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. An autopsy will be conducted by the Marion County coroner's office Wednesday, according to the DOC. ", 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]. I have morals.I love my patients and I would do anything for them. Residents, particularly the younger ones, report experiencing continued psychological trauma from the incident. You're a piece of [expletive]. For their families, the tree is one last connection to the loved ones they lost on Nov. 10, 2012. She went to a bar on the south side of Indianapolis in November 2011 and they immediately noticed each other. monserrate is the name of the dish, as well as its chef and owner. Then there was the question of Leonards history. After court adjourned for the day, Shircliff said he attacked her inconsistencies "to show that she can tell the truth as easily as she tells a lie, and it's hard for the jury to know the difference. Of the dozens and dozens of homes damaged by the blast, 33 were affected so severely they had to be demolished. Many of the women reported that they met him on dating sites and that he soon began asking them for money. Download the RTV6 app to get the latest live blog posts as the proceedings unfold. John Duncan was the one to call, saying something horrible had happened on her street and he wanted to make sure she and her daughterwere okay. It was a restaurant that had the name of a famous Italian poet who died young, but the restaurant only lasted for a year. Every day I ask myself why I didnt stop this. Attorneys walked Shirley through a number of conversations she had with Mark Leonard from the time they met until the house exploded. Richmond Hill Explosion - indyencyclopedia.org On Monday, November 5, they changed out the thermostat for a "cheaper" model. The November 2012 blast claimed the lives of John and Jennifer Longworth and spawned an investigation that landed five people behind bars. The case was expected to be the largest and most expensive trial in Marion County history. [18], Prosecutors initially sought to try the suspects together, but the defendants were granted the right to separate trials. He was working in Fishers on the night of the explosion. [7] Shirley told the police she never smelled any natural gas, but that her daughter had thought she did recently. Shirley says he and Monserrate married on July 17, 1993. Monserrate Shirley spent the entire day on the stand Wednesday, and the anticipation of her testimony was evident in courtroom attendance. They laughed at her for asking, but it was switched back out. She asked that Mark and Bob switch it back out for the nicer version. monserrate shirley daughter - Investigative Guide 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. The stove was electric. It was a good feeling.. JDK-8141210 : Very slow loading of JavaScript file with recent JDK Prosecutors contend that the motorcycle was disassembled in Shirley's garage. The shirley daughter is an Italian restaurant that takes more than 15 minutes to make you feel at home. At about 11:10p.m., on November 10, 2012, a large explosion occurred in Richmond Hill, a subdivision on the southeast side of Indianapolis. I tried to ignore Mark Leonards history as much as I could, Robinson said. Sometimes they would go during the week while her daughterwas at school and leave in enough time to pick her back up. "Two innocent people died because of this!" 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. Im telling the truth and nothing but the truth was a phrase repeated by Monserrate Shirley throughout the day. [13] A fourth person, Gary Thompson, was charged in January 2015 on the same charges. To do that, the team moved 80 boxes of documents connected to the case to an office on the east side of Indianapolis. Many people may remember Shirley giving an interview to the media, including WISH-TV, after the explosion. 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. She then got food for them both and went back to the room around midnight. I cant give the Olveys back a peace of mind. You were a neighbor and you were a friend, Carlisle said. [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. [6] [34][35], Monserrate Shirley pled guilty to conspiracy to commit arson. She lived in the four-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath home with her daughter. All I can say is, I had one small role in this. Shirley: "She wanted us to live in a bigger house. 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). She asked Mark and Bob what happened that made it be an explosion instead of a fire. This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. 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. Gary Thompsonwas handed a 30-year prison sentence, 20 years executed, for his role in the murderous insurance fraud scheme. One of the projects he took on was working on the gas line in the fireplace. Prosecuting Mark Leonard presented with some challenges. [31][32][33] Bob Leonard was convicted on all 51 counts, including murder and conspiracy to commit arson, on February 24, 2016. 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 testified that friends called and told her there was a huge explosion. When testimony moved to the night of the explosion that killed Jennifer and Dion Longworth, Monserrate Shirley had a difficult time staying composed. She later worked at St. Francis and Community South. Investigators found that the couple had substantial debt, including $63,000 in credit card debt, and were in bankruptcy proceedings. It was run by the daughter of a famous American actor who was very close to the owner. [28], Mark Leonard was found guilty on all 53 counts, including murder and felony murder charges, on July 14. 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. She wanted to put it on her plate. PREVIOUS|Timeline of events|Gallery: The Richmond Hill Explosion|Where were you at 11:11 PM? 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? Monserrate Shirley, who had pleaded not guilty after she and two men were charged in late 2012, appeared before a Marion County judge in a courtroom filled with current and former residents of the . 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. Monserrate Shirley sentenced to 50 years in prison - YouTube ", When they went to pick up Shirley's daughteron Sunday, Holts told Mark to "Get the [expletive] out of here. To begin the day, Monserrate Shirley explained how she and Mark Leonard met. Monserrate Shirley is lead into her sentencing hearing in December 2016. monserrate is the name of the dish, as well as its . Monserrate Shirley, Indianapolis Homeowner Whose House Exploded, Bereft She told him the attempt didnt work but that there would be another attempt. We firmly believed that Gary Thompson played a role, but until she cooperated, we couldnt prove that, Robinson said. Its a difficult case. How to fix the pii__email__cbd448bbd34c985e423c Error code? [6] They had arranged for Shirley's 12-year-old daughter to stay with friends and had boarded their cat, Snowball, for the weekend. Follow his reporting on Twitter at @Jordan_RTV6 or on Facebook. 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. Prosecutors started by addressing her plea agreement. Neighbors seek max sentence in fatal home blast - USA TODAY It wasnt the only curveball Black and Shircliff would throw at the prosecution. 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. IndyStar reporter Robert King contributed to this story. Leonard is charged with 53 counts of murder, arson and conspiracy. Mark Leonard was the first to go on trial. 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. Again, Monserrate agreed to do her same three preparations: a casino hotel reservation, a babysitter for her daughterand boarding for Snowball. [24], On March 28, 2015, Mark Leonard was charged with conspiring to murder the key witness against him, Mark Duckworth. Monserrate Shirley spent the entire day on the stand Wednesday, and the anticipation of her testimony was evident in courtroom attendance. Jeffrey Wager and IMPD investigators, Lt. Mario Garza and IFD investigators, agents of the Federal ATF, and our trial team for their commitment and perseverance to bring justice for the Richmond Hill residents.. 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. Authorities blamed a natural gas explosion inside the home of Monserrate Shirley, who was away at the time of the explosion. Indianapolis explosion may have been caused by furnace, says owner of While she was charged in December 2012 for her role in the explosion, she pleaded guilty to two felony conspiracy charges earlier this year in exchange for her testimony. 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. I should have been there.". Its very difficult sentencing hearing weve been through for two days. 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. The Richmond Hill neighbors had been waiting long enough without a trial. FOLLOW|Rafael Sanchez on Twitter|Jordan Fischer on Twitter, RELATED LINKS |Richmond Hill Special Section|Mark Ray Leonard convicted on all counts. "(Whoever is responsible will) have to pay for what they did to me and everybody else," Shirley said in the interview. At the end of the day, we still miss her and him, Dion, as much as ever, Buxton said. 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. She said that she hasn't been eating or sleeping well and that she has been taking Xanax to get what little sleep she can. He says sometimes strong winds would blow out the pilot light when someone opened the garage door. [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 dont feel bad for Mr. Leonard, said Don Buxton, father of Jennifer Longworth, who was killed in the blast with her husband, Dion. This is too risky." [6] Her attorneys argued that she was trapped in an abusive relationship and was coerced by Mark Leonard into participating in the crime. "Our investigators believe natural gas is involved," the Indianapolis Department of Homeland Security said in a statement. Woman tells of failed tries before deadly Indianapolis house explosion Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated. He faces up to life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted. On multiple occasions Wednesday, Shirley said she didnt say no to Mark Leonard because she loved him. Shirley's next-door neighbors, John and Jennifer Longworth, died in the blast.
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