Yes, I didnt think it would be possible, Monserrate Shirley said.HUGE EXPLOSION. She agreed that's what happened, but insisted she only said what Mark told her to say. [14] In April 2015, a fifth man, Glenn Hults, was charged with conspiracy to commit arson. Four years after Richmond Hill explosion, Monserrate Shirley to be So there wasnt a great deal of pressure on us, or desire by us, to offer her anything.. The blast killed two people and. . 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. 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. So in the end there were a couple of people who were opposed to it, and I respected that. Monserrate worked Friday, November 9. And that, Im sure, will never change.. Start the day smarter Notable deaths in 2023 The world's largest war 2023 meteor showers Mark was a handsome man with sex appeal and a lot of money, judging by his stash of cash and fast luxury cars. Roughly a week afterward, Mark asked Shirley for $500. 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. They moved into a home they built in Richmond Hill toward the end of 2003. To this day, absolutely they had the right to do that. (They were) my neighbors for a very long time since we built the house, Shirley said. 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. ", "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. He was sentenced to 75 years in prison on the arson charges on top of two life sentences for the murder charges. There was discussion about: Should we cut all of those? She, at first, struggled to identify her other neighbors. The evidence Robinson and Hollingsworth had was substantial. He says the log lighter worked fine when he lived there. The name comes from a restaurant that is on the run called theserie rossa which translates to the run of the wits. It was never no for an answer. That presented a potential pitfall in the case, Robinson said. Estimates for the total scope of the damage caused by the explosion exceeded $4.5 million. 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. Shirley says he was worried Brook's cat Snowball was in the house and might have been killed. FAIL: New York Senate Says NO to Gay Marriage - Queerty Im thankful for my trial team for sticking with me. Source: http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2012/11/14/monserrate-shirley-speaks-about-indianapolis-house-explosion/, emmy rossum jay z and beyonce the big chill tony blankley charles barkley beyonce troy polamalu, http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2012/11/14/monserrate-shirley-speaks-about-indianapolis-house-explosion/. She told them she didn't want anything to do with them anymore. 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. 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. Bob Leonard said, "Well, you're in it. Monserrate Shirley, Mark Leonard: 'Killer Couples' Airs Richmond Hills With good behavior, her earliest possible release date is Dec. 19, 2032. They moved into a home they built in Richmond Hill toward the end of 2003. The first attempt was supposed to be carried out by Gary Thompson, but it failed. We did the right thing, for the right reason, and got the right result in the right way.. 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. Shirley would receive over $300,000 in insurance money for the replacement of the home as well as personal items. The blast the product of an insurance fraud scheme killed two people and injured dozens of others. Indianapolis explosion may have been caused by furnace, says owner of She later found out her neighbors didnt make it. Bob had been asking for his $10,000 payment before the explosion even happened. Shirley had earlier cooperated in providing testimony against alleged co-conspirators but. Woman agrees to testify against others in Indianapolis house explosion "(Whoever is responsible will) have to pay for what they did to me and everybody else," Shirley said in the interview. I always get the money.". She then spoke with another neighbor, who told her there had been an explosion. Crime scene photos from the Richmond Hill explosion . Prosecutors alleged that the natural gas explosion was intentionally set to collect insurance money. At about 11:10p.m., on November 10, 2012, a large explosion occurred in Richmond Hill, a subdivision on the southeast side of Indianapolis. 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. Monserrate Shirley, 49, said she became distraught when neighbors telephoned her after the November 2012 explosion and told her that her home was destroyed. Every day I ask myself why I didnt stop this. She asked that Mark and Bob switch it back out for the nicer version. You can't do anything," he said. RICHMOND HILL: Shirley's ex takes the stand - WRTV Shirley says he was paying Monserrate $1,000 a month in child support and mortgage payments. 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. 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. Hults and his then-fiance babysat Shirley's daughter on the night of the explosion. FORT WAYNE, Ind. But didnt the jury need to hear from the residents? At the end of the interview, Carter asked Shirley what should happen to the person responsible for the explosion. She asked Mark and Bob what happened that made it be an explosion instead of a fire. Richmond Hill explosion mastermind Mark Leonard dies They had left town the night before, after Ms. Shirley's nursing shift at a local. . He was, however, eventually able to return to his hobby of umpiring softball. Follow her on Twitter:@hollyvhays. 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. Richmond Hill explosion: Where are they now? - indystar.com Mark started telling Shirley they needed to get their stories straight before police started asking questions. They'd soon get a new roommate. I didnt want to do anything that would cause that trial date to be continued.. Required fields are marked *. One of the projects he took on was working on the gas line in the fireplace. And in each of those categories, you betrayed your trust.. The entire day she answered questions from attorneys, repeatedly crying. After the second failed attempt to burn the home, Monserrate Shirley said she went to the home of Glenn Hults to pick up her daughter. She wanted to put it on her plate. Monserrate Shirley, who had initally pleaded not guilty after she and two men were charged in late 2012, appeared Tuesday before a Marion County judge in a courtroom filled with current and. She still wiped under her eyes with a tissue several times while she was on the stand. Its about remembering who you are. Defendant in Indiana house explosion gets maximum 50 years - FOX 5 Atlanta Glenn told me, Between Mark and Gary, theyre going to explode the whole neighborhood. I said, Dont play like that. 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. Mark Leonard was the first to go on trial. She then got food for them both and went back to the room around midnight. By December 2014, two years after the explosion in the Richmond Hill subdivision, prosecutors were preparing to go to trial without any cooperating witnesses. INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. Leonard got sick in March 2012. 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. TRANSCRIPT | Opening statements in the trial of Mark Leonard. I said, You guys are crazy, that my house is too big.. Or that, because it was her first serious offense, a judge could eventually decide to suspend some or all of that sentence. Wednesday in court, Shirley said that at the July 4th pool party, she called lighting the house on fire crazy. Bob Leonard, Monserrate Shirley, Gary Thompson and Glenn Hults also face charges in connection to the explosion. I commend Det. He was sentenced to two life sentences without parole, as well as 70 years from other charges, on March 18, 2016. wikipedia.en/Richmond_Hill_explosion.md at main - github.com [36] Shirley was sentenced to 50 years in prison, the maximum possible under her plea agreement, on December 20, 2016. He says he and Monserrate never boarded the cat when they were married. Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. Shirley: "No.". 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. "I was at one of my part-time jobs when I got a text from my daughter, which was very unusual. Shirley says the house had three gas appliances when he lived there: furnace, water heater and fireplace. [34][35], Monserrate Shirley pled guilty to conspiracy to commit arson. "I moved out in February of 2011," he said. Her sister had lived in the same housing complex. Lisa Marie Presley's daughter Riley Keough wears a Graceland sweater as she . Later that same day, an attorney asked Shirley if the Longworths deserved what happened to them. Prosecutors then proposed an unusual strategy involving one trial, but three separate juries, one for each defendant. The host family had a lot of horses, so Shirley's daughter went to play with them under the supervision of Holts' girlfriend, Sharon, whose teen . 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. Saturday morning, they headed to the casino and Mark played a blackjack table, then they went to the bar and sat, waiting to get the phone call their home had caught fire. A copy of her plea agreement was entered into evidence and handed out to each member of the jury. At least half a dozen marriages in the Richmond Hill neighborhood ended in divorce in the years immediately following the blast. 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. We interviewed our tech expert, Jaime Vazquez, to learn more about accessible smart home devices. 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. You were a mom. Monserrate Shirley: 'I did everything to make him happy' - WISH-TV Richmond Hill trial: Monserrate Shirley testifies | wthr.com [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. 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. Monserrate Shirley spent the entire day on the stand Wednesday, and the anticipation of her testimony was evident in courtroom attendance. Monserrate Shirley, Indianapolis Homeowner - AOL Real Estate Robinson could not tell them, for example, that Shirley would be facing a sentencing range of 20-50 years in prison. The co-conspirators include Shirleys boyfriend at the time, Mark Leonard, and his brother, Bob Leonard Jr. In her sentencing order, Judge Sheila Carlisle repeatedly stressed that Shirley could have stopped the plan at any time but didnt. He was working in Fishers on the night of the explosion. Leonards death doesnt change the fact that Jennifer and Dion died, Buxton said. Ms. Shirley ultimately took responsibility for her actions by pleading guilty and provided important information during the investigation. The sentence accounts for time served and good time credit. She said Leonard had bought it a few months beforehand at that point. Prosecutors told Judge Marnocha Tuesday they will likely rest their case next Wednesday or Thursday. After speaking with detectives, they went to Mark's sister's home, where they spent the night. Shirley had heard of Bob before, but had not met him before he came over Thursday, November 1. 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. It wasnt the only curveball Black and Shircliff would throw at the prosecution. While Thompson checked the digital thermostat, Shirley heard him and Leonard say they could use it to trigger the fireplace as the source of the fire, but they never directly gave her any specifics on how they were going to do it. The Richmond Hill explosion took place on November 10, 2012, in the Richmond Hill subdivision in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. 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. Richmond Hill Explosion - indyencyclopedia.org While we knew that Monserrate Shirley on her own would never have caused this crime, it couldnt have happened without her. 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. Its very difficult sentencing hearing weve been through for two days. Shirley says he replaced the thermostat "so there were more options to heat the house during the day.". The group researched methods of how to destroy the home and made more than one attempt at doing so before succeeding, authorities said. (WISH) - Monserrate Shirley told jurors Wednesday she would do anything for Mark Leonard, because she was in love with him. -- John Shirley told jurors Tuesday that, while his relationship with his ex-wife Monserrate was severely damaged by the time he moved out, the gas appliances in their home were not. 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. But ultimately I think we were able to accomplish what we needed to do for her.. Monserrate Shirley leaves court after learning her sentence. Shirley wasnt a suspect at the time, and the interview was a routine one. 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. I certainly might feel bad for his family. The girlwas already out of the house while they cleared it of the sentimental items. In addition to his roofing business, Mastercraft, Leonard also flipped cars on the side. They then worked to establish a pattern of poor decisions in her personal life and changing stories throughout the investigation. 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. Inquiry Into Indianapolis Blast Suggests Scheme Gone Wrong - The New "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.". Monserrate Shirley, 49, would have to testify against former boyfriend Mark Leonard and his brother in the plea deal . They laughed at her for asking, but it was switched back out. Thirty-three homes were damaged so severely they were deemed unrecoverable, and had to be torn down to the foundation. The shirley daughter is an Italian restaurant that takes more than 15 minutes to make you feel at home. She was wearing a jail jumpsuit, was shackled and her hair had grown long, dark and curly.IM TELLING THE TRUTH. On the night of the explosion, Shirley said he was working a second job in Fishers. And it wasn't the answer we were looking for. 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. For years, the team holed up in that office three days a week to avoid being distracted by other ongoing cases. Should we not use all those witnesses? West's Mortuary, Inc. PHOTOS: First Richmond Hill trial Mark Leonard is on. 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. On Thursday, Shirley worked a 12 hour shift. (WISH) Monserrate Shirley told jurors Wednesday she would do anything for Mark Leonard, because she was in love with him. Having Shirley as a witness came with its own pitfalls, though. When the relationship first started, she said, "He was a nice guy. "[6] The witness also told investigators that Leonard talked about buying a Ferrari with the insurance money from the house. [6] She claimed to have been horrified at the Longworths' deaths, as well as the massive destruction wrought by the explosion. Shirley told her daughternot to come back to the house for any reason, though she didn't explain why not. Shirley: "She lost everything. This is too risky." The most money she ever remembered seeing him lose on a single trip was $7,000. All I can say is, I had one small role in this. Thompson left after a few hours and Shirley didn't hear anything else before the first attempt that Saturday. She will not learn her fate until after all four of her alleged co-conspirators has been tried. She was too involved. "I feel like, you know, it would have been better off for me to be there [at the house when it exploded]," Shirley said. Shirley's next-door neighbors, John and Jennifer Longworth, died in the blast. The home also had a microwave above the stove which had a programmable timer. Thompson arrived on Monday or Tuesday, October 22-23, while Shirley's daughter was at school. It's also possible she will walk free if the judge sentences. 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. Everything's under control.". Again, she said, "Because I was not able to tell him 'no'." . She was the one who got her daughter and her cat out of the situation and left her neighbors in the situation. You're done.".