NEWS

Richmond Hill hit man trial on tap Monday

Prosecutor: "Mr. Leonard believed he would be immediately released upon the death" of the witness in Richmond Hill bombing probe.

Tim Evans
tim.evans@indystar.com
Mark Leonard is facing trial Monday on a charge of conspiracy to commit murder for attempting to hire a hit man to kill a witness in the Richmond Hill explosion case.

Mark Leonard, who is serving two life sentences stemming from his role in the the November 2012 explosion that killed two people and damaged more than 80 homes in the Richmond HIll neighborhood on Indy's southeast side, is scheduled to face trial Monday on a charge of conspiracy to commit murder.

The felony charge relates to an alleged murder-for-hire scheme Leonard attempted to orchestrate from jail after his arrest on charges in the deadly explosion. Prosecutors contend Leonard wanted someone to kill a key witness in the bombing case.

Leonard, who is appealing his convictions in the explosion case, faces an additional 20 to 50 years if convicted of the conspiracy to commit murder.

Authorities said Leonard's attempt to hire a hit man was discovered when the person a jailhouse informant directed Leonard to for help turned out to be an undercover federal agent. Leonard's conversations on a jail telephone with the purported hit man were recorded.

Marion County Prosecutor Terry Curry said when the charge was filed in 2013 that Leonard plotted from his jail cell to pay a person he thought was a hit man $15,000 to carry out the plan. The hit man would have received a $5,000 bonus if he could force the witness to call 911 and say he had lied about information he previously gave to investigators about the explosion, Curry said.

Leonard also wanted the hired killer to make the death look like a suicide, the prosecutor said.

"Mr. Leonard believed he would be immediately released upon the death" of the witness, Curry said at the time charges were filed.

In an earlier court hearing, Jeremy Godsave, a special agent for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, testified that he posed as "Jay," the hit man who was supposed to kill the witness. In two phone conversations played in court, Leonard can be heard talking to "Jay" about a map he drew for him and giving him directions to the home of the witness, including information about his car and neighbors. Leonard told "Jay" to use the back door to get in, according to the audio.

In the audio of the second phone conversation, Leonard can be heard telling "Jay," "I want (the witness) to say, 'I did not mean to frame Mark and Moncie for their own house in Richmond Hills.'" "Moncie" was Leonard's former girlfriend, Monserrate Shirley, who owned the house Leonard blew up in a scheme to collect insurance money.

Shirley was accused of plotting with Leonard, his half-brother Robert Leonard, and their friend, Gary Thompson, to blow up the home. She was sentenced in December to 50 years in prison.

The Leonard brothers are serving life sentences without parole after their convictions on murder, arson and other charges.

Thompson is serving a 20-year prison sentence.

Another friend of Leonard, Glenn Hults, pleaded guilty to a felony for failing to call police after he learned of the plot. He was sentenced in December to serve 1½ years in either prison or jail and six months in a work release program in the custody of Marion County Community Corrections,.

IndyStar reporter Madeline Buckley contributed to this story.

Call IndyStar reporter Tim Evans at (317) 444-6204 or tim.evans@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter: @starwatchtim.

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