FORT WAYNE, Ind. -- Wednesday proved a significant day in the trial of Bob Leonard, Jr., with jurors hearing testimony first from one of the last people to see Dion Longworth alive, and then from a neighbor casting doubt on whether Leonard was in Richmond Hill the day of the explosion.
Hollingsworth told jurors he saw Longworth trapped under the rubble of his collapsed house following the explosion.
"We finally found a hole about the size of a basketball. Dion popped his head out and said, 'Where's my wife?' and, 'Are you going to be able to help me?' That's all he said," Hollingsworth said.
Hollingsworth said firefighters tried "valiantly" to save Longworth, but were unable to reach him before fire became too intense to continue.
FULL STORY | Richmond Hill: 'He was just concerned about Jennifer'
Prosecutors also called Tony Burnett to the stand Wednesday. At the time of the explosion, Burnett lived at 8348 Fieldfare Way – directly across the street from the home that exploded.
Burnett said he saw two men pull up to Monserrate Shirley's home in a white van on the day it blew up. He told jurors he watched them get out and knock on the door, then rush off.
"It was not just a casual leaving kind of thing," Burnett said. "It was a very urgent, get in the van and get out kind of thing."
But, Burnett said, he's "100 percent sure" neither of the men he saw was Bob Leonard.
"His hair's different. His build's different. He has pasty white skin," Burnett said. "The guys I saw were kind of tan. There was no match at all."
FULL STORY | Neighbor: '100% sure" Bob Leonard wasn't man I saw on day of explosion
Jurors will reconvene Thursday to hear testimony from the remaining residents of Richmond Hill, along with members of the Longworths' families.
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Call 6 Investigator Rafael Sanchez and Senior Digital Correspondent Jordan Fischer will be in Fort Wayne covering the trial every day. Download the RTV6 app to get the latest live blog posts as the proceedings unfold.
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RELATED LINKS | Richmond Hill Special Section | Mark Ray Leonard convicted on all counts
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