A woman who conspired to blow up her home so she could collect an insurance payout has been sentenced to 50 years in prison.
Monserrate Shirley was found guilty of arson following an investigation into a 2012 explosion in her Indianapolis home, which killed two neighbors in an ensuing fire, and damaged nearby homes.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Shirley conspired with her then boyfriend Mark Leonard and his brother to blow up her home to claim $300,000 in insurance. She later testified against her co-conspirators who now face life sentences without parole. The two were charged with murder, arson and insurance fraud. Shirley was herself charged with murder, which was later dropped as part of her plea bargain.
Two other individuals involved in the failed scam have been charged as well.
Marion County Superior Court judge Sheila Carlisle sentenced Shirley to the maximum term as penalty for her offenses after she entered a guilty plea during the proceedings.
