At 11:11 p.m. on Nov. 10, 2012, a two-story home on the south side of Indianapolis exploded with the force of as much as 5 tons of TNT. Until shed agreed and signed on the dotted line, there were things I could not tell them. Today, Snowball, a white Persian cat, is in the care of John Shirley, Monserrate's ex-husband. He was sentenced to 3 years in prison. 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 stove was electric. [2] Over sixty firefighters responded to the blaze. After her 12 hour shift, she planned to see her daughter at the Holts' house and change there. Indianapolis blast: house owner, 2 others accused of deadly plot Leonard then tried to get Thompson to talk about what he did at Holts' home, but he refused, saying they shouldn't talk about it. [13] A fourth person, Gary Thompson, was charged in January 2015 on the same charges. Investigators found that the couple had substantial debt, including $63,000 in credit card debt, and were in bankruptcy proceedings. Estimates for the total scope of the damage caused by the explosion exceeded $4.5 million. They laughed at her for asking, but it was switched back out. None of them had given any indication they were willing to take a plea under the terms prosecutors were offering. Police arrest Monserrate Shirley, Mark Leonard and Robert Leonard for "Cases are made up of hurdles all the time," Robinson said Wednesday. Woman tells of failed tries before deadly Indianapolis house explosion Shirley and her boyfriend Mark Leonard were out of town for the weekend while her 12-year-old daughter stayed with friends. The Richmond Hill explosion took place on November 10, 2012, in the Richmond Hill subdivision in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. She then got food for them both and went back to the room around midnight. "They are currently in the process of recovering the appliances from destroyed homes to help determine the cause.". You can't do anything," he said. That's whatwe'll be asking the jury to consider.". The next morning, they returned to Indianapolis and saw the house was again still standing so Mark called Bob and told him to meet at a nearby parking lot. He never gave her money like that again, but did play with his own money, spending anywhere from $2,000 - 10,000 each trip. Shirley testified in Fort Wayne at the trial of Bob Leonard, Jr. one of five people accused in the deadly 2012 Richmond Hill Explosion. And I wanted to be able to tell them everything., TRANSCRIPT | The full testimony of Monserrate Shirley. Shirley says the house had three gas appliances when he lived there: furnace, water heater and fireplace. Monserrate Shirley entered a guilty plea in the case that started as an insurance scam in Richmond Hill in 2012. But after a second round of boarding Snowball the cat, getting a babysitter for Shirleys daughter and setting hotel reservations, the house again was standing. It would have shortened the trial a week. I didn't do nothing wrong.". [6] Prosecutors also allege that he offered the hit man a $5,000 bonus if he made the murder look like a suicide. Her earliest possible release date is December 19, 2037when she will be 72 years old. Monserrate Shirley testified that Mark Leonard is the one who told her to increase the insurance on the contents of her house, and she also testified Mark Leonard brought up the idea of setting fire to her house for easy money. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. 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. "He'll do anything I ask," Mark said of his brother. Leonard died around 9:15. She even took some leave from work to stay with him longer than her paid vacation time allowed. (WISH) Monserrate Shirley told jurors Wednesday she would do anything for Mark Leonard, because she was in love with him. At the end of the interview, Carter asked Shirley what should happen to the person responsible for the explosion. Shirley said she has been reeling from the pain of people blaming her for the tragic event. A second home was reduced to rubble as well, and other houses were half-collapsed. He eventually improved enough to return home, but Shirley had to continue caring for him for several months. When they arrived, Mark told her the fire would happen Saturday night so she needed to ask to keep their room a second night (Saturday night). Write For Us: Investigative Articles are Intriguing. Its because the life of the game itself is the life of the game itself. Prosecutors alleged that the men conspired to submit an insurance claim for a stolen motorcycle. If Monserrate Shirley keeps up her part of the agreement, a judge will decide her sentence after all the Richmond Hill explosiontrials have been completed. We believed that he did, we had some very thin evidence that he did. Shirley: "She wanted us to live in a bigger house. 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. The meeting was difficult for me because I couldnt ethically tell them everything, Robinson said. A copy of her plea agreement was entered into evidence and handed out to each member of the jury. While Shirley said he lost a lot, he pointed out the toll was much greater on his then-13-year-old daughter Brook. FULL STORY | Mark Leonards friend says he knew too much. Shirley struck a plea deal with prosecutors and was sentenced to 50 years in prison. It also didnt carry much weight for the families of Dion and Jennifer Longworth, who died in the blast. Bob had been asking for his $10,000 payment before the explosion even happened. Monserrate Shirley, 47, her boyfriend, Mark Leonard, 43, and his brother, Bob Leonard Jr., 54, are accused of intentionally leaking natural gas into the house and then using the kitchen's. 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 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. Monserrate Shirley, 51, was one of five people charged in the explosion that left two people dead. Shirley alleged that Hults initially came up with the idea. Again, she said, "Because I was not able to tell him 'no'." Its about your game being the only game that matters. Gary Thompsonwas handed a 30-year prison sentence, 20 years executed, for his role in the murderous insurance fraud scheme. Did you see her on TV a few days later? One year of his sentences wassuspended, and the rest was to be split between jail and work release. [25] Leonard allegedly asked another inmate at the Marion County jail if he could put him in contact with a hitman, according to the probable cause affidavit. She then spoke with another neighbor, who told her there had been an explosion. Your email address will not be published. Shirley said after he and his wife's divorce was finalized in July 2011, the last time he was at the home at 8349 Fieldfare Way was August of that year. If that timeline holds, final jury instructions would be given Monday, July 13 then deliberation would begin. To begin the day, Monserrate Shirley explained how she and Mark Leonard met. After a while, Mark came back in and said Bob had agreed to help for $10,000, but never specified what exactly Bob would be doing. How to fix the pii__email__cbd448bbd34c985e423c Error code? The blast the product of an insurance fraud scheme killed two people and injured dozens of others. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Lisa Marie Presley's daughter Riley Keough wears a Graceland sweater as she . We have done that. [39] Glenn Hults received a three-year sentence.[40]. 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. Ms. Shirley ultimately took responsibility for her actions by pleading guilty and provided important information during the investigation. "(Whoever is responsible will) have to pay for what they did to me and everybody else," Shirley said in the interview. 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. 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. Prosecutors started by addressing her plea agreement. She was the nurse. Shirley: "No.". . Including journalists, it was closer to four dozen. ", "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. Shirley stated that her daughter had smelled gas during the week before the explosion. [16][17] The alleged motive for the arson was to collect insurance money to ease financial strain. She came into the courtroom looking much different than she did the weekend of the explosion in 2012. He also told Bob to go get Gary Thompson. wikipedia.en/Richmond_Hill_explosion.md at main - github.com 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. A class C felony carries 2-8 years. We've got a few more.". We firmly believed that Gary Thompson played a role, but until she cooperated, we couldnt prove that, Robinson said. Shirley says he and Monserrate married on July 17, 1993. Mark Leonard drove her home that night and stayed with her for what the defense characterized as a romantic, sexual night. Leonard asked Holts to tell the story of his own fire, how easily he'd gotten the money and to re-assure Shirley everything would be alright if they did it at her house. 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. While Shirley and the Leonards had been sitting in jail, Robinson and Hollingsworth had been traveling to the ATF lab in Washington D.C. to learn about explosions and taking a crash course on natural gas. Psychologist Dr. Stephanie Callaway diagnosed her with dependent personality disorder, but stated under cross-examination that, while the diagnosis explains Shirley's actions, it does not absolve her of responsibility. For her cooperation with the prosecutions of the Leonard brothers, and the information she provided that led to the convictions of Hults and Thompson, Monserrate Shirley was spared the possibility of life without parole. She moved to the United States when she was 25. She still qualifies as a practicing nurse. Shirley and her boyfriend Mark Leonard were out of town for the weekend while her 12-year-old daughter stayed with friends. How to fix pii_email_029231e8462fca76041e Error Code? Officials did not release further information regarding his death. She owned the house. 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. Dont make that kind of joke, Shirley testified. Thirty-three homes were damaged so severely they were deemed unrecoverable, and had to be torn down to the foundation. 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. [5], Monserrate "Moncy" Shirley, a nurse, owned the home at the center of the explosion. Its about not letting the person who was watching your game die ever have a say in your game. Im thankful for my trial team for sticking with me. 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. 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. So you do get concerned about, will they see the arsons? 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. Before meeting Mark, Shirley had never been to a casino. "Shortly thereafter I moved some furniture into the apartment. Monserrate worked Friday, November 9. Carter would testify that her emotions and demeanor seemed normal at the time, for someone whose house had just blown up. 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. Four years after Richmond Hill explosion, Monserrate Shirley to be Shirley: "I moved out in February of 2011. Richmond Hill explosion - Wikipedia Leonard is charged with 53 counts of murder, arson and conspiracy. They then worked to establish a pattern of poor decisions in her personal life and changing stories throughout the investigation. [3][4] Damage to homes in the neighborhood was estimated at $4 million. Sometimes they would go during the week while her daughterwas at school and leave in enough time to pick her back up. More: Richmond Hill: 'The scars still remain', More: Richmond Hill explosion: 'It's the toughest thing I've ever done in my career', More: Richmond Hill explosion: 7 keys that solved the case. One small job. Roughly a week afterward, Mark asked Shirley for $500. A tag already exists with the provided branch name. Residents, particularly the younger ones, report experiencing continued psychological trauma from the incident. Deputy prosecutor Denise Robinson returned from prosecuting the Richmond Hill cases to a pile of homicides waiting on her desk. [6] Investigators said personal insurance on the home had recently been increased to $300,000. Critics have accused Shirley of faking her reaction after the explosion because she seemed upset but never shed a tear. But no other problems. More than one-third of the families who lived in the neighborhood on the night of the blast have since moved away for good. 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. Minch: "Before that, you did have some problems with the pilot light on the furnace?" INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. That was the last time she saw Bob before they were arrested. She said she did not tell officers at the time what happened because she was scared. Just to prepare the evidence list which eventually numbered more than 2,000 items Robinson said the entire four-person team worked 24 hours straight. Indianapolis House Explosion Case Now a Criminal Homicide Investigation After that, the fire wasn't mentioned again until the week before Halloween. I know it caught us by surprise and we had to react to it.. 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. IndyStar reporter Robert King contributed to this story. She would then go to a southside bar to meet Mark before they left for the casino. [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.
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