INDIANAPOLIS -- Marion County Prosecutor Terry Curry reflected Wednesday on the conclusion of the Richmond Hill explosion case.
The woman at the center of it all, Monserrate Shirley, was sentenced to 50 years in prison Tuesday for her role in the deadly 2012 blast that killed Dion and Jennifer Longworth.
Curry said it was a difficult decision to request the maximum sentence for Shirley. He said he could not discount that she pleaded guilty and provided significant information in the Leonard trials. On the other hand were the significant consequences of her actions.
"I feel horribly sorry for Monserrate Shirley's daughter. Her mother's made horrible decisions but she too is a victim as a result of those horrible decisions made by the Leonards and her mother," said Curry.
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Curry also complimented the victims and residents of Richmond Hill. He said they had shown extraordinary patience with the process which took four years from charges being filed to the resolution of Shirley's case. The Marion County prosecutor said he intentionally did not go to Shirley's sentencing because it was a day for the families of the victims to share their thoughts.
"It is gratifying to reach this sort of result and this sort of conclusion. On the other hand, it is always tempered with the fact there's still nothing we can do to relieve the grief of the Longworth family, Jennifer and Dion's families. To me, it's still, in spite of the fact that we talk to families constantly, I readily acknowledge that we can never begin to comprehend the grief and anger individuals must feel from experiencing the loss of a loved one in a violent crime like this," said Curry.
Regarding the Richmond Hill trials, Curry said there were three things that were not made public:
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Initial information had Monserrate Shirley and Mark Leonard at the casino, then they traveled to the scene and returned to the casino. Prosecutors working hypothesis was that Shirley and Leonard were using that trip as an alibi, but it turned out not to be true.
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Bob Leonard and Monserrate Shirley were put under surveillance at some point. The duo appeared to be making a trip to Chicago. A decision was made that if they appeared ready to cross into Illinois, they would be arrested. Leonard and Shirley only went to Lake County and turned back. The reason for the trip was never known.
- Forensic evidence that was not available at the time when charges were filed included burn patterns in the concrete samples from the house that led investigators to conclude that the house had been set to explode and gas was poured to ignite the fire. Also not known at the time was that Bob Leonard's DNA profile was found on the front door of the house.
From the beginning, Curry said investigators thought they would be looking at four suspects. They had Mark Leonard, Monserrate Shirley and two individuals going to the house on the day of the explosion. Investigators were aware Bob Leonard was probably a suspect, but there was a relatively large group of people that could have been the fourth suspect. Having Shirley identify that person conclusively was a surprise, said Curry.
Mark Ray Leonardwas sentenced to two life sentences in 2015. His trial took six weeks, and 175 witnesses were called.
Bob Leonard was convicted on all counts in February and sentenced to life without parole. His trial took five weeks, and 162 witnesses were called.
Lodging and travel expenses alone for both of their trials was $116,000 since both cases were tried in Fort Wayne.
Gary Thompson pleaded guilty in August and was sentenced to 20 years.
The final Richmond Hill final suspect reached a plea deal in November. Glenn Hults will be sentenced on December 28.
FULL COVERAGE| Richmond Hill Explosion
WATCH TERRY CURRY'S FULL PRESS CONFERENCE IN THE VIDEO PLAYER ABOVE
