Thompson returned to their home to plan their next attempt. FORT WAYNE, Ind. 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. By December 2014, two years after the explosion in the Richmond Hill subdivision, prosecutors were preparing to go to trial without any cooperating witnesses. She came into the courtroom looking much different than she did the weekend of the explosion in 2012. When we got in this case, we were asked to save her life, said defense attorney James Voyles. Shirley testified in Fort Wayne at the trial of Bob Leonard, Jr. one of five people accused in the deadly 2012 Richmond Hill Explosion. But Im not allowed to say that. Hults faces no prison time to three years . In court Wednesday, she said he turned on the gas, but never lit the fire. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. "I moved out in February of 2011," he said. For their families, the tree is one last connection to the loved ones they lost on Nov. 10, 2012. By this time, Shirley's daughterhad noticed her portrait was no longer above the fireplace and asked Monserrate about it. 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. I was introduced to this once-a-year dish at a party and she was one of the first people to give it a shot. 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. They went to the casino and waited for the call that a fire had broken out, but again, the call never came. 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. Resolved: Release in which this issue/RFE has been resolved. None of them had given any indication they were willing to take a plea under the terms prosecutors were offering. 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. She found a house with a floorplan she liked." If I could bring Dion and Jennifer back, I would do that in a heartbeat, she said. On multiple occasions Wednesday, Shirley said she didnt say no to Mark Leonard because she loved him. Defense attorney David Shircliff then said Shirley may not have provided the "means" for the explosion, but she took care of the logistics to make sure no one realized she was helping blow up her own home. The couple's steamy relationship lasted for about a month before they moved in together. ", Holts then asked who would get the money if they went through with it and Mark said, "Of course, me. Thompson left after a few hours and Shirley didn't hear anything else before the first attempt that Saturday. Prosecutors contend that the motorcycle was disassembled in Shirley's garage. She agreed that's what happened, but insisted she only said what Mark told her to say. Shirley: "In order to pay a very large amount of child support, I was working a full-time job and two part-time jobs. We again offer our condolences to the families of Dion and Jennifer Longworth and to those who suffered injury and loss. She said Leonard had bought it a few months beforehand at that point. No one deserved what happened. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. To this day, absolutely they had the right to do that. Once they were alone, Leonard, Holts and Shirley started talking about the fire again while they sat around the pool drinking beer. 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. 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. She grabbed a few pictures, including the canvas portrait of her daughterat age 5 that hung above the fireplace. We interviewed our tech expert, Jaime Vazquez, to learn more about accessible smart home devices. The jury found 46-year-old Mark Leonard guilty of all counts against him, including murder and felony murder. "Our investigators believe natural gas is involved," the Indianapolis Department of Homeland Security said in a statement. 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. monserrate is the name of the dish, as well as its . [6] Investigators said personal insurance on the home had recently been increased to $300,000. Monserrate Shirley, 49, said she became distraught when neighbors telephoned her after the November 2012 explosion and told her that her home was destroyed. Its a difficult case. You were a nurse. "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. I did my best. As stated previously, the investigation and prosecution of this matter has literally taken tens of thousands of hours of effort by numerous individuals. 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. She took care of all three. And it wasn't the answer we were looking for. She and her boyfriend, Mark Leonard, who also lived at the residence, told authorities they had left Friday night for a weekend at Hollywood Casino in Lawrenceburg, Indiana. At the end of the interview, Carter asked Shirley what should happen to the person responsible for the explosion. 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. [6] 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? "Except her cat, the clothes on her back and a teddy bear she got when she was 1.". 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. [38], Gary Thompson pled guilty to conspiracy to commit arson and was sentenced to 30 years in prison. Her sister had lived in the same housing complex. For one: She had earned a reputation as a master liar, as Mark Leonards defense team would later call her. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. 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. Shirley agreed to plead guilty to two counts conspiracy to commit arson and testify against the co-conspirators in exchange for having all other charges dropped. Before meeting Mark, Shirley had never been to a casino. Prosecutors told Judge Marnocha Tuesday they will likely rest their case next Wednesday or Thursday. An autopsy will be conducted by the Marion County coroner's office Wednesday, according to the DOC. He reportedly said, "[T]he tsunami winds came down the chimney, blew out the fire in the fireplace and the gas kept running and the house blew up. 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. She grew up in Puerto Rico with a violently abusive father who would often beat Shirley as well as her siblings and mother. Shirley says he and Monserrate married on July 17, 1993. 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. 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. 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.. But she had no hesitation when asked to identify the Longworths as her neighbors. Shirley: "Yes. After that, the fire wasn't mentioned again until the week before Halloween. She later found out her neighbors didnt make it. [10] Included on the probable cause affidavit were complaints from several women claiming that Leonard scammed them out of thousands of dollars. Robinson says she didnt expect anything to change. So in the end there were a couple of people who were opposed to it, and I respected that. But these were good defense attorneys. SOUTH BEND, Ind. He was working in Fishers on the night of the explosion. Shirley had heard of Bob before, but had not met him before he came over Thursday, November 1. Not until the following morning, when I went from this job to another job, did I get a text from a friend who thought it might be my house. Shirley says he was worried Brook's cat Snowball was in the house and might have been killed. Again, she said, "Because I was not able to tell him 'no'." Monserrate Shirley and her boyfriend, Mark Leonard, who lived in the home, along with Leonard's brother, Robert Leonard, were arrested Friday on 48 charges, including murder and arson. Attorneys walked Shirley through a number of conversations she had with Mark Leonard from the time they met until the house exploded. We did what prosecutors are supposed to do. Your email address will not be published. On Monday, November 5, they changed out the thermostat for a "cheaper" model. She was 11 years old at that point. The couple says their neighbor Bob Leonard was led away for questioning. 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. While Shirley said he lost a lot, he pointed out the toll was much greater on his then-13-year-old daughter Brook. You're a piece of [expletive]. Most importantly, Shirleys testimony would further tip the scales against the Leonard brothers. Shirleys apology rang hollow to many Richmond Hill residents in the courtroom. Shirley's daughterwent with them in Leonard's Cadillac. In fact, they said that at the time she raised her insurance policy to $300,000, she was roughly $300,000 in debt (more than $200K between her two mortgages on top of the bankruptcy settlement left over from her divorce). The most money she ever remembered seeing him lose on a single trip was $7,000. Then there was the question of Leonards history. She was crying and hysterical and said the house blew up.". The only improvement he ever made was to buy two flat screen TV's, a 65-70 inch model for the master bedroom and a 42 inch screen for her daughter'sroom. I always get the money.". "I don't know what happened. [11], Monserrate Shirley, Mark Leonard, and Bob Leonard were initially charged with two counts of murder and arson in the deaths of Dion and Jennifer Longworth. He said that his daughter had mentioned that the furnace wasn't . It was a good feeling.. They decided to cut a piece of cardboard to block off the chimney path. More on AOL Real Estate:Find homes for rent in your area.Find out how to calculate mortgage payments.Find homes for sale in your area.Find foreclosures in your area. Ultimately, she could end up serving 21 years if she maintains good behavior in prison. The men were reportedly in the home briefly and hurriedly left. The third weekends attempt was the one that killed the Longworths. Amazingly, despite the force of the explosion, a hybrid pear tree planted by Dion Longworth still grows in the yard where he and his wife Jennifers house once stood. 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). I didnt want to do anything that would cause that trial date to be continued.. I had to know I could make this case based on the evidence I had.. 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. Jurors will later hear that the golf bags and clubs were found at Bob Leonard's home after the explosion. Shirley said she recalled telling them two innocent people die out of this.THIS HAS TO BE DONE. At a routine pretrial hearing, deputy prosecutor Denise Robinson, not thinking much of it, told Monserrate Shirleys defense counsel that if their client wanted anything other than a trial seeking life without parole, they had better work something out by the end of January 2015. But she put an end to that in August 2011.". 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. She was able to take that to the prosecutor and get a protective order against me. Will they get to the felony murder?. 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. There was discussion about: Should we cut all of those? PHOTOS: First Richmond Hill trial Mark Leonard is on. Shirley says he was paying Monserrate $1,000 a month in child support and mortgage payments. 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. But a whole days-worth of potential jurors would end up tainted anyway not by media coverage, but by Leonards defense team. They should go to jail. Shirley told her daughternot to come back to the house for any reason, though she didn't explain why not. 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. She then spoke with another neighbor, who told her there had been an explosion. He told her to tell Holts, though, that they would be trying the fire again that night (Sunday night). 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. Leonard is the brother of Mark Leonard, who is dating Montserrate Shirley, who along with Mark Leonard, lives in the home . . Are they going to get bored with it?. She was wearing a jail jumpsuit, was shackled and her hair had grown long, dark and curly.IM TELLING THE TRUTH. The Richmond Hill neighbors had been waiting long enough without a trial. The sentence accounts for time served and good. Thompson said he'd been pulled over by a cop so he couldn't get to the house. 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. They went home together that night and he moved in the first week of December. "I want $300,000. [7] Shirley told the police she never smelled any natural gas, but that her daughter had thought she did recently. John did all the maintenance on the home - she never did any. To the uninitiated, it seems to be a reference to a nickname used by the family of the deceased who are being called Shirley by their name. The defense certainly offered to stipulate that 60 homes were damaged. The Version table provides details related to the release that this issue/RFE will be addressed. While we knew that Monserrate Shirley on her own would never have caused this crime, it couldnt have happened without her. Robinson could not tell them, for example, that Shirley would be facing a sentencing range of 20-50 years in prison. "(Whoever is responsible will) have to pay for what they did to me and everybody else," Shirley said in the interview. Powerball winner sold in central Indiana! 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. Another woman reported that she had loaned him about $5,000 for a construction job, which he had yet to pay back. She was crying and hysterical and said the house blew up.". A second home was reduced to rubble as well, and other houses were half-collapsed. 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. I didnt give it any credibility. 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. Its very difficult sentencing hearing weve been through for two days. Your email address will not be published. Shirley may have been the prosecution's highest profile witness, but that doesn't mean they're done. PREVIOUS|Timeline of events|Gallery: The Richmond Hill Explosion|Where were you at 11:11 PM? And the game of death is the game of life itself. As his court date neared, the workload ramped up. Shirley gave 12 interviews and statements between the explosion and Wednesday's testimony - some for law enforcement, others for attorneys and one for the media - and defense attorneys pointed out inconsistencies between some of those. The original posters source was a little bit of a weird little coincidence, but the name was still alive and well. Shirley struck a plea deal with prosecutors and was sentenced to 50 years in prison. No one involved in this investigation or prosecution will forget the stories of this tragedy and the continuing fear and trauma that it caused to the survivors. An Indianapolis woman said she asked her then-boyfriend's half-brother what he had done when she learned the fire they planned to ignite using natural gas had He looked over the insurance policy and said she was under-insured so she called the insurance company and doubled her policy from $150,000 to $300,000. [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 is a real-life cousin of Shirley, and its said that her daughter monserrate will be taking us on when we die. She was the nurse. Shirley says he was working at Eli Lilly at the time, and Monserrate was working as an RN at the VA hospital. They agreed to say they'd been having trouble with the thermostat and smelling gas for a while. "I don't understand it," Shircliff said of the judge's ruling. Its been around since the late 80s, but Im sure well find more of it on our own site. Mark Leonard was the first to go on trial. ", When they went to pick up Shirley's daughteron Sunday, Holts told Mark to "Get the [expletive] out of here. Shirley's daughter went with them in Leonard's Cadillac. They claim that Leonard wanted the hit man to force the witness to call 9-1-1 and recant his statement before killing him. At the final tally, the explosion meant to allow Shirley and Leonard to collect $300,000 in insurance money caused more than $4 million-worth of property damage. Glenn Hults, the final defendant to stand trial for the explosion, pleaded guilty to a lesser charge last month that may result in no additional jail time. Mark was a handsome man with sex appeal and a lot of money, judging by his stash of cash and fast luxury cars. 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. 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. She got in the van with them, and Mark asked her to give Bob $40. Shirley says Monserrate got the house in the divorce. Prosecutors ended by asking Shirley if the Longworths or any of her other neighbors deserved what happened. But I dont feel bad for the deceased.. Unresolved: Release in which this issue/RFE will be addressed. After her 12 hour shift, she planned to see her daughter at the Holts' house and change there. Officials did not release further information regarding his death. Minch: "Before that, you did have some problems with the pilot light on the furnace?" The here, in this case, was the knowing murder of Dion and Jennifer Longworth. She told her daughter a friend had taken it to put a new frame on it. The name was inspired by the work of the famous Italian poet Leonardo da Vinci, but it was actually a combination of the two that are so influential in the history of Italian cooking that the name was changed to monserrate. Fixed: Release in which this issue/RFE has been fixed.The release containing this fix may be available for download as an Early Access Release or a General Availability Release. Holts invited Leonard and Shirley to his friend's house for a pool party in the Geist neighborhood. 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. Sgt. Shirley: "I moved out in February of 2011. 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. Mark Leonard first mentioned trying to burn the house down in February 2012, according to Shirley. Sometimes they would go during the week while her daughterwas at school and leave in enough time to pick her back up. Prosecutors alleged Leonard was the mastermind behind the explosion, plotting with his. 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 . [18], Prosecutors initially sought to try the suspects together, but the defendants were granted the right to separate trials. Minch: "You testified about some things you lost in the explosion. Bob Leonard said, "Well, you're in 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. [6] She claimed to have been horrified at the Longworths' deaths, as well as the massive destruction wrought by the explosion. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. A tag already exists with the provided branch name. 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. "Cases are made up of hurdles all the time," Robinson said Wednesday. The cat, nicknamed Snowy, was a birthday gift for their daughter, he said, and "she misses him.". The topic came up again around July 4. Residents, particularly the younger ones, report experiencing continued psychological trauma from the incident. They got to the room, but Mark wasn't feeling well so he stayed there while Shirley played slot machines for about an hour. In exchange, she offered him the money in her 401K. He gave her $3,000 to use, and they lost it all. Hed also been previously accused of insurance fraud in connection with a car accident. 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. Shirley and her boyfriend Mark Leonard were out of town for the weekend while her 12-year-old daughter stayed with friends. Shirley said she would come back immediately, but they told her there was no house to come back to. 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. But their arrests wereonly the beginning of years of work to put them behind bars for good. A second mortgage had been taken out on the home for $65,000 in addition to the original mortgage of $116,000. Mark then asked Bob twice to "go get the part that we need." 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.
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