Shirley said she would come back immediately, but they told her there was no house to come back to. 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. 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. [16][17] The alleged motive for the arson was to collect insurance money to ease financial strain. She, at first, struggled to identify her other neighbors. 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? They should go to jail. Shirley said she thought the fire plan was crazy, but went along with it anyway. 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. Robinson knew that. The problem was that none of that criminal history would be admissible at trial. 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. ", Holts then asked who would get the money if they went through with it and Mark said, "Of course, me. Prosecutors ask if Shirley was asked by police to identify personal property following the explosion. FAIL: New York Senate Says NO to Gay Marriage - Queerty In exchange, she offered him the money in her 401K. PREVIOUS | Full testimony: Monserrate Shirley takes the stand. [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. I had a homicide detective crying on the stand. A tag already exists with the provided branch name. She was able to take that to the prosecutor and get a protective order against me. He was sentenced in August to two life sentences, along with 75 years in prison. Monserrate Shirley spent the entire day on the stand Wednesday, and the anticipation of her testimony was evident in courtroom attendance. She said she did not tell officers at the time what happened because she was scared. He says he "was very surprised" to learn Snowball had been boarded on the night of the explosion. The brothers were sentenced to terms of life without parole for spearheading the conspiracy. She found a house with a floorplan she liked." . On November 19, it was announced that the investigation had become a criminal investigation. Shirley testified Leonard asked to see the insurance policy on the home within a few weeks of moving in. Would you describe her demeanor the same way?" Shirley wasnt a suspect at the time, and the interview was a routine one. She came into the courtroom looking much different than she did the weekend of the explosion in 2012. 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. Monserrate Shirley was given the house after her divorce. 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. "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.". 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. "No one deserves what happened," she said. Indianapolis House Explosion Case Now a Criminal Homicide Investigation "I was at one of my part-time jobs when I got a text from my daughter, which was very unusual. It's been hard for me and my daughter. As of summer 2022 the show has aired sixteen . Robinson has said she will argue for 50 when the time comes. 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. He asked how much was in the 401k, according to Shirley. Its not the only weird coincidence Ive noticed in the past few months, but the name shirley was the one that stood out to me most. Once again, she agreed to make the same three arrangements: the casino reservation, a babysitter for her daughterand boarding for Snowball. I thought it was crazy, but I went along with him. [5], Monserrate "Moncy" Shirley, a nurse, owned the home at the center of the explosion. Leonard got sick in March 2012. wishtv.com your home page, Business, Equity and Opportunities Podcast with Scott Sander. It had three gas appliances - the water heater, the furnace and the fireplace. He gave her $3,000 to use, and they lost it all. Dion and Jennifer Longworth, two occupants in the house at 8355 Fieldfare Way, died in the explosion; seven others were injured. 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. 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. 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. By this time, Shirley's daughterhad noticed her portrait was no longer above the fireplace and asked Monserrate about it. Hed also been previously accused of insurance fraud in connection with a car accident. I tried to ignore Mark Leonards history as much as I could, Robinson said. At the end of the day, we still miss her and him, Dion, as much as ever, Buxton said. We again offer our condolences to the families of Dion and Jennifer Longworth and to those who suffered injury and loss. Mark Leonard, the man considered the mastermind behind the 2012 Richmond Hill neighborhood explosion that killed two people and wounded at least a dozen others, is dead. [23] The plea deal involved Shirley pleading guilty to two counts of conspiracy to commit arson in exchange for testifying against the other suspects. Follow us on Twitter at @AOLRealEstate, or connect with AOL Real Estate on Facebook and Pinterest. Monserrate Shirley, Indianapolis Homeowner - AOL Real Estate The first attempt was supposed to be carried out by Gary Thompson, but it failed. 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). It was a restaurant that had the name of a famous Italian poet who died young, but the restaurant only lasted for a year. We used to cook together, have dinner together.Very charming, very lovely man.". Her sister had lived in the same housing complex. And then there was the arrangement that when I picked up my daughter I would get to take some of my belongings. . "You face one, you get over one and you've got another one all the way until the end. Wednesday in court, Shirley said that at the July 4th pool party, she called lighting the house on fire crazy. Hults faces no prison time to three years . Mark was a handsome man with sex appeal and a lot of money, judging by his stash of cash and fast luxury cars. Deputy Prosecutor DeniseRobinson has said she will argue for 50 when the time comes. Shirley met Mark Leonard. 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. 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. They decided to cut a piece of cardboard to block off the chimney path. Below, former IMPD Det. He questioned her about the multiple boardings of her cat, Snowball, which he found odd. She explained that Snowball had anxiety. She even took some leave from work to stay with him longer than her paid vacation time allowed. The evidence Robinson and Hollingsworth had was substantial. Monserrate Shirley, 49, said she became distraught when neighbors telephoned her after the November 2012 explosion and told her that her home was destroyed. The blast killed two people and. 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. Monserrate Shirley sentenced to 50 years in prison - YouTube Charged in the deadly Richmond Hill Fire RTV6 News brings you the best breaking news coverage in Indiana. Shirley said she recalled telling them two innocent people die out of this.THIS HAS TO BE DONE. Everything's under control.". John did all the maintenance on the home - she never did any. She later worked at St. Francis and Community South. Officials did not release further information regarding his death. After that, the fire wasn't mentioned again until the week before Halloween. The Retaking Of Richmond Hill - Indianapolis Monthly That becomes eight years when good time credit is applied. 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. At one point, after one of the failed attempts to burn the home, Monserrate Shirley said she offered Mark Leonard her 401k instead. 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. Snapped: Killer Couples - Wikipedia I went into the breakroom and texted my ex about what happened. Monserrate Shirley agreed to testify against Mark Leonard as part of a plea agreement to reduce her potential prison time. [24], On March 28, 2015, Mark Leonard was charged with conspiring to murder the key witness against him, Mark Duckworth. Did you see her on TV a few days later? Crime scene photos from the Richmond Hill explosion This time, Leonard worked with Thompson instead of Thompson doing the work while Leonard stood next to him, watching and planning. 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.
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