Murder? Indianapolis House Explosion

[Sphincter Cop]

You may have seen snippets of this story on the news, but apparently this is more than what investigators originally thought. I have posted the youtube viddy of the damage that had been done. The story is WILD!



New developments in a home explosion case in Indianapolis have added to the mystery surrounding the investigation.

A law enforcement source told the Indianapolis Star that remote detonation is the leading theory now of how the home was blown up. The source, who declined to be identified, said more investigation is needed before they can be sure.

The Associated Press has more below:

By RICK CALLAHAN AND CHARLES WILSON, Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS -- The house explosion in Indianapolis that killed two people and left a neighborhood in ruins was not an accident, a prosecutor said Tuesday.

Marion County Prosecutor Terry Curry told The Associated Press that city arson investigators and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives had concluded the Nov. 10 blast, which also destroyed five homes and damaged dozens more, was not an accident.

Officials announced Monday that the probe was a criminal homicide investigation, but did not explicitly say accidental causes had been ruled out. They also said Monday that search warrants had been executed.

Curry said Tuesday additional search warrants had been issued by local judges and not all had been executed. He declined to discuss details of the investigation or the search warrants, which he said would remain sealed until - or if - any criminal charges are filed.

If the warrants became public at this point, Curry said "it would jeopardize the ongoing investigation."

Officials say they believe natural gas was involved in the explosion, and are focusing on appliances as the cause. The explosion caused an estimated $4.4 million in damage.

Curry said investigators had considered homicide a possibility all along, but it wasn't until police and the ATF ruled out an accidental cause that it became a criminal probe.

He declined to say whether investigators had any suspects or if there was any physical evidence or possible motive that the blast had been deliberately set.

"In terms of any intent, I can't speak to that," Curry said.

He said there was no timeline for the investigation, and it was possible that no charges would be filed.

A lawyer representing Monserrate Shirley and Mark Leonard, who lived in the home that investigators believe exploded, said Tuesday that the couple was bewildered by the investigation's new direction.

Randall Cable said in a statement that Shirley and Leonard have "cooperated fully" with investigators and that they want the cause "of this horrific and saddening tragedy to be determined."

Fire Capt. Rita Burris said Tuesday that about 15 heavily damaged homes are "on hold," meaning that residents have limited access because of the investigation.

Once the on-scene work is complete, she said inspectors will have to determine if those homes are safe enough to enter or if they must be demolished.

"That's a two-fold, two-layer thing that these homeowners are going to have to deal with," Burris said.

On Monday, hundreds of people attended the funeral for John Dion Longworth, 34, and his 36-year-old wife Jennifer Longworth, who died in the explosion. They lived next door to the home that investigators believe exploded

[Duchess]

I did read a little about this story. I don't want to read more into this than what is out there but I thought it was pretty convenient that the pet/s that would normally have been in that house were boarded and the people all had an excuse to be somewhere else.

[Sphincter Cop]

The whole "Controlled Detonation " idea has me bewildered!!!!

[Sphincter Cop]

Home Explosion Case: Monserrate Shirley, Mark And Bob Leonard Due In Indianapolis Court

By CHARLES WILSON ~ AP

INDIANAPOLIS — Residents whose Indianapolis homes were battered by a gas explosion and relatives of a couple who were killed packed a court hearing Monday for the three suspects charged with rigging the blast.

The crowd watched in grim silence as a Marion County judge entered not guilty pleas for Monserrate Shirley, her boyfriend Mark Leonard, and his brother, Bob Leonard. They are charged with murder, arson and other counts in the Nov. 10 blast.

The three, who appeared in court in orange jail jumpsuits and handcuffs, were ordered held without bond. Prosecutors say Shirley and the Leonard brothers deliberately blew up her home so they could collect the insurance payout.

The fiery blast destroyed five homes, including Shirley's, and damaged dozens of others in the Richmond Hill subdivision in the far south side of the city. The explosion killed Shirley's next-door neighbors, John Dion Longworth, a 34-year-old electronics expert, and his 36-year-old wife, second-grade teacher Jennifer Longworth. Shirley and Mark Leonard told investigators they were at a southern Indiana casino at the time of the blast.

John Dion Longworth's aunt, Pam Mosser, a psychiatric nurse who attended the hearing on the back of a 16-hour shift, said it is important for people to know how her family suffered while the suspects apparently gave no thought for their neighbors' lives.

"Dion and Jennifer died suffering and screaming. It is unbelievable to me that someone could be gambling and drinking while their house blows up and people are dying," Mosser told reporters after the hearing.

"I cannot forgive that," she said.

Shirley, 47, was facing mounting financial woes, including $63,000 in credit card debt and bankruptcy proceedings, court documents say. And a friend of Mark Leonard's told investigators that Leonard said he had lost about $10,000 at a casino some three weeks before the explosion. The home's original loan was for $116,000 and a second mortgage was taken out on the home for $65,000, the affidavit says.

Mark Leonard told the judge he couldn't pay for an attorney because all his cash was inside Shirley's house when it blew up, leaving him with about $500 in a checking account.

"All my money, all of it, it's gone," he said. "I had money in the house and it's not there anymore."

The judge appointed public defenders for the Leonards. Those attorneys did not return phone calls seeking comment.

Randall Cable, Shirley's attorney, declined comment when reached by phone after the hearing.

Shirley and the Leonard brothers face two counts of murder as well as 33 counts of arson – one count for each of the homes damaged so badly that officials have ordered their demolition.

Shirley and Mark Leonard, 43, also face two counts of conspiracy to commit arson, while Bob Leonard, 54, faces a single count. The conspiracy charges stem from a failed explosion that prosecutors claim the trio had attempted the weekend before the successful timed blast.

Prosecutor Terry Curry has said he will consider seeking the death penalty. A trial for all three suspects was scheduled for March 4.

"I think they should die a horrible death," Mosser said. "And it's terrible to have these feelings."

Investigators believe the suspects removed a gas fireplace valve and a gas line regulator in Shirley's house that subsequently filled up with gas. They have said a microwave, apparently set to start on a timer, sparked the explosion.

Reporters were positioned in the jury box so that the small courtroom could accommodate the 30 or so members of the public who squeezed in to observe the initial hearing. Richmond Hills resident Barry Chipman said neighbors remained fearful of loud noises more than a month after the blast. He said he was driving with his teenage daughter recently when he popped the gum he was chewing and it "made her jump." A few minutes later, he said, she did the same, startling him.

"Everybody's still jumpy," he said.