An attorney for a man charged in a deadly house explosion that damaged or destroyed more than 80 homes in an Indianapolis neighborhood says he never meant to cause so much damage.
Public defender Diane Black during opening statements in the trial of Mark Leonard described the 2012 blast as “a stupid and selfish insurance fraud that went horribly wrong.” Black told jurors that while the case cries out for the strongest punishment based on the result, it is their job to determine Leonard's responsibility.
Marion County Deputy Prosecutor Denise Robinson told jurors she won't argue that the deaths of two neighbors were intentional but said Leonard should have known it was a possibility. She says the case is about greed.
Leonard faces 53 charges, including murder, arson and conspiracy.
