Murders of Bernice and Ben Novack Jr.

Ben Novack Jr. working with security at a desk in the lobby of the Fontainebleau in 1972

In 2009, Bernice Novack and her son, Fontainebleau Miami Beach hotel heir Ben Novack Jr., were murdered three months apart. Narcy Novack (née Narcisa Véliz Pacheco; born 1956), Ben's estranged wife was convicted of orchestrating the murders, and after a highly publicized trial was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.[1]

Crimes

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. Her husband Ben Novack Sr., who built the hotel and owned it until 1977, had died in 1985.[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.[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. He was bound with duct tape and his eyes were gouged out.[5] At the time of his death, he was having an affair with porn actress Rebecca E. Bliss (1976-2023). He was also the heir to a multimillion-dollar estate.[6]

Trial

Narcy Novack, from Fort Lauderdale,[7] was arrested for the murders of her husband and mother-in-law in July 2010, three days shy of a year after her husband's death. Her brother, Cristóbal Véliz, was also accused of enlisting Alejandro Gutiérrez-García, Joel González, and Denis Ramírez to participate in both murders.[8]

Narcy Novack and Cristóbal Véliz were tried together in a federal courtroom in White Plains, New York in 2012. 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.[9] Prosecutors alleged that Narcy was afraid that her husband would leave her for his mistress, and that a prenuptial agreement would only leave her $65,000 instead of the bulk of her late husband's estate.[10] They claimed she was motivated by "hatred, greed, and vengeance."[9]

Verdict

At the conclusion of the trial, Narcy and Veliz were each convicted of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, domestic violence, stalking, money laundering, and witness tampering. Narcy waived her right to appear in court when the guilty verdict was read. She also did not appear in court when she was sentenced to life in prison without parole.[9] Novack is currently incarcerated at the Federal Correctional Institution Tallahassee in Tallahassee, Florida.[11] Véliz was also sentenced to life in prison without parole and he is currently incarcerated at the United States Penitentiary, Big Sandy in Inez, Kentucky.[11] Gutiérrez-García, González, and Ramírez all pleaded guilty to lesser charges.

In accordance with the slayer rule, Narcy Novack is ineligible to inherit her husband's estate. 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.[6]

In the media

The Novack murders have been televised on several programs including Deadly Rich, My Dirty Little Secret (ID),[12] 48 Hours,[13] Dateline NBC,[10] Snapped,[14] True Crime with Aphrodite Jones[15][16] and Dying to Belong.[17][18]

The story was also the basis for the 2015 made-for-television Lifetime movie Beautiful & Twisted, directed by Christopher Zalla and starring Rob Lowe as Ben Novack Jr., Paz Vega as Narcy, and Candice Bergen as Bernice Novack.[19][20]

References

  1. ^ "Narcy Novack, brother guilty of plotting murders". Retrieved January 5, 2019.
  2. ^ "Ben Novack Sr., 78, Is Dead; Founder of Fontainebleau". Associated Press. MIAMI BEACH, FL.: The New York Times Company. The New York Times. April 7, 1985. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
  3. ^ "Bernice Novack, former model and wife of Fontainebleau hotelier".
  4. ^ "Bernice Novack case shows coroner, police aren't perfect". July 19, 2010. Archived from the original on 2014-07-14. Retrieved 2013-07-12.
  5. ^ WEISENSEE EGAN, NICOLE (May 14, 2012). "Ben Novack Jr. Murder: Wife on Trial". PEOPLE.com. Time Inc. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
  6. ^ a b "Narcy Novack case: Daughter poised to inherit multimillion dollar estate (NY/FL)". Retrieved January 5, 2019.
  7. ^ "Narcy Novack Sentenced To Life In Family Killings Case". December 17, 2012. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  8. ^ "Widow Arrested in Murder of Ben Novack Jr., son of Miami Hotel Legend". Retrieved January 5, 2019.
  9. ^ a b c "Narcy Novack Sentenced To Life In Family Killings Case".
  10. ^ a b "NBC Dateline showcases millionaire murder". September 7, 2012. Archived from the original on 2014-02-22. Retrieved 2013-07-12.
  11. ^ a b "Narcy Novack back in court to fight for marital assets".
  12. ^ "My Dirty Little Secret, Season 2, Episode 2: "The Stripper's Secrets"". TVGuide.com. January 8, 2014. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
  13. ^ "48 Hours preview: Crazy Love". CBS News. January 25, 2013. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
  14. ^ "Snapped: Episode Info". Archived from the original on 2014-02-28. Retrieved 2013-07-12.
  15. ^ "True Crime With Aphrodite Jones S03E09".
  16. ^ "Preview: True Crime with Aphrodite Jones: "Blood Money"". YouTube. February 28, 2013. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
  17. ^ "Dying to Belong - Narcy Novack". imdb.com. August 26, 2018. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
  18. ^ "TV show chronicles Ben Novack Jr. murder". News12 Westchester. August 27, 2018. Archived from the original on September 28, 2018. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
  19. ^ "The Novack Murders". mylifetime.com. February 15, 2016. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
  20. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (July 14, 2014). "Rob Lowe, Candice Bergen, Paz Vega to Take on Narcy Novack Story for Lifetime". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 22, 2017.