John did all the maintenance on the home - she never did any. We have done that. I did everything to make him happy, Monserrate Shirley said in testimony. She got in the van with them, and Mark asked her to give Bob $40. We again offer our condolences to the families of Dion and Jennifer Longworth and to those who suffered injury and loss. I went into the breakroom and texted my ex about what happened. 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. She could face 20-50 years in prison. She was inspired by the way Chef Alberto Marinovich put on this dish and it was a joy to serve. Prosecutors told Judge Marnocha Tuesday they will likely rest their case next Wednesday or Thursday. Home owner, Monserrate Shirley; her boyfriend, Mark Leonard; and his brother, Bob Leonard, were arrested Friday and charged with murder and arson Prosecutors may seek the death penalty Fire. I got upset with her and sent her some derogatory texts. She has already been behind bars for four years. [23] The plea deal involved Shirley pleading guilty to two counts of conspiracy to commit arson in exchange for testifying against the other suspects. Shirleys apology rang hollow to many Richmond Hill residents in the courtroom. When testimony moved to the night of the explosion that killed Jennifer and Dion Longworth, Monserrate Shirley had a difficult time staying composed. [13] A fourth person, Gary Thompson, was charged in January 2015 on the same charges. He also told Bob to go get Gary Thompson. 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. The explosion leveled 8349 Fieldfare Way, the home at the center of the explosion, and severely damaged a number of other residences, including several (on either side) which were damaged by the ensuing fire. Dont make that kind of joke, Shirley testified. And you have to weigh that out? The cat, nicknamed Snowy, was a birthday gift for their daughter, he said, and "she misses him.". The sentence accounts for time served and good time credit. "[6] The witness also told investigators that Leonard talked about buying a Ferrari with the insurance money from the house. With good behavior, her earliest possible release date is Dec. 19, 2032. The human toll is harder to estimate. I did my best. Defense attorney Ted Minch on cross-examination: "You're not happy to be here today." ", Minch: "You said you talked to Ms. Shirley on the 11th. Authorities blamed a natural gas explosion inside the home of Monserrate Shirley, who was away at the time of the explosion. [15], Prosecutors contended that the trio filled the house with natural gas and then used the spark from a microwave which could be set in advance to detonate it. The defense attorney told the judge without the jury in the room that he planned to use the video to show that Shirley had the same demeanor in the courtroom as she did while lying to reporters. Check those tickets! Mark and Bob stayed in the garage while they talked about what Bob's part would be, while Shirley stayed inside. [16] On March 13, Leonard allegedly placed a call to a man who he believed to be a hit man. | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Much of Tuesdays testimony included accounts of Shirleys difficult childhood. He gave her $3,000 to use, and they lost it all. She transferred from her job in Michigan to the VA hospital in Indianapolis, where she worked for 17 years, focusing in the ICU. Leonard later tried telling Shirley that the only reason Holts wouldn't talk about his own fire was because he didn't want Leonard to end up with more money than he had. Except her cat, the clothes on her back and a teddy bear she got when she was 1. But she put an end to that in August 2011.". The home of Monserrate Shirley was the center of the explosion that resulted in the deaths of next-door neighbors John "Dion" Longworth and his wife Jennifer (ne Buxton), the injuries of seven others, and $4 million in property damage. Heappears to have died of natural causes. Shirley says he replaced the thermostat "so there were more options to heat the house during the day.". TRANSCRIPT | Opening statements in the trial of Mark Leonard. [6] Prosecutors also allege that he offered the hit man a $5,000 bonus if he made the murder look like a suicide. "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. (They were) my neighbors for a very long time since we built the house, Shirley said. Shirley: "No.". Neighbors, family testify in sentencing hearing of Monserrate Shirley, owner of the home. 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. After the first failure, Leonard decided he also wanted to bring in his half-brother, Bob. She later pointed out she agreed to the plot under Mark Leonard's premise that it would be a small fire at just her home - not an explosion that would affect other people. [7] Shirley told the police she never smelled any natural gas, but that her daughter had thought she did recently. But I cant do that, and everybody knows you cant do that, but sometimes theres this perception that getting through the justice system will make things better. wishtv.com your home page, Business, Equity and Opportunities Podcast with Scott Sander. . Two mental health experts testified that her childhood could have contributed to her decision to stay with Mark Leonard and go along with his plan to blow up her house for insurance money. The next time, Monserrate Shirley said Mark Leonards brother, Bob, was supposed to carry out the plan. And then there was the arrangement that when I picked up my daughter I would get to take some of my belongings. Made and inspired by a love triangle, this was written by a girl from Italy. Monserrate "Moncy" Shirley, a nurse, owned the home at the center of the explosion. Among the "no" votes, inexplicably: political dancer Hiram Monserrate. I have morals.I love my patients and I would do anything for them. She moved to the United States when she was 25. FORT WAYNE, Ind. It also didnt carry much weight for the families of Dion and Jennifer Longworth, who died in the blast. [6] She claimed to have been horrified at the Longworths' deaths, as well as the massive destruction wrought by the explosion. At sentencing, St. Joseph Superior Court Judge John Marnocha said Leonard demonstrated a sheer indifference for the safety of others., The motivation here is greed, Marnocha said. Shirley may have been the prosecution's highest profile witness, but that doesn't mean they're done. She and her daughterwent to the hotel, where Mark later joined them. When she got home, Mark told her he and Bob had gone to the library to research other similar homes that had been set on fire without anyone getting hurt. [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. In addition to the thousands of pieces of physical evidence, they had more than 200 witnesses lined up to testify. When she told him there was around $10,000-12,000 in it, he said that wasn't enough. 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. Critics have accused Shirley of faking her reaction after the explosion because she seemed upset but never shed a tear. Monserrate Shirley, 51, was one of five people charged in the explosion that left two people dead. Follow us on Twitter at @AOLRealEstate, or connect with AOL Real Estate on Facebook and Pinterest. 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). Mark was a handsome man with sex appeal and a lot of money, judging by his stash of cash and fast luxury cars. . He eventually improved enough to return home, but Shirley had to continue caring for him for several months. Monserrate Shirley spent the entire day on the stand Wednesday, and the anticipation of her testimony was evident in courtroom attendance. So in the game of death, monserrate daughter is the Shirley of the game of death. 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 daughters often watched the girl. And that, Im sure, will never change.. The courtroom was crowded Monday as the proceedings began, as those who were hurt or lost their homes, plus the parents of Dion and Jennifer Longworth wait to learn Shirley's . So you do get concerned about, will they see the arsons? monserrate is the name of the dish, as well as its chef and owner. 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. "You face one, you get over one and you've got another one all the way until the end. Shirley says he was working at Eli Lilly at the time, and Monserrate was working as an RN at the VA hospital. The Richmond Hill explosion took place on November 10, 2012, in the Richmond Hill subdivision in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. Their first trip together was to the Hollywood Casino roughly 3-4 months after they first met. She told them she didn't want anything to do with them anymore. Powerball winner sold in central Indiana! Gary Thompson pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit arson and received a 30-year sentence, with 10 years suspended. The brothers were sentenced to terms of life without parole for spearheading the conspiracy. Taking them at face value, taking them at what they told the court, they believed that since it was going to come up in the trial they should talk about it during jury selection, Robinson said. We believed that he did, we had some very thin evidence that he did. The shirley daughter is an Italian restaurant that takes more than 15 minutes to make you feel at home. "I mean, I'm totally devastated like my neighbors are.". The name comes from a restaurant that is on the run called theserie rossa which translates to the run of the wits. 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. 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. Robert Leonard, who was convicted of murder and multiple felonies, was sentenced to life without parole. [37] She is serving her sentence at Indiana Women's Prison in Indianapolis. Robinson has said she will argue for 50 when the time comes. Although prosecutors didnt need their blessing to go ahead with the plea, Robinson said they felt it was important to tell the residents as much as they could. An offhand comment would change that. She said they should be punished, Carter testified. It was the last time she would be in her home before the explosion. 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. There have been days with only two people in the audience other than media, but there were more than 30 Wednesday. Glenn Hults, a friend of Leonard's who said he knew about the plot beforehand but didn't call police, was sentenced to three years. [28] Prosecutors expected to submit nearly 3,000 pieces of evidence, and potentially call up to 175 witnesses. ", When they went to pick up Shirley's daughteron Sunday, Holts told Mark to "Get the [expletive] out of here. "Our investigators believe natural gas is involved," the Indianapolis Department of Homeland Security said in a statement. Leonard started talking the next week about trying for a second time to burn down the home. [14] In April 2015, a fifth man, Glenn Hults, was charged with conspiracy to commit arson. Indiana sheriffs deputy dies after falling ill during training, Myles Colvin captivates Heritage Christian crowds, preps for Purdue. The shirley daughter is an Italian restaurant that takes more than 15 minutes to make you feel at home. Bob had been asking for his $10,000 payment before the explosion even happened. 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. No one, Shirley replied, crying.I WAS IN LOVE WITH HIM. Mark. Says Sen. Tom. All I can say is, I had one small role in this. You were a neighbor and you were a friend, Carlisle said. "Two innocent people died because of this!" "I have everybody telling me stuff that they said on the TV," she said. In the game of death, monserrate daughter is the only way to be reunited with the game of life. 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. She told him the attempt didnt work but that there would be another attempt. But no other problems. The couple's steamy relationship lasted for about a month before they moved in together.