The interior of Bernice Novack's car. Narcy Novack, his wife, was convicted of orchestrating the slaying in addition to killing his mother. Brunette Narcy Novaks relationship with the influential married rabbi is revealed for the first time by best-selling author John Glatt who has investigated the the brutal killing of Ben Novak Jr a close friend of Frank Sinatra -- and his 86-year-old mother Bernice. "I spoke to one and that was it," she said, referring to the Herald's story. Family Affair, Part 2. She was Ben Novack's READ: How a reporter uncovered the murder of Miami matriarch Bernice Novack. The duo's defense was to blame Narcy's only daughter from a previous marriage, May Abad, for having orchestrated the killings, stating that she was motivated to collect on Ben Novack Jr.'s estate, including a large collection of Batman memorabilia. On July 10, Mr. Gonzalez and a co-conspirator scouted out the hotel in preparation for the attack, prosecutors say. On April 5, 2009, Ben's 87-year-old mother, Bernice (December 2, 1921 - April 4, 2009), was found dead in her Fort Lauderdale, Florida garage. By Annette Witheridge But as investigators would soon uncover, Ben Novack had an appetite for other women. However, over the length of time I became associated as the reporter on this story, more and more people came forward to share with me their stories about the Novack family. 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Browse 1,047,759 murders_of_bernice_and_ben_novack,_jr. Had he known she had been murdered, he may have hired a bodyguard or, at the very least, been more vigilant about his safety. They both slept with loaded guns under their pillows. First published on June 11, 2012 / 11:27 PM. 'Much of the stuff went missing but detectives followed the trail through to the rabbi and his network of orthodox associates.' Ben dealt only in cash and Narcy was the same. (Courtesy of United States Attorney?s Office, Narcy Novack found guilty of orchestrating killing of her hotel heir In accordance with the slayer rule, Narcy Novack is ineligible to inherit her husband's estate. Narcy Novack Trial: Prosecutor Calls Murder Of Ben Novack Jr. 'A He had his own suite at the hotel. When reached by ABCNews.com in Florida, Abad said she was no longer speaking about the entire saga. Narcy Novack, his wife, was convicted of orchestrating the slaying in addition to killing his mother. 'She was a cold, calculating woman. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Dying to Belong 102: Narcy Novack. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Months later, detectives were able to tie Narcy and her older brother along with two hired hitmen to Ben Novack's killing. However, Narcy Novack emphatically denied involvement in the murder. The Spanish actress Paz Vega plays his wife, Narcy, who was sentenced to life in prison for orchestrating the murder. Love, money, death, strippers. "I think she she knew she was gonna be replaced," Carpentier added. [2] Her death was initially ruled to be the result of an accidental fall while trying to get out of her car in her garage,[3] but after her son's murder three months later, a subsequent police investigation revealed that her death was a homicide. Rebecca Bliss, formerly known as Mona Love, was all over the Internet. Guests of the hotel can check out the staircase to this day as it has been preserved and refurbished. Her brother, Cristbal Vliz, was also accused of enlisting Alejandro Gutirrez-Garca, Joel Gonzlez, and Denis Ramrez to participate in both murders. We found $390,000 in cash in the Florida house and they kept safe deposit boxes everywhere. had never witnessed a crime scene as gruesome, emphatically denied involvement in the murder. presented as evidence in the court On July 12, 2009, three months after Bernice's death, Ben Novack Jr., 53, Bernice's only child, and heir to the hotel fortune, was slain execution-style at the Rye Town Hilton hotel in Rye Brook . Three days after Ben was killed in Rye Brook, New York, Narcy and her daughter flew back to Fort Lauderdale on separate flights. He also bought her a toy poodle, she said, and a new cellphone account so she could drop the escort number. 2 men found drugged after leaving NYC gay bars were killed, medical examiner says. Incidentally, the kids helped the investigation by volunteering that the gunshots took place before the glass-breaking Bosley did to fake the intruder scenario. On Monday, the woman, Narcy Novack, 54, went on trial in a White Plains, N.Y., courtroom on federal charges stemming from the July 2009 death of her 53-year-old husband, Ben Novack Jr. Aug. 19, 2009— -- The discovery of the body of a wealthy Florida businessman and hotel heir has turned out to be only the beginning of what has become a multi-state investigation involving reports of kinky sex, catfights and Batman comic books. After that, she said, We got a lot closer, and we talked almost every day.. [5] At the time of his death, he was having an affair with porn actress Rebecca Bliss. And we are likely to have a verdict by the end of the week. Lauderdale. He wanted a divorce. There was blood in her car and a trail of droplets through the house. It was she who would find her husband's body: lying face down on the floor of his hotel room, in his underwear, his face covered in duct tape, his arms taped behind his back and his legs taped below his knees. Ben Novack Jr.'s estate, valued at $4.2 million, is expected to go to Novack's daughter, May Abad, and Abad's two sons. This private estate served as a great backdrop for Scarface filming. He was sitting on the beach, a scarf around his neck floating in the breeze. Personal Photo via CBS (CBS/AP) WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. - A hit man was sentenced Thursday to more than 17 years behind bars for killing Ben . There are secrets that have never been able to fit into the hundreds of stories that made it into print. One report by CRED iQ, a commercial real estate analytics and valuation firm, estimates that the Fontainebleau is now worth just under $1 billion if occupancy doesnt recover to 80% until 2025. She told me there were a lot of other girls and I wasn't the only one., Bliss said Narcy Novack offered her $10,000 to break off the affair, which Bliss turned down. 'Once Ben called police accusing Narcy of pistol-whipping him and holding him hostage for 28 hours while she ransacked the house looking for cash,' he said. She left an ex-husband and daughter, now 15, in Michigan, and is currently facing charges there of drunken driving and failing to pay child support, she said. Set on a vast wall was a large oil painting of her son, Ben Novack Jr., painted when he was about 20 years old. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Please enter valid email address to continue. An 18-page police report filed days after the incident detailed a marriage with a history of alleged violence and steamy secrets, according to The Associated Press. She was a very jealous woman," a family friend said. MIAMI (CBS4) - From the start, the Narcy Novack murder trial has been a family affair. Julie K. Brown - The Miami Herald. Later it would be learned that his killers had cut out his eyes. The . Jewish hotel heir's murder sparks Miami feud - Haaretz.com But the Miami Herald reported that Abad has since challenged Novack's will, which left everything to Narcy Novack. At one point, they called my editor to berate me for harassing them with too many questions. Garcia, 35, a Nicaraguan immigrant, faces deportation after his sentence is served. ', From a prison cell to driving Rolls-Royces and hanging out with movie stars: How the Wolves of Wall Street are on top of the world after being released from prison over $200million fraud, Mother 'watched as her boyfriend smothered their baby then they put limp infant back in playpen and had sex', Former high school librarian and prison chief arrested in plot to 'kidnap, cook and EAT women and children', 'If it can happen to my daughter it can happen to anyone': Mother of Audrie Pott who committed suicide after alleged sexual assault bravely speaks out for the first time about her death. Paradise Lost: Crime in Miami is a conversation between friends, both South Florida natives, about the notorious true crime cases that have occurred in their home state. The photographs of the crime scene were almost embarrassingly inadequate. Police learned from Ben Novack's wife, Narcy Novack, that she and her husband were at the hotel all weekend, running a large Amway convention. I was being patient, being his girlfriend, she said. [2] Her death was initially ruled to be the result of an accidental fall while trying to get out of her car in . But his luxurious, celebrity-studded lifestyle would ironically end in another hotel roomwhere the police found him bound up in duct tape, beaten to death. "She called me, screaming at me. It included names of suspects and details that no one else would have known so early in the case. In some ways, his portrayal of Ben Novack Jr., the real-life . "He would tell me he loved me every day.". Three months later, Novack Jr. was found beaten to death in a hotel in Rye . The luxurious Estate Coral Gables in Miami, where Tony starts to live after becoming a kingpin, was recreated at the El Fureidis, a Mediterranean Villa located at 631 Para Grande Lane. Alex Murdaugh sentenced to life in prison for murders of wife and son, Biden had cancerous skin lesion removed last month, doctor says, White supremacist and Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes kicked out of CPAC, Tom Sizemore, actor known for "Saving Private Ryan" and "Heat," dies at 61, Biden team readies new advisory panel ahead of expected reelection bid, House Democrats unhappy with White House handling of D.C.'s new criminal code, Vast majority of U.S. homes are unaffordable to the average buyer. NR. Ben Novack Jr. had a successful travel company. Ben Novack Sr. had very little to do with his adopted son . 'But the marriage was always volatile and towards the end it had become downright dangerous. It was a horrible murder, as Bernice did not go quietly. If he died, however, his entire $10 million estate would be bequeathed to her, according to the Associated Press. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! 'The Novak family is Miami Beach royalty. "Dateline NBC" Family Affair (TV Episode 2012) - IMDb Ben Novack married Narcy, a former stripper from Ecuador, in 1991, according to the Journal News. December 14, 2019 2:00am-3:00am PST - Internet Archive Bernice (Stempel) Novack, 87, formerly of Miami Beach FL, passed away in her Ft. Lauderdale home on April 4, 2009. In this undated image provided by the Rye Brook Police Dept., Ben Novack Jr. is seen. As soon as he married Narcy, their relationshipwas volatile from the start, according to Glatt. A cemetery posted a personal ad for a goose whose mate died. Narcy Novack was said to be at least somewhat involved in her husband's business affairs, although Abad told the Miami Herald it was she, not her mother, who helped run Convention Concepts Unlimited. Please enter valid email address to continue. Murders of Bernice and Ben Novack Jr. - Wikipedia Garcia's attorney, Susanne Brody, asked Judge Kenneth Karas for a 15-year sentence, saying the information he provided investigators was "harrowing, extraordinary, frightening and detailed. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Please offer your thoughts in the comments section below First published on January 25, 2013 / 10:01 PM. Wills, Trusts & Estates Prof Blog - Typepad 'At first police believed Bernices death was an accidental fall but after Bens murder three months later they dug deeper and discovered her head had been smashed in with a monkey wrench. More than five years after Bens death, the fight for his fortune still continues. Patrick Hart told ABCNews.com that a report was not filed and that he did not have any details on what sparked the fight, saying only that "it was a simple disturbance and the stepdaughter agreed to pack up her stuff and leave.". He was also the heir to a multimillion-dollar estate. Prosecutors displayed hotel and spa bills of over $3,900, paid by Ben Novack. [4], On the morning of July 12, 2009, her son, who was 53, was found bludgeoned and suffocated to death in the penthouse suite at the Hilton Hotel in Rye Brook, New York. A year later, she and her brother were also indicted for Bernice's murder. Homeless drifter turns out to be heir to Novack fortune >> the kids who came to the birthday party were complete strangers to . TV NEWS : Search Captions. Borrow Broadcasts : TV Archive : Internet [17][18], The story was also the basis for the 2015 made-for-television Lifetime movie Beautiful & Twisted, which starred Rob Lowe as Ben Novack Jr., Paz Vega as Narcy, and Candice Bergen as Bernice Novack.[19][20]. its day. Associated Press Garcia then enlisted an employee at the car wash Joel Gonzales to help him murder Ben Novack at the Rye Town Hilton. , updated How a reporter uncovered the murder of a Miami matriarch 'Narcy showed police her husbands sick photo collection of naked amputees. Southern District of No one has ever written a history of the Fontainebleau, arguably, the most famous hotel in the world, or its unusual cast of characters and its stubborn builder, Ben Novack Sr. My book is about an extraordinary family: brilliant, wildly foolish, eccentric and dysfunctional, whose lives all ended either tragically, violently or forgotten to history. As May leaves, Narcy and her niece go back into the guest house and begin hauling May's belongings out. Given Novack's financial status, his wife 53-year-old former stripper Narcy Novack told detectives the slaying might have been the result of a robbery gone wrong. In the hours after the murder of Ben Novack, detectives were talking to as many people as they could. Bliss testified for the prosecution at the federal murder trial of Novack's wife, Narcy Novack, who is accused of arranging the separate 2009 killings of her husband and his mother, Bernice. I loved my husband. "Narcy always suspected Ben of cheating. Her beating death, authorities later announced, was part of a wider plot orchestrated by Narcy, who allegedly enlisted her brother and a contingent of other unsavory people to kill her husband and mother-in-law so that she could inherit the family fortune. The Boys & Girls Club will host a blood drive Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the clubhouse, located at 26301 Garbani Road. Glatt discovered Narcy had waged a campaign against the porn star even telling the landlord of the love nest Ben had set her up in that he was dead and would not be paying any more rent. As police began their investigation, they soon learned their victim came from a fascinating background -- his parents once owned the famous Fontainebleau Hotel, once the hottest spot on Miami Beach in the swinging 1960s.