Attorneys walked Shirley through a number of conversations she had with Mark Leonard from the time they met until the house exploded. Deputy Prosecutor DeniseRobinson has said she will argue for 50 when the time comes. Monserrate Shirley, 49, would have to testify against former boyfriend Mark Leonard and his brother in the plea deal . It was never no for an answer. Shirley said she would come back immediately, but they told her there was no house to come back to. Start the day smarter Notable deaths in 2023 The world's largest war 2023 meteor showers "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. INTERACTIVE MAP|Residents relive Richmond Hill explosion, ViewExplosion Damaged Homesin a larger map, Download the new and improved RTV6 app to get the latest news on the go and receive alerts to your phone, Sign up to have the latest news headlines delivered straight to your email inbox, Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way, Indianapolis, IN Interactive Weather Radar, Full testimony: Monserrate Shirley takes the stand. She was the neighbor that all the other neighbors were looking at. Investigators found that the couple had substantial debt, including $63,000 in credit card debt, and were in bankruptcy proceedings. Did you see her on TV a few days later? He did come to the house one week before the first attempt. 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. She was too involved. He was, however, eventually able to return to his hobby of umpiring softball. Shirley and her boyfriend were hoping to collect $300,000 in insurance . More than one-third of the families who lived in the neighborhood on the night of the blast have since moved away for good. So you do get concerned about, will they see the arsons? Its about not letting the person who was watching your game die ever have a say in your game. "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.". Every day I ask myself why I didnt stop this. "He'll do anything I ask," Mark said of his brother. Monserrate Shirley cried at various points Wednesdaybut didnt shed any actual tears. That's whatwe'll be asking the jury to consider.". 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. 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. Taking them at face value, taking them at what they told the court, they believed that since it was going to come up in the trial they should talk about it during jury selection, Robinson said. She asked Mark and Bob what happened that made it be an explosion instead of a fire. Two of those alleged co-conspirators were arrested as a direct result of her cooperation: Gary Thompson and Glenn Holts. We firmly believed that Gary Thompson played a role, but until she cooperated, we couldnt prove that, Robinson said. In another, she said Mark Leonard turned on the gas line and actually lit the fire during the second attempt. [30] He died on January 30, 2018, at an Indianapolis hospital, aged 48, of natural causes. 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. 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. But didnt the jury need to hear from the residents? Shirley met Mark Leonard. He said there wouldn't be a problem because it would be a small fire so no one would get hurt, and since she had a long history with the insurance company and no criminal record, they would get the money almost immediately. SOUTH BEND, Ind. She even took some leave from work to stay with him longer than her paid vacation time allowed. Even years later, Robinson says she doesnt know why Black brought the hitman allegations up. She would sit with him, eat and drink and occasionally play slot machines. Leonard started talking the next week about trying for a second time to burn down the home. Shirley had earlier cooperated in providing testimony against alleged co-conspirators but. Shirley had heard of Bob before, but had not met him before he came over Thursday, November 1. Should we not use all those witnesses? One small job. At that point, Shirley and her co-defendants her boyfriend Mark Leonard and his brother, Bob Leonard Jr. had been sitting in jail for two years following their arrest on charges of murder, arson and attempted insurance fraud in connection with the explosion. And then there was the arrangement that when I picked up my daughter I would get to take some of my belongings. Says Sen. Tom. I commend Det. 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. 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. Leonard got sick in March 2012. While she was driving, Mark called to tell her to book a hotel room and to tell her daughter it was because the house was too cold to stay at. He asked whose name the house was under, and she said it was entirely in her name after the divorce. Shirley wasnt a suspect at the time, and the interview was a routine one. The first attempt was supposed to be carried out by Gary Thompson, but it failed. [19] Judge Shelia Carlisle rejected the proposal, noting that no Indiana law authorizes the use of concurrent jury trials. Its because the game of death is the game of life itself. FOLLOW|Rafael Sanchez on Twitter|Jordan Fischer on Twitter, RELATED LINKS |Richmond Hill Special Section|Mark Ray Leonard convicted on all counts. "I moved out in February of 2011," he said. 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. 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. 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. Powerball winner sold in central Indiana! [16][17] The alleged motive for the arson was to collect insurance money to ease financial strain. She was crying and hysterical and said the house blew up.". I dont know why they did it. 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. It was a restaurant that had the name of a famous Italian poet who died young, but the restaurant only lasted for a year. He occasionally worked on those cars at Shirley's home so she saw he had a wide array of tools. An autopsy will be conducted by the Marion County coroner's office Wednesday, according to the DOC. At about 11:10p.m., on November 10, 2012, a large explosion occurred in Richmond Hill, a subdivision on the southeast side of Indianapolis. Call 6 Investigator Rafael Sanchez and Senior Digital Correspondent Jordan Fischer will be in Fort Wayne covering the trial every day. She found a house with a floorplan she liked." Among the "no" votes, inexplicably: political dancer Hiram Monserrate. They started looking around the house at potential ways to start the fire. I have morals.I love my patients and I would do anything for them. The case was expected to be the largest and most expensive trial in Marion County history. I had a homicide detective crying on the stand. He was working in Fishers on the night of the explosion. The evidence Robinson and Hollingsworth had was substantial. 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. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. I thought it was crazy, but I went along with him. But Im not allowed to say that. INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. 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. And in each of those categories, you betrayed your trust.. It's also possible she will walk free if the judge sentences. Thirty-three homes were damaged so severely they were deemed unrecoverable, and had to be torn down to the foundation. The sentence accounts for time served and good time credit. Im thankful for my trial team for sticking with me. I got upset with her and sent her some derogatory texts. 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. 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. "[6] The witness also told investigators that Leonard talked about buying a Ferrari with the insurance money from the house. 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. Except her cat, the clothes on her back and a teddy bear she got when she was 1. [6] They had arranged for Shirley's 12-year-old daughter to stay with friends and had boarded their cat, Snowball, for the weekend. 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 . But their arrests wereonly the beginning of years of work to put them behind bars for good. Follow her on Twitter:@hollyvhays. Robinson says she didnt expect anything to change. Both the prosecution and defense attorneys asked Shirley if she thought Hults was joking. "Our investigators believe natural gas is involved," the Indianapolis Department of Homeland Security said in a statement. Robinson has said she will argue for 50 when the time comes. One of the projects he took on was working on the gas line in the fireplace. We have done that. I had seen it used in a couple of games, but I never knew it was the name of a real person. As his court date neared, the workload ramped up. ", 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]. With good behavior, her earliest possible release date is Dec. 19, 2032. She told her daughter a friend had taken it to put a new frame on it. He faces up to life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted. He gave her $3,000 to use, and they lost it all. 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. 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. 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. Leonard is the brother of Mark Leonard, who is dating Montserrate Shirley, who along with Mark Leonard, lives in the home . The entire day she answered questions from attorneys, repeatedly crying. Snapped: Killer Couples (known as Killer Couples from seasons 7 to 15) is an American true crime television series currently airing on the Oxygen Network.The program details couples who commit crimes together. 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. The defense team started their cross-examination by establishing Shirley's ability to make life-and-death decisions in high-pressure situations while a charge nurse in the ICU. I didnt want to do anything that would cause that trial date to be continued.. I was scared for my life and the life of my daughter., Forgive me for my poor choices in life, she continued. On December 21, 2012, Monserrate Shirley, Mark Leonard, and his brother Bob Leonard were charged with 2 counts of felony murder and . Sgt. [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. Monserrate Shirley, 49, said she became distraught when neighbors telephoned her after the November 2012 explosion and told her that her home was destroyed. To begin the day, Monserrate Shirley explained how she and Mark Leonard met. No one else was within earshot, so far as she knew. Officials did not release further information regarding his death. Make She said Leonard had bought it a few months beforehand at that point. 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. To do that, the team moved 80 boxes of documents connected to the case to an office on the east side of Indianapolis. Its a game that only you can play. Monserrate Shirley spent the entire day on the stand Wednesday, and the anticipation of her testimony was evident in courtroom attendance. That becomes eight years when good time credit is applied. I care about people. And that, Im sure, will never change.. [28], Mark Leonard was found guilty on all 53 counts, including murder and felony murder charges, on July 14. Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. The force of the blast shattered windows and ripped down garage doors at dozens of other homes in the neighborhood. Neighbors, family testify in sentencing hearing of Monserrate Shirley, owner of the home. The man he called was actually an undercover agent. [1] Thirty-three homes were damaged severely enough to require demolition. (They were) my neighbors for a very long time since we built the house, Shirley said. 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. 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. 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. Bob Leonard, Monserrate Shirley, Gary Thompson and Glenn Hults also face charges in connection to the explosion. 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. Including journalists, it was closer to four dozen. Example video title will go here for this video. Lisa Marie Presley's daughter Riley Keough wears a Graceland sweater as she . "Cases are made up of hurdles all the time," Robinson said Wednesday. He was sentenced in August to two life sentences, along with 75 years in prison. There was discussion about: Should we cut all of those? The men were reportedly in the home briefly and hurriedly left. Marion County Superior Court Judge Sheila Carlisle sentenced Monserrate Shirley to spend the maximum sentence of 50 years in prison on Tuesday. When she left that morning, her daughterand Snowball were still there (Mark was going to take them to school and the kennel). They said they didn't know. Dion and Jennifer Longworth, two occupants in the house at 8355 Fieldfare Way, died in the explosion; seven others were injured. 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. But in this case, Monserrate Shirley had already received leniency from the state when she entered into a plea agreement that dismissed a total of 50 charges, including murder. They moved into a home they built in Richmond Hill toward the end of 2003. Monserrate Shirley was given the house after her divorce. One year of his sentences wassuspended, and the rest was to be split between jail and work release. 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. He told her his friend Glenn Holts had done the same at his own house with help from Gary Thompson, who worked for Leonard at the time. Your email address will not be published. And you have to weigh that out? "I thought it was crazy," she told a jury, "but I went along with him." Shirley: "No.". Thompson left after a few hours and Shirley didn't hear anything else before the first attempt that Saturday. 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. 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. [6] Monserrate Shirley was a divorced Puerto Rican mother whose exotic looks quickly attracted Mark Leonard. Monserrate Shirley agreed to testify against Mark Leonard as part of a plea agreement to reduce her potential prison time.