Hundreds of pieces of evidence shown to Richmond Hill jurors

SOUTH BEND, Ind (WISH) – In the trial for Mark Leonard, prosecutors are laying out even more evidence found at the scene of the Richmond Hill explosion.

In day two of week three of testimony, the prosecution team brought in again, pile after pile of evidence to show jurors. As of 5 PM Tuesday, jurors had seen nearly 400 items of evidence, and more than 1800 exhibits.

Mark Leonard is accused, along with others, of blowing up his girlfriend Monserrate Shirley’s home to collect insurance money. The blast killed Jennifer and Dion Longworth, and damaged or destroyed at least 80 homes.

Prosecutors say Leonard and others sparked the explosion with a microwave and cylinder, and allowed gas to seep into the home by removing a key piece of the gas system from Monserrate Shirley’s home, the regulator, and allowing gas to fill the house through the gas fireplace.

Lisa Liebig was a crime scene specialist for Marion County in 2012, and she processed and photographed most of the items found in the large debris field after the explosion.

Liebig again took the stand Tuesday, as she did Monday, walking jurors carefully through each item, everything from door lock packaging, television antenna, paperwork strewn about, charred wiring, a label maker, and the log rack for the fireplace and the fireplace poker.

She also showed them a burned $100 dollar a bill, a tablet, a laptop, burned wiring, batteries, car stereo and smoke detector, even a child’s locking diary.

Then, Liebig showed jurors some of the concrete samples taken from the foundation of Fieldfare Way.

Jurors also saw pictures of the water heater and furnace recovered from the Longworth’s home next door to the explosion.

They also saw a gas pipe from the Longworth home.

Then, Liebig showed jurors a valve key for a fireplace that Liebig said was found in “Dumpster Number Two” of debris.

Prosecuting attorney Mark Hollingsworth held it up and walked in front of the jury to show them that, explaining, “In it [evidence casing] we have, a gas valve key.”

You’ll remember, prosecutors say Mark Leonard and others filled the home with gas by removing a key piece of the gas system to Monserrate Shirley’s home and by letting gas fill the home through the gas fireplace. Investigators didn’t find that valve, but have said they easily found the one to the Longworth’s home.

Jurors also saw a partially burned instructional manual for a thermostat and another thermostat.

Prosecutors will work to show those came from past, failed attempts by Leonard and others to spark the explosion.

Investigators also took items from 8332 Fieldfare Way, which is across the street from 8349 Fieldfare where the explosion happened, to use for comparison purposes.

They call them “exemplars” to use to compare what they found other places. Those include a gas valve and the gas manifold. The prosecution also showed those items to jurors.

Later in the afternoon, prosecutors showed jurors a metal cylinder that was burned, but intact. Prosecuting attorney Mark Hollingsworth walked past the jury displaying the metal cylinder that was intact even after the explosion.

This, is a different cylinder than the one prosecutors say aided in sparking the explosion. Prosecutors later will work to prove the explosion was sparked using a microwave and a metal cylinder that exploded apart from the force.

Later in the afternoon, Liebig showed jurors everything from a remote control, flattened rusted metal can, road flare, and that metal cylinder they showed jurors was burned but intact.

She also showed them a pizza pan part, car insurance card, a prescription bottle, also receipts from various jewelry stores that said John and Monserrate Shirley’s names on them.

They also showed them multiple boxes of matches, all appearing to not have been burned.

As the afternoon wore on into the evening, the prosecution pushed on with the photos and evidence, showing jurors even more items investigators had recovered from the scene.

They found a round light fixture, a charred hair dryer, a white table lamp, and a maroon candle.

They also showed jurors where investigators took carpet padding samples from above the foundation in the living room at 8349 Fieldfare Way, where the explosion occurred.

They also saw a number of checkbook items from Mastercraft Restoration, which is the business investigators say Monserrate Shirley owned, and Mark Leonard started.

Even the baby book for Monserrate Shirley’s daughter was found in the debris and labeled as evidence.

Prosecutors also pulled out those wooden beams we’d seen them bring in. Those were some of the wall studs removed from 8349 Fieldfare Way.

Liebig also testified that on December 10, 2013, they moved the evidence to storage pods from the trailer truck where it had been stored.

Defense attorneys at that point started their cross-examination.

Defense attorney David Shircliff asked Liebig about the front door she’d taken to process from Monserrate Shirley’s home.

He asked her if that had a match on it.

She said she didn’t do the DNA testing, but she’d heard it matched Bob Leonard.

Bob Leonard is Mark Leonard’s half-brother who also faces charges in the explosion.

Tuesday was expected to begin with an evidentiary hearing before the jury was brought out, but the witness, Dr. David Sheppard, was not yet in town due to weather.

Dr. Sheppard told attorneys he’d made a miscalculation when it came to gas flow, and the defense wanted to speak with him again before he testified. Sheppard was expected to arrive in South Bend Tuesday afternoon.

Judge John Marnocha spoke pointedly to attorneys after hearing about the delay, saying saying, essentially, he wished someone would have already spoken to the witness before this moment about this testimony. The judge explained, I don’t know why somebody from each team couldn’t have already talked to this witness.

He spoke to attorneys about not delaying the trial, saying he’d changed his summer schedule to fit in this trial, and told attorneys they need to fit into his schedule, explaining “I’m not going to fit into your schedule.”

He said, “every day we could lose a juror.”

He quoted, “It’s time to get er done.”