Murder charges filed in Indiana house explosion

Indiana prosecutors on Friday charged three people with murder, alleging they intentionally blew up an Indianapolis house -- a massive explosion that tore through the neighborhood and killed a couple living next door.

Monserrate Shirley, who owned the house, her boyfriend, Mark Leonard, and his brother, Bob Leonard, were arrested Friday morning, six weeks after the blast rocked the Richmond Hill subdivision, leaving 33 houses so damaged that they had to be razed.

Marion County Prosecutor Terry Curry told reporters Friday that investigators believe the Nov. 10 explosion at Shirley’s home was started in a microwave oven. He said the house had been filling with gas for hours.

The blast damaged most of the homes in the subdivision, blowing open doors and forcing residents in the 126-house neighborhood to evacuate. Killed were Dion and Jennifer Longworth, who lived next door. The explosion also injured 12 people and caused an estimated $4 million in damage.

The trio has also been charged with multiple counts of arson and one count of conspiracy to commit arson. Both Shirley and her boyfriend are charged with an additional count of conspiracy to commit arson, for what prosecutors allege was an earlier failed attempt to blow up Shirley’s house.

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