As trial proceeds, life in Richmond Hill goes on
The Fourth of July weekend in Richmond Hill, like so many other neighborhoods in Indianapolis, is a little slice of Americana.
Red, white and blue tinsel strewn on the fence near the entrance. American flags, mounted on the sides of houses, flapping gently in the breeze. Lawn mowers humming. Kids in bathing suits running barefoot up the sidewalks to the communal pool. Summer flowers in bloom.
Two and a half years after the explosion that redefined the neighborhood, the signs of the November 2012 blast are harder to discern. A few vacant lots, including one at the epicenter, are about the only visible hints.
About 80 residents affected by the explosion have made the 150-mile trek to South Bend to testify about their losses in the court where Mark Leonard is on trial for what his own attorney called "the arson scheme that went horribly wrong." Several declined interview requests, pointing to the subpoenas they remain under for testimony or concern about interfering with the trial.
But many have been following reports from the trial, which last week saw Monserrate Shirley, a neighbor some here knew as "Moncy," testify how she was at least a tacit participant in three attempts to burn down her own house — the final attempt resulting in a gas explosion that killed two neighbors and damaged or destroyed more than 80 homes.
Some neighbors — haunted by memories of the blast or motivated for other reasons — have already moved elsewhere. Some are getting their homes ready for sale.
Others, such as Vicky Koerner, say they are doubling down on Richmond Hill. She not only built a new home where her old one stood, but Koerner, a real estate broker who says home values are increasing in the neighborhood, bought a lot adjacent to the blast sight where a house was destroyed with the intention of building a new home to sell.
Koerner says there are aspects of the blast that will linger with her forever. Such as how her son survived, even though he was driving through the area at the time of the explosion; how her daughter survived the shower of glass that rained down on her in the living room; the deaths of neighbors John Dion and Jennifer Longworth.
In testimony last week, Shirley, who had lived in the neighborhood since 2003, said she was driven by love to follow Leonard's plan for what she said was billed to her as only "a small fire" to destroy the house. But she also told how she helped remove sentimental items from the house for safe keeping and how she went ahead with the plan even after one of the conspirators said what she considered a joke — that they would "destroy the whole neighborhood."
Koerner said she wants justice in how the accused are dealt with. And she was surprised when she heard, from the court proceedings, that the explosion occurred on the conspirators' third attempt to destroy the house. "Really? There was an opportunity to get out of it,' " she said. "I don't care how much you loved him."
But Koerner said she's unwilling to concede to bitterness.
"My heart still hurts for the Longworth family. Two people died. That's still hard for me to wrap my mind around because my kids are alive and I have a new house," she said. "But I think it would be a slap in God's face if I did not continue to be thankful."
Kristine Guerra contributed to this report. Call Robert King at (317) 444-6089. Follow him on Twitter at @RbtKing.
A Quick Update on the Richmond Hill Trial
The basics:
Mark Leonard's trial in St. Joseph County, where it was moved in search of a fair jury, enters its fifth week Monday. All but 30 of the state's 175 witnesses have testified. Prosecutors say they will rest their case Wednesday or Thursday. Jurors likely will begin deliberating July 13.
The conflicts:
Leonard's defense team has accused prosecutors of misconduct and deliberately not disclosing evidence to them on more than one occasion. St. Joseph Superior Court Judge John Marnocha has denied three motions for mistrial by Leonard's attorneys.
The key witness:
Monserrate Shirley, Leonard's ex-girlfriend and co-defendant, testified Wednesday. She spent a full day on the witness stand. Shirley said she was madly in love with Leonard and couldn't find the will to say "no" to him despite an arson for insurance plot she found "crazy." Her main message: Mark Leonard orchestrated the destruction of her house and, ultimately, much of the neighborhood.
— Kristine Guerra, Robert King
