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. [27], Mark Leonard's trial began in June 2015. But ultimately I think we were able to accomplish what we needed to do for her.. When she told him, Holts said, "Between Mark and Gary, they're going to blow up the whole neighborhood.". The co-conspirators include Shirleys boyfriend at the time, Mark Leonard, and his brother, Bob Leonard Jr. 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. Again, Monserrate agreed to do her same three preparations: a casino hotel reservation, a babysitter for her daughterand boarding for Snowball. Thirty-three homes were damaged so severely they were deemed unrecoverable, and had to be torn down to the foundation. TRANSCRIPT | Opening statements in the trial of Mark Leonard. He gave her $3,000 to use, and they lost it all. It wasnt the only curveball Black and Shircliff would throw at the prosecution. 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. He was sentenced in August to two life sentences, along with 75 years in prison. One year of his sentences wassuspended, and the rest was to be split between jail and work release. "I was at one of my part-time jobs when I got a text from my daughter, which was very unusual. [26], In a case unrelated to the explosion charges, Mark Leonard and two other men were charged with conspiracy to commit insurance fraud. 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. They started looking around the house at potential ways to start the fire. Prosecutors then proposed an unusual strategy involving one trial, but three separate juries, one for each defendant. 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. Shirley, her boyfriend Mark Leonard, and three others were convicted and sentenced to prison on various charges, including felony murder for Leonard. They had left town the night before, after Ms. Shirley's nursing shift at a local. Indiana sheriffs deputy dies after falling ill during training, Myles Colvin captivates Heritage Christian crowds, preps for Purdue.
Neighbors seek max sentence in fatal home blast - USA TODAY Monserrate Shirley and Mark leonard, profiled on the next "American Greed," staged a natural gas explosion to collect the insurance on their Indianapolis home. They are charged with. Shirley testified in Fort Wayne at the trial of Bob Leonard, Jr. one of five people accused in the deadly 2012 Richmond Hill Explosion. We did what prosecutors are supposed to do. Shirley: "No. He eventually improved enough to return home, but Shirley had to continue caring for him for several months. 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.
The Insurance Scam That Blew Up A Neighborhood - Medium His defense team admitted that the blaze had been intentionally set, but told jurors it was only intended to be a small fire and that murder was never his intention. Its very difficult sentencing hearing weve been through for two days. But Im not allowed to say that. See also:Shantonia Heard of Atlanta Left Her 2 Children Alone With No Power and Gas Oven On, Police Say Apartment Fire Safety Tips Man Killed as Gas Explosion Destroys Connecticut Home. 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. 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. . He did come to the house one week before the first attempt. If that timeline holds, final jury instructions would be given Monday, July 13 then deliberation would begin. .
Man Gets Murder Conviction in Deadly Indiana House Blast Fraud Case But their arrests wereonly the beginning of years of work to put them behind bars for good. She and her daughterwent to the hotel, where Mark later joined them. After that, the fire wasn't mentioned again until the week before Halloween. "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. FULL STORY | Mark Leonards friend says he knew too much. Check those tickets! It was run by the daughter of a famous American actor who was very close to the owner. Carter would testify that her emotions and demeanor seemed normal at the time, for someone whose house had just blown up. [29] He was sentenced to life in prison plus 75 years without parole on August 14, 2015. The cat, nicknamed Snowy, was a birthday gift for their daughter, he said, and "she misses him.".
West's Mortuary, Inc. Then there was the question of Leonards history. 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. But she put an end to that in August 2011.". They'd soon get a new roommate. Shortly thereafter I moved some furniture into the apartment. 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. Leonard is the brother of Mark Leonard, who is dating Montserrate Shirley, who along with Mark Leonard, lives in the home . Robinson says she didnt expect anything to change. Shirley says he replaced the thermostat "so there were more options to heat the house during the day.". He occasionally worked on those cars at Shirley's home so she saw he had a wide array of tools. 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. she said. 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. This time, Shirley's daughterwas at home, but she was upstairs. I commend Det. ", "Richmond Hill explosion suspects to get separate trials", "Attorneys: Change of venue likely in Monserrate Shirley case", "Richmond Hill suspect trial moved to South Bend", "Defendant in deadly Indiana explosion agrees to plea deal", "Richmond Hill trial: Informant says Mark Leonard wanted witness killed", "Home> U.S. Indianapolis House Explosion: Suspect Charged in Murder-for-Hire Plot", "Marion county prosecutor's office asks for life without parole sentences in richmond hill explosion", "Richmond Hill trial to focus on greed and desperation", "Mark Leonard convicted of murder in explosion scheme", "Mark Leonard gets life without parole for Richmond Hill explosion", "Richmond Hill explosion mastermind Mark Leonard dies", "Cause of death of Richmond Hill conspirator Mark Leonard determined", "Richmond Hill explosion culprit Mark Leonard dies at Indy hospital", "Leonard found guilty of all counts in Richmond Hill trial", "Indianapolis man get 2 life sentences in deadly house blast", "Psychologist Says Monserrate Shirley Was Abused as Child, Has 'Dependent Personality Disorder', "Monserrate Shirley sentenced to maximum 50 years in prison", "Gary Thompson sentenced in Richmond Hill explosion after pleading guilty to arson charge", "Glenn Hults sentenced to 3 years in deadly Richmond Hill blast", Affidavit of Probable Cause, Dec. 20, 2012, Affidavit of Probable Cause, April 14, 2015, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Richmond_Hill_explosion&oldid=1133693717, November 2012 crimes in the United States, Articles with incomplete citations from March 2015, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 15 January 2023, at 02:18. Denise Robinson, the Marion County Prosecutor on the case, told the court she rarely asks for the maximum sentence. He asked whose name the house was under, and she said it was entirely in her name after the divorce. . As stated previously, the investigation and prosecution of this matter has literally taken tens of thousands of hours of effort by numerous individuals. Leonard told him Shirley was ready and she agreed. Mark Leonard was the first to go on trial.
Indiana Neighborhood Explosion: Two Questioned in Connection to Blast They got to the room, but Mark wasn't feeling well so he stayed there while Shirley played slot machines for about an hour. They enter into evidence two golf bags with clubs and a driver. Its about your game being the only game that matters. ", Holts then asked who would get the money if they went through with it and Mark said, "Of course, me. "I don't understand it," Shircliff said of the judge's ruling.
Indianapolis explosion may have been caused by furnace, says owner of The Richmond Hill neighbors had been waiting long enough without a trial.
Three charged with murder after 'setting off deadly Indiana house The sentence accounts for time served and good.
Monserrate Shirley, Mark Leonard: 'Killer Couples' Airs Richmond Hills "I have everybody telling me stuff that they said on the TV," she said. This is too risky." She was the one who got her daughter and her cat out of the situation and left her neighbors in the situation. [7], An investigation involving the Indianapolis Division of Homeland Security, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Indianapolis Fire Department was begun. The two divorced on July 25, 2011. She agreed that's what happened, but insisted she only said what Mark told her to say. We have done that. Leonard died around 9:15. They said they didn't know. Shirley says he was worried Brook's cat Snowball was in the house and might have been killed. ", 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.". From confusion to conviction, Richmond Hill blast recapped. While we knew that Monserrate Shirley on her own would never have caused this crime, it couldnt have happened without her. You're a piece of [expletive]. [8], Prosecutors alleged that on the Friday before the explosion, Leonard and his brother Bob spoke with a neighbor who was a Citizens Energy employee, asking that person about the differences between natural gas and propane. I said, You guys are crazy, that my house is too big.. "Everything they were telling me, it could not be possible," Shirley said on the stand as she started to get emotional. ", Minch: "You testified that you only used a babysitter maybe once a month, because your lifestyle with Ms. Shirley wasn't such that you went out every weekend?" And it wasn't the answer we were looking for. She was inspired by the way Chef Alberto Marinovich put on this dish and it was a joy to serve. Its quite obvious that monserrate is the source of the name in this case. 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.
Man convicted of murder in deadly Indiana house explosion We are sure to have a lot more weird coincidences in the next few days, but this one is pretty crazy. At least three of his possessions did survive, however: two golf bags, with clubs, and a driver he'd been gifted. Deputy prosecutor Denise Robinson returned from prosecuting the Richmond Hill cases to a pile of homicides waiting on her desk. Robinson, all-too-aware of the limitations of the justice system after decades as a prosecutor, says she is just glad they were able to get some amount of justice for the victims. 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. While questioning potential jurors, one of Leonards attorneys, Diane Black, brought up out of the blue that her client had tried to hire a hitman from jail to kill his friend, and potential witness against him, Mark Duckworth. Shirley says they were his. arranged for her daughter to stay . 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. "I feel like, you know, it would have been better off for me to be there [at the house when it exploded]," Shirley said. He told her one of the reasons she needed to upgrade the policy was he planned to bring in some nicer things and do some work around the house to improve it and they would need the extra coverage to match the upgrades. 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. Leonard got sick in March 2012. [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 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. ", Minch: "At no time did she ever say she was involved in the explosion?" 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. On December 21, 2012, Monserrate Shirley, Mark Leonard, and his brother Bob Leonard were charged with 2 counts of felony murder and . 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.
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