'I can't die until Purdue wins one': Boilermakers fan, 92, has waited 80 years for NCAA title
PUBLIC SAFETY

Richmond Hill verdict: Bob Leonard Jr. guilty of 51 counts

Half brother of Mark Leonard is found guilty on all charges in the conspiracy to blow up a home for insurance money, including two counts of murder.

Kristine Guerra
kristine.guerra@indystar.com
Bob Leonard Jr.

FORT WAYNE — Bob Leonard Jr. took off his glasses and shook his head as the verdicts in the Richmond Hill explosion trial were read: guilty on all 51 charges.

A jury of seven men and five women found Leonard, 57, guilty in an arson and insurance fraud scheme that resulted in two deaths, multiple injuries and millions of dollars in property damage.

Leonard was convicted of two counts of murder, two counts of felony murder and multiple counts of arson. The verdict comes about six months after a St. Joseph County jury convicted his younger half brother, Mark Leonard, of the same crimes and a little more than three years since the massive, fatal explosion in the neighborhood on Indianapolis' southeast side. Mark Leonard, 46, is serving a life sentence — a fate that awaits his half brother.

"It's a lot of hard work that's been validated by the jury," Marion County Deputy Prosecutor Denise Robinson said Wednesday. "Hearing the guilty verdicts sort of resolidifies for us why we do this."

Prosecutors said the Leonard brothers; Mark Leonard's ex-girlfriend, Monserrate Shirley; and Mark Leonard's former employee, Gary Thompson, conspired to blow up Shirley's home in the Richmond Hill subdivision to collect $300,000 in insurance money.

Bob Leonard's defense attorney, Ted Minch, said prosecutors were unsuccessful in connecting his client to the conspiracy and placing him in the Richmond Hill subdivision on the day and night of the blast.

Minch said he stands by his arguments. He's disappointed, he said, but he respects the jury's decision.

"The jury's verdict is what it is," Minch said. "We respect (the jurors') opinions."

The explosion on Nov. 10, 2012, killed Shirley's next-door neighbors, John Dion and Jennifer Longworth, injured a dozen others and damaged or destroyed more than 80 homes. Prosecutors said the suspects pumped an excessive amount of natural gas into Shirley's home at 8349 Fieldfare Way and ignited the explosion with a timing device on a microwave oven.

Richmond Hill explosion suspect Bob Leonard awaits his fate

Robinson said prosecutors needed only to prove that Bob Leonard took part in some of the alleged conduct and had knowledge of the conspiracy. Under Indiana law, a person who aids, induces or causes a crime commits that crime. Robinson also said "overwhelming" circumstantial evidence supports the state's claims.

"This is a conspiracy," Marion County Deputy Prosecutor Mark Hollingsworth said. "The act of one is the act of all."

After a little more than four hours of deliberation, the jury agreed with prosecutors.

Casey Schafer, one of the jurors, said there was a lot of damning evidence against Bob Leonard. That includes testimony from Arthur Kirkpatrick, the owner of a Southside bar who testified that the Leonard brothers went to his bar the night before the blast, asking about natural gas. Bob Leonard's DNA also was found on the door of Shirley's home. Prosecutors alleged he went to the house on the day of the explosion.

John Longworth, Dion Longworth's father, said the guilty verdicts provide some relief, but he isn't celebrating.

"It's sad that somebody would throw away their life for a little bit of money. … The trials don't mean a whole lot. It's missing Dion and Jennifer," he said, his voice shaking. "I miss them every day."

Allen Superior Court Judge Frances Gull also ruled Wednesday that Bob Leonard is eligible for life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. She said prosecutors were able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt the aggravating factors to justify such a sentence.

Mark Leonard, the convicted mastermind of the arson scheme, was sentenced to two life sentences in the Indiana State Prison.

Before Gull made her decision, a recording of Dion Longworth's last minutes alive was played in court. The recording came from Xfinity, which received a burglar alarm after the Longworths' home caught fire and collapsed.

John Longworth, father of victim John Dion Longworth, spoke to reporters after one of the Richmond Hill explosion suspects, Bob Leonard Jr., was convicted on Feb. 24, 2016, in Allen Superior Court.

Dion Longworth, who was trapped in his home's basement, can be heard screaming and breathing heavily as he begged for help.

"I think my house just blew up!" he told the phone operator. "I can't get outside. I'm trapped. … I need help. … Please hurry!"

"I'm right here!" Dion Longworth can be heard yelling to firefighters. "My wife's on the second floor."

Jennifer Longworth was killed instantly. Dion burned to death.

Robinson, the lead prosecutor, said she thinks it was important for the judge to hear the recording.

"That tape is one of the most chilling things I've ever heard," Robinson told reporters. "It's just as impactful today as it was three years ago."

The prosecution team spent 16 days questioning about 150 witnesses in Allen Superior Court in Fort Wayne, where the trial was moved because of heavy pretrial publicity in Marion County. Leonard's defense attorneys rested their case after a half-hour of questioning on Friday.

Marion County Prosecutor Terry Curry said the verdict is another step toward "a long journey for the families of Dion and Jennifer Longworth and for the victims and neighbors of Richmond Hill."

"We will continue to pursue our pledge to bring justice for the residents of Richmond Hill as the final pending cases are prosecuted," Curry said in a statement.

Bob Leonard's trial started on Jan. 19 and lasted about five weeks. Minch said Bob Leonard, who has maintained his innocence, will appeal his conviction. He's scheduled for a sentencing hearing on March 18.

Shirley, who testified in both of the Leonard brothers' trials, pleaded guilty to lesser arson conspiracy charges and is facing a sentence of 20 to 50 years. Other co-defendants, Thompson and Glenn Hults, Mark Leonard's friend, are awaiting trial in Marion County. Robinson said there's no indication that those trials will be moved.

Call IndyStar reporter Kristine Guerra at (317) 444-6209. Follow her on Twitter: @kristine_guerra.

Richmond Hill: Conspiracy accusation key to 2nd trial

Monserrate Shirley: Bob Leonard was promised $10K for Richmond Hill home explosion

Bob Leonard does not testify at his Richmond Hill trial