for a construction job, which he had yet to pay back. 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. Jordan Fischer is the senior digital reporter for RTV6. A second home was reduced to rubble as well, and other houses were half-collapsed. The home also had a microwave above the stove which had a programmable timer. As fate would have it, it would be Carter, just a few weeks later, who would place Monserrate Shirley in handcuffs. Shirley had heard of Bob before, but had not met him before he came over Thursday, November 1. Write For Us: Investigative Articles are Intriguing. 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. FOLLOW|Rafael Sanchez on Twitter|Jordan Fischer on Twitter, RELATED LINKS |Richmond Hill Special Section|Mark Ray Leonard convicted on all counts. She said Leonard had bought it a few months beforehand at that point. Mark started telling Shirley they needed to get their stories straight before police started asking questions. 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 said that she hasn't been eating or sleeping well and that she has been taking Xanax to get what little sleep she can. 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. [24], On March 28, 2015, Mark Leonard was charged with conspiring to murder the key witness against him, Mark Duckworth. ", When prosecutors asked if she was serious about the 401K offer, Shirley said, "I would have given him anything because I was in love with him.". 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. Monserrate Shirley spent the entire day on the stand Wednesday, and the anticipation of her testimony was evident in courtroom attendance. 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. UPDATE: Search for accused Johnson County scammer ends in arrest, Men's challenges in fatherhood and marriage explored in new documentary, Live Doppler 13 Weather Blog: Record-breaking rain raises ongoing flood concerns, Saturday Sunrise Live Doppler 13 forecast March 4, 2023. Robinson says she didnt expect anything to change. Police became suspicious when they uncovered evidence that the couple had taken similar steps the previous weekend; the cat had been boarded and Shirley's daughter had been placed with a babysitter overnight before the couple went to the casino. Until shed agreed and signed on the dotted line, there were things I could not tell them. 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. Shirley struck a plea deal with prosecutors and was sentenced to 50 years in prison. 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. Monserrate Shirley spent the entire day on the stand Wednesday, and the anticipation of her testimony was evident in courtroom attendance. They enter into evidence two golf bags with clubs and a driver. You were a nurse. Minch: "You testified about some things you lost in the explosion. That becomes eight years when good time credit is applied. At least three of his possessions did survive, however: two golf bags, with clubs, and a driver he'd been gifted. She could face 20-50 years in prison. Her sister had lived in the same housing complex. She was too involved. 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. The cat, nicknamed Snowy, was a birthday gift for their daughter, he said, and "she misses him.". "That's not what you told me," she remembered saying to Mark. [15], Prosecutors contended that the trio filled the house with natural gas and then used the spark from a microwave which could be set in advance to detonate it. Leonards death doesnt change the fact that Jennifer and Dion died, Buxton said. 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 started by addressing her plea agreement. [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. 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. From confusion to conviction, Richmond Hill blast recapped. They started looking around the house at potential ways to start the fire. When she told him, Holts said, "Between Mark and Gary, they're going to blow up the whole neighborhood.". 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. Thirty-three homes were damaged so severely they were deemed unrecoverable, and had to be torn down to the foundation. [38], Gary Thompson pled guilty to conspiracy to commit arson and was sentenced to 30 years in prison. I said, You guys are crazy, that my house is too big.. News, information &. He was, however, eventually able to return to his hobby of umpiring softball. In addition to his roofing business, Mastercraft, Leonard also flipped cars on the side. 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. I dont wish them any hardship. 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. Dont make that kind of joke, Shirley testified. Mark Leonard drove her home that night and stayed with her for what the defense characterized as a romantic, sexual night. 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. She was inspired by the way Chef Alberto Marinovich put on this dish and it was a joy to serve. The jury found 46-year-old Mark Leonard guilty of all counts against him, including murder and felony murder. We've got a few more.". Eventually, hed be asked to repeat her answer at her boyfriends murder trial. The defense said if prosecutors wrapped up early enough on Thursday, they could call all of their witnesses that day alone and closing arguments could be held Friday, July 10. She told him the attempt didnt work but that there would be another attempt. 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. 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. He never gave her money like that again, but did play with his own money, spending anywhere from $2,000 - 10,000 each trip. Monserrate Shirley, 49, said she became distraught when neighbors telephoned her after the November 2012 explosion and told her that her home was destroyed. Contribute to chinapedia/wikipedia.en development by creating an account on GitHub. Shirley said she has a condition with her tear ducts that makes her unable to produce tears, so people dont think Im crying for real.. I went into the breakroom and texted my ex about what happened. He questioned her about the multiple boardings of her cat, Snowball, which he found odd. She explained that Snowball had anxiety. She asked Mark not to try the house fire plan again. To do that, the team moved 80 boxes of documents connected to the case to an office on the east side of Indianapolis. 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. [6] But Im not allowed to say that. Shirley told her daughternot to come back to the house for any reason, though she didn't explain why not. You were a neighbor and you were a friend, Carlisle said. This time, Leonard worked with Thompson instead of Thompson doing the work while Leonard stood next to him, watching and planning. Shirley says Monserrate's sister moved out of the neighborhood around the same time they moved in. 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. Prosecutors contend that the motorcycle was disassembled in Shirley's garage. Deputy Prosecutor DeniseRobinson has said she will argue for 50 when the time comes. monserrate is a real-life cousin of Shirley, and its said that her daughter monserrate will be taking us on when we die. At the end of the day, we still miss her and him, Dion, as much as ever, Buxton said. I didnt want it to affect the trial date, Robinson said. Investigators have ruled out a natural gas leak from the home's underground pipelines, the Star reported, and they are now focusing on whether there may have been a leak from one of the gas appliances inside three homes that were obliterated in the explosion. The group researched methods of how to destroy the home and made more than one attempt at doing so before succeeding, authorities said. Get the Android Weather app from Google Play, Glenn Hults, the final defendant to stand trial for the explosion, Best athletic wear for kids joining baseball and, How to watch all the Oscar-nominated movies in style, Best smart home devices for older users, according, Bryce Young falls short: 5-10 . Robinson has said she will argue for 50 when the time comes. The original posters source was a little bit of a weird little coincidence, but the name was still alive and well. More than one-third of the families who lived in the neighborhood on the night of the blast have since moved away for good. 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. On November 19, it was announced that the investigation had become a criminal investigation. When she arrived at the bar, she found Mark and Bob in the white van at a nearby gas station. "I mean, I'm totally devastated like my neighbors are.". 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. TRANSCRIPT | Opening statements in the trial of Mark Leonard. The Richmond Hill neighbors had been waiting long enough without a trial. As stated previously, the investigation and prosecution of this matter has literally taken tens of thousands of hours of effort by numerous individuals. Shirley says he and Monserrate married on July 17, 1993. We believed that he did, we had some very thin evidence that he did. Shirley: "No. Deputy prosecutor Denise Robinson returned from prosecuting the Richmond Hill cases to a pile of homicides waiting on her desk. Home owner, Monserrate Shirley; her boyfriend, Mark Leonard; and his brother, Bob Leonard, were arrested Friday and charged with murder and arson Prosecutors may seek the death penalty Fire. [19] Judge Shelia Carlisle rejected the proposal, noting that no Indiana law authorizes the use of concurrent jury trials. She has already been behind bars for four years. Leonard started talking the next week about trying for a second time to burn down the home. He says sometimes strong winds would blow out the pilot light when someone opened the garage door. I had to know I could make this case based on the evidence I had.. Shed said similar things in an interview with IMPD Det. The couple's steamy relationship lasted for about a month before they moved in together. Their first trip together was to the Hollywood Casino roughly 3-4 months after they first met. 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. This time, Mark and Bob talked alone while Monserrate left to pick up her daughter. Glenn told me, Between Mark and Gary, theyre going to explode the whole neighborhood. I said, Dont play like that. 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. Shirley says he was working at Eli Lilly at the time, and Monserrate was working as an RN at the VA hospital. 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? And then there was the arrangement that when I picked up my daughter I would get to take some of my belongings. He said that his daughter had mentioned that the furnace wasn't . Shirley is originally from Puerto Rico. BREAKING: By a vote of 24-38, New York's State Senate has voted against same-sex marriage legislation. We knew we were taking a week of testimony from the residents to talk about what had happened to their houses, Robinson said. The first time Shirley cried on the stand Wednesday was when she was asked about her neighbors. 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. Says Sen. Tom. The girlwas already out of the house while they cleared it of the sentimental items. [29] He was sentenced to life in prison plus 75 years without parole on August 14, 2015. 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. It would have shortened the trial a week. She and her daughterwent to the hotel, where Mark later joined them. [16][17] The alleged motive for the arson was to collect insurance money to ease financial strain. An autopsy will be conducted by the Marion County coroner's office Wednesday, according to the DOC. It was a good feeling.. Monserrate worked Friday, November 9. Much of the attention since the explosion has centered on Monserrate Shirley and her boyfriend Mark Leonard, who lived at the house in the center of the blast area. Many of the women reported that they met him on dating sites and that he soon began asking them for money. So you do get concerned about, will they see the arsons? The defense wrapped up a little more quickly than expected after Judge John Marnocha denied their request to play a video of Shirley's 2012 interview with the media. 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.