Shivangi Sinha
In November 2012, a massive explosion rocked the Richmond Hill neighborhood of Indianapolis, Indiana. Residents throughout the community gathered outside as flames from one house spread and engulfed others nearby. Extensive property damage was caused, many people were injured, and Jennifer and Dion Longworth lost their lives inside their home. Their remains were found badly burned after the fire had been brought under control. What was initially believed to be an accident soon became a homicide investigation when detectives began to suspect that the explosion and fire may have been intentionally caused. Netflix’s ‘Worst Neighbor Ever: Midwest Meltdown’ details the case and the investigation that followed.
Jennifer and Dion Longworth Passed Away After Fire Exploded in the House Next to Theirs
John Dion Longworth was born to John and Elaine Longworth on June 22, 1978. He and his sisters, Emily and Brookley, were raised with a great deal of love and care, and he carried those same values with him into adulthood. As his parents separated and the families he knew became blended, Dion welcomed them all with the same affection he had for his own siblings. In 1996, he graduated from Henderson County High School in Kentucky. He later attended Purdue University at IUPUI and completed his degree in 2002. As an electronic engineer, he gained a wide range of experience and worked with companies such as Indy Audio Labs. Jennifer L. Buxton was born on January 22, 1976, to Don and Nancy Buxton. She grew up with her two brothers, Jed and Andrew, and as the only daughter in the family, she received a lot of love from those around her.
Jennifer had a gentle and kind nature that helped shape the person she became as she grew older. In 1994, she graduated from Center Grove High School. She later earned her degree from Ball State University in 1998 and went on to complete her master’s degree at Indiana Wesleyan University. Since 1998, she had been teaching at Southwest Elementary School in Greenwood. She initially joined as an aide and, by 1999, had been retained as a second-grade teacher. Jennifer was deeply involved with her students and made sure to give special attention to each of them. Jennifer and Dion began their life together as a married couple in 2001.
They settled in the Richmond Hill neighborhood of Indianapolis, Indiana, where much of Jennifer’s family lived nearby and where she was also close to her school. Dion was especially proud of the garden he maintained in his backyard and seemed to know the name of every wildflower he came across. Their idyllic life was shattered at about 11:10 pm on November 10, 2012, when a massive explosion occurred in the house next door. Both Jennifer and Dion lost their lives. Autopsy reports showed that Jennifer died instantly from the force of the explosion and a head injury. Dion became trapped in the burning basement, suffered extensive burns, and died from smoke inhalation. By the time their remains were recovered from the rubble, they had already passed away and were unrecognizable.
Jennifer and Dion Longworth’s Killer Was Motivated by Financial Gain
Investigators concluded that the fire had originated at the home of Monserrate “Moncy” Shirley. In fact, when the explosion occurred, Moncy and her boyfriend, Mark Leonard, were at the Hollywood Casino in Lawrenceburg, Indiana. Moncy’s 12-year-old daughter, Brooke, was staying with a babysitter, and their cat, Snowball, had been placed in a pet boarding facility for the weekend. Moncy and Mark arrived at the scene shortly after the explosion and seemed horrified by what they saw. However, investigators were suspicious of the sheer size of the blast. They believed it had been caused by a gas leak, and their concerns were soon confirmed. Investigators discovered that a natural gas step-down regulator had been removed from the house and replaced with a straight pipe, something they considered highly unusual.
They also did not recover any personal belongings belonging to Moncy or Mark from the rubble. Instead, they found a microwave containing a metal object, which was later determined to be the source of the fire. Detectives believed the blaze had been intentionally set and that the microwave had been placed on a timer to trigger the explosion when no one was inside the home. On November 19, they announced that they were conducting a homicide investigation. Investigators also learned that Mark and his brother, Bob Leonard, had spoken with an employee of the company that supplied natural gas to the area about the properties and behavior of natural gas.
Neighbors also reported seeing a white van outside Moncy’s house on the afternoon of November 10. Investigators later found that several items inside the van included important belongings from the house, such as photographs and financial documents. The insurance coverage on the property had also been increased to $300,000. Detectives uncovered details regarding Mark’s alleged history of financially defrauding women he had dated in the past. They further discovered that Moncy and Mark had gone to the casino, left their daughter with a babysitter, and boarded their cat the previous weekend as well. Investigators came to believe that they had attempted to blow up the house then but had been unsuccessful. Their theory was that the pair committed the crime in an effort to collect insurance money.
Monserrate “Moncy” Shirley is Behind Bars in Indiana Today
Monserrate “Moncy” Shirley was arrested in December 2012 and charged with two counts of felony murder, one count of conspiracy to commit arson, 12 counts of Class A felony arson, 33 counts of Class B felony arson, and an additional conspiracy-to-commit-arson charge. In January 2015, Moncy agreed to a plea deal. She pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to commit arson and agreed to testify against Mark and Bob Leonard. Her attorneys argued that she had been in an allegedly abusive relationship and had allegedly been coerced into going along with the plan. In December 2016, Moncy was sentenced to 50 years in prison. She is currently being held at the Madison Correctional Facility in Madison, Indiana, and will be eligible for release in 2036.
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