monserrate shirley daughter

Leonard started talking the next week about trying for a second time to burn down the home. Robinson also couldnt tell the residents that Shirleys cooperation would mean charges against two more suspects: Gary Thompson and Glenn Hults. 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. When asked why she didn't take Leonard's hospitalization in March 2012 as an opportunity not to let him back into her home since she knew what he wanted to do by that point, she said she couldn't turn away a sick person. He says sometimes strong winds would blow out the pilot light when someone opened the garage door. ", Minch: "You said you talked to Ms. Shirley on the 11th. While she was driving, Mark called to tell her to book a hotel room and to tell her daughter it was because the house was too cold to stay at. Once the trial began, rather than trying to claim their client was innocent, Black and Shircliff instead told the jury up front that he was guilty but of trying to start a small fire, not cause an explosion. 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. Its about your game being the only game that matters. Shirley told jurors he lost a number of things in the explosion, including a collection of tennis rackets and a drafting table. He also told Bob to go get Gary Thompson. Mark and Bob stayed in the garage while they talked about what Bob's part would be, while Shirley stayed inside. As stated previously, the investigation and prosecution of this matter has literally taken tens of thousands of hours of effort by numerous individuals. Ms. Shirley ultimately took responsibility for her actions by pleading guilty and provided important information during the investigation. [6] She claimed to have been horrified at the Longworths' deaths, as well as the massive destruction wrought by the explosion. Shirley: "No. She was the nurse. Shirley said she has a condition with her tear ducts that makes her unable to produce tears, so people dont think Im crying for real.. [7] Shirley told the police she never smelled any natural gas, but that her daughter had thought she did recently. It was never no for an answer. At least three of his possessions did survive, however: two golf bags, with clubs, and a driver he'd been gifted. Monserrate Shirley leaves court after learning her sentence. It was the last time she would be in her home before the explosion. Even years later, Robinson says she doesnt know why Black brought the hitman allegations up. They then worked to establish a pattern of poor decisions in her personal life and changing stories throughout the investigation. And it wasn't the answer we were looking for. 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. Get caught up on the first two chapters here:Chapter I: The Night the Sky Caught Fire|Chapter II: The $4 Million Arson Plot. [34][35], Monserrate Shirley pled guilty to conspiracy to commit arson. Minch: "You testified about some things you lost in the explosion. Write For Us: Investigative Articles are Intriguing. He asked whose name the house was under, and she said it was entirely in her name after the divorce. Shirley: "No.". Monserrate Shirley was ordered to serve out her sentence at the Indiana Womens Prison in Indianapolis. The man he called was actually an undercover agent. Monserrate Shirley spent the entire day on the stand Wednesday, and the anticipation of her testimony was evident in courtroom attendance. Its a game that only you can play. [14] Shirley admitted raising the limit on her insurance coverage at Mark Leonard's urging, and only went along with the plot out of love for him. They moved into a home they built in Richmond Hill toward the end of 2003. This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Every day I ask myself why I didnt stop this. We used to cook together, have dinner together.Very charming, very lovely man.". "Shortly thereafter I moved some furniture into the apartment. Denise Robinson, the Marion County Prosecutor on the case, told the court she rarely asks for the maximum sentence. Robert Leonard, who was convicted of murder and multiple felonies, was sentenced to life without parole. I always get the money.". 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. In an interview with former RTV6 reporter Stacia Matthews, Shirley suggested the explosion may have been an attempt on her life. [9], Investigators discovered a number of allegations of insurance fraud and other scams by Leonard prior to the blast, particularly involving stolen or wrecked automobiles. When we got in this case, we were asked to save her life, said defense attorney James Voyles. Robinson could not tell them, for example, that Shirley would be facing a sentencing range of 20-50 years in prison. On Monday, November 5, they changed out the thermostat for a "cheaper" model. Its about not letting the person who was watching your game die ever have a say in your game. And I understand it, because of their feelings about her. "I want $300,000. Shirley says he was working at Eli Lilly at the time, and Monserrate was working as an RN at the VA hospital. 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. Thompson said he'd been pulled over by a cop so he couldn't get to the house. ", She said Mark told her, "It cannot be that bad.Don't worry about it. Exasperated, Judge John Marnocha, who was assigned to oversee the trial, dismissed dozens of potential jurors and ended the day early with an admonition for Black and her co-counsel, David Shircliff. The Version table provides details related to the release that this issue/RFE will be addressed. Ms. Shirley, 47, and Mark Leonard, 43, her boyfriend, were 100 miles away at a casino when their home blew up. Monserrate Shirley was given the house after her divorce. He said that his daughter had mentioned that the furnace wasn't . Leonard died around 9:15 a.m. Tuesday at an Indianapolis hospital,according to an Indiana Department of Correction spokesman. Later that same day, an attorney asked Shirley if the Longworths deserved what happened to them. Its been around since the late 80s, but Im sure well find more of it on our own site. The girlwas already out of the house while they cleared it of the sentimental items. It started as a bad headache, but quickly grew until he was hospitalized with an autoimmune disease serious enough he would need a blood transfusion. . Her sister had lived in the same housing complex. "Our investigators believe natural gas is involved," the Indianapolis Department of Homeland Security said in a statement. "She lost everything," he said. I commend Det. [39] Glenn Hults received a three-year sentence.[40]. Leonard went to pick up Thompson in the white van witnesses in the neighborhood have previously testified seeing in Shirley's driveway. Jordan Fischer is the senior digital reporter for RTV6. The defense wrapped up a little more quickly than expected after Judge John Marnocha denied their request to play a video of Shirley's 2012 interview with the media. ", 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.". Prosecutors ended by asking Shirley if the Longworths or any of her other neighbors deserved what happened. 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. BREAKING: By a vote of 24-38, New York's State Senate has voted against same-sex marriage legislation. The next morning, they went to Bob Leonard's mobile home. It also didnt carry much weight for the families of Dion and Jennifer Longworth, who died in the blast. 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 . But their arrests wereonly the beginning of years of work to put them behind bars for good. 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. Dion and Jennifer Longworth, two occupants in the house at 8355 Fieldfare Way, died in the explosion; seven others were injured. How to fix pii_email_029231e8462fca76041e Error Code? Thompson arrived on Monday or Tuesday, October 22-23, while Shirley's daughter was at school. I didnt want it to affect the trial date, Robinson said. She would then go to a southside bar to meet Mark before they left for the casino. [5], Monserrate "Moncy" Shirley, a nurse, owned the home at the center of the explosion. Neighbors, family testify in sentencing hearing of Monserrate Shirley, owner of the home. He did come to the house one week before the first attempt. She has already been behind bars for four years. PREVIOUS|Timeline of events|Gallery: The Richmond Hill Explosion|Where were you at 11:11 PM? FORT WAYNE, Ind. . To see the faces of the neighborhood people and the sense of relief and calmness when the verdicts came in was a good thing, Garza said. "It's like waking up to this bad dream," Shirley said, her voice cracking as tears flowed down her cheeks. By the time wed got to trial, hed already been in jail for going on three years. After the first failure, Leonard decided he also wanted to bring in his half-brother, Bob. For years, the team holed up in that office three days a week to avoid being distracted by other ongoing cases. After demands for a vote on the bill, we finally received one. 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). And in each of those categories, you betrayed your trust.. 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. Her house exploded on their third attempt of trying to claim insurance money. 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. She testified Wednesday she has a condition that prevents her tear ducts from actually producing tears. She said they should be punished, Carter testified. To begin the day, Monserrate Shirley explained how she and Mark Leonard met. Marion County Superior Court Judge Sheila Carlisle sentenced Monserrate Shirley to spend the maximum sentence of 50 years in prison on Tuesday. We knew we were taking a week of testimony from the residents to talk about what had happened to their houses, Robinson said. For one: She had earned a reputation as a master liar, as Mark Leonards defense team would later call her. But while he was living in the home, the only problem he had with its gas appliances the furnace, water heater and fireplace was that their pilot lights would sometimes go out when a draft blew in from an open garage door. I know it caught us by surprise and we had to react to it.. After that, the fire wasn't mentioned again until the week before Halloween. [6] Prosecutors also allege that he offered the hit man a $5,000 bonus if he made the murder look like a suicide. They started looking around the house at potential ways to start the fire. She and Mark then gassed up her car and drove to the casino. From confusion to conviction, Richmond Hill blast recapped. 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. "You can't even do a fire. Holts invited Leonard and Shirley to his friend's house for a pool party in the Geist neighborhood. Shirley owned the home at the epicenter of the November 2012 explosion that killed two people and damaged dozens of other homes causing more than $4 million in damages. Monserrate and John had the home in Richmond Hill built in 2003. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. Shirley may have been the prosecution's highest profile witness, but that doesn't mean they're done. 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. "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. The next time, Monserrate Shirley said Mark Leonards brother, Bob, was supposed to carry out the plan. A second home was reduced to rubble as well, and other houses were half-collapsed. 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. [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. Robinson knew that. None of them had given any indication they were willing to take a plea under the terms prosecutors were offering. Indiana sheriffs deputy dies after falling ill during training, Myles Colvin captivates Heritage Christian crowds, preps for Purdue. 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. John moved out in February 2010 and their divorce was finalized that summer. Today, Snowball, a white Persian cat, is in the care of John Shirley, Monserrate's ex-husband. 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. "Everybody's pointing a finger at me like I did something wrong," Shirley said in a video posted on the Indianapolis Star newspaper's website. Should we not use all those witnesses? And I look at all the opportunity she had where she could have gone for help and she never did.. And you said she was crying? Many people may remember Shirley giving an interview to the media, including WISH-TV, after the explosion. He refused, though, and warned them, "You guys be careful, because I know someone who committed arson and got 75 years in prison. At the trial I had firefighters crying on the stand. It had three gas appliances - the water heater, the furnace and the fireplace. Mark Leonard is on trial in South Bend in connection to the explosion in the Richmond Hill neighborhood that killed Jennifer and Dion Longworth in November 2012. GitHub export from English Wikipedia. She will be 72 years old. Prosecutors said Leonard planned to pay a person he thought was a hit man $15,000, giving him a $5,000 bonus if a witness in the case called police to say he had lied about information he had given investigators. 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. The force of the blast shattered windows and ripped down garage doors at dozens of other homes in the neighborhood. The shirley daughter is an Italian restaurant that takes more than 15 minutes to make you feel at home. 2012 explosion in Richmond Hill, Indianapolis, Indiana, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, "At least 2 killed, others injured in explosion, fire in Indianapolis neighborhood", "Family breaks ground on new home in Richmond Hill subdivision after Indianapolis home explosion", "36 homes critically damaged in explosion in south side neighborhood", "Homeowner at center of explosion feels lucky to be alive", "Authorities call Richmond Hill explosion a homicide case, seek details on white van", "Probable cause suggests pattern of fraud, details inconsistencies", "Richmond Hill suspect, friend face insurance fraud charges", "Affidavit: women say richmond hill blast suspect Mark Leonard has long history of scheming", "Shattered Subdivision Offers a Trail of Clues", "Life sentences without parole sought for Indianapolis explosion suspects", "4th person arrested in Indianapolis house explosion", "Fifth suspect charged in 2012 Indianapolis south side explosion", "Mark Leonard, Indy Blast suspect, pleads not guilty in murder plot", "Jim Voyles now representing Monserrate Shirley", "Home Explosion Case: Monserrate Shirley, Mark And Bob Leonard Due In Indianapolis Court", "Richmond Hill explosion: 3 trials for price of 1? Bob Leonard's son told investigators that several items were in the van that had been taken from the home, including photos and financial documents. Yes, I didnt think it would be possible, Monserrate Shirley said.HUGE EXPLOSION. Shirley testified that friends called and told her there was a huge explosion. But she had no hesitation when asked to identify the Longworths as her neighbors. Its very difficult sentencing hearing weve been through for two days. At the center of the case, Mark Leonard, a womanizer with gambling debts who preyed on divorcees, hatched an arson plot for money with his girlfriend, Monserrate Shirley. He never gave her money like that again, but did play with his own money, spending anywhere from $2,000 - 10,000 each trip. The here, in this case, was the knowing murder of Dion and Jennifer Longworth. Are they going to get bored with it?. I went into the breakroom and texted my ex about what happened. FOLLOW|Rafael Sanchez on Twitter|Jordan Fischer on Twitter, RELATED LINKS |Richmond Hill Special Section|Mark Ray Leonard convicted on all counts. 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. Mr. Monserrate Morales was born on January 7, 1955 in Puerto Rico. Many of the women reported that they met him on dating sites and that he soon began asking them for money. I see a con artist when I look at her., If she really is apologetic, then I accept the apology, said Dion Longworths father, John Longworth. 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. As of summer 2022 the show has aired sixteen . They'd soon get a new roommate. Gary Thompsonwas handed a 30-year prison sentence, 20 years executed, for his role in the murderous insurance fraud scheme. John Shirley, 50, of Noblesville, told The Associated Press that his daughter sent him a text message last week complaining that the furnace in the home where she lives with her mother and her. | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. She was wearing a jail jumpsuit, was shackled and her hair had grown long, dark and curly.IM TELLING THE TRUTH. We believed that he did, we had some very thin evidence that he did. ", Minch: "You've had problems over the years with the furnace and the water heater. The jury found 46-year-old Mark Leonard guilty of all counts against him, including murder and felony murder. Shirley's next-door neighbors, John and Jennifer Longworth, died in the blast. The Oscars will air on ABC and can be streamed on ABC.com and the ABC app as well as Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, AT&T TV or FuboTV.

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