Bernice Novack, 87, and her son, Fontainebleau Miami Beach hotel heir Ben Novack Jr., 53, were killed three months apart in 2009. Bernice's husband had built the Fontainebleau and owned it until 1977; he died in 1985, and by 2009 Bernice lived in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
On April 4, 2009, Bernice Novack died in her Fort Lauderdale, Florida, garage. Her body was found the following day. Her death was initially ruled an accidental fall sustained while she was trying to get out of her car, but after her son's murder three months later, a subsequent police investigation determined that her death had in fact been a homicide.
On the morning of July 12, 2009, Ben Novack Jr. was found bludgeoned and suffocated to death, bound with duct tape, in the penthouse suite of the Hilton Hotel in Rye Brook, New York; his eyes had been gouged out. He was heir to a multimillion-dollar estate and, at the time of his death, was having an extramarital affair.
In July 2010, about a year after her husband's death, Narcy Novack — Ben Novack Jr.'s estranged wife, of Fort Lauderdale — was arrested in connection with both killings. Her brother, Cristóbal Véliz, was accused of enlisting three other men to participate in the murders; all three later pleaded guilty to lesser charges. Prosecutors alleged that Narcy Novack feared her husband would leave her for his mistress and that a prenuptial agreement would have left her only $65,000 rather than the bulk of his estate, and that she was motivated by "hatred, greed, and vengeance." The defense argued instead that another family member had orchestrated the killings to benefit financially from the estate, an allegation prosecutors did not pursue as a charge.
Narcy Novack and Cristóbal Véliz were tried together in 2012 in federal court in White Plains, New York, and were convicted of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, domestic violence, stalking, money laundering, and witness tampering. Narcy Novack waived her right to appear in court both for the verdict and for her sentencing. On December 17, 2012, she and Véliz were each sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Novack is incarcerated at the Federal Correctional Institution Tallahassee in Florida; Véliz is incarcerated at the United States Penitentiary, Big Sandy, in Kentucky. In September 2013, Alejandro Gutiérrez-García — one of the three men who pleaded guilty to lesser charges — was sentenced to 17 years and six months in prison for the beating deaths of Ben and Bernice Novack.
Under 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 instead to his daughter from a previous relationship and her two sons.
The case received extensive true-crime television coverage and was adapted into a 2015 made-for-television film.
Bernice Novack's husband, who built the Fontainebleau Miami Beach hotel and owned it until 1977, dies.
2009-04-04
Bernice Novack, 87, dies in her Fort Lauderdale, Florida, garage; her death is initially ruled an accidental fall.
2009-04-05
Bernice Novack's body is found in her Fort Lauderdale, Florida, garage.
2009-07-12
Ben Novack Jr., 53, is found bludgeoned and suffocated to death, bound with duct tape, in the penthouse suite of the Hilton Hotel in Rye Brook, New York.
2010-07
Narcy Novack is arrested in connection with the murders of her husband and mother-in-law.
2012
Narcy Novack and her brother, Cristóbal Véliz, are tried together in federal court in White Plains, New York, and are convicted of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, domestic violence, stalking, money laundering, and witness tampering.
2012-12-17
Narcy Novack and Cristóbal Véliz are each sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
2013-09-12
Alejandro Gutiérrez-García is sentenced to 17 years and six months in prison for the beating deaths of Ben and Bernice Novack, after pleading guilty to lesser charges.
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Titles and descriptions are the creators’ own and may not reflect current legal status; see the dossier above for sourced case facts.
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The Betrayal of Ben Novack Jr
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Ben Novack Jr.
VICTIM
Fontainebleau Miami Beach hotel heir; found bludgeoned and suffocated to death, bound with duct tape, in a Hilton Hotel penthouse suite in Rye Brook, New York, on July 12, 2009.
Denis Ramírez
CONVICTED
Accused of being enlisted by Cristóbal Véliz to participate in the killings; pleaded guilty to lesser charges.
Narcy Novack
CONVICTED
Born Narcisa Véliz Pacheco (b. 1956); Ben Novack Jr.'s estranged wife. Convicted in 2012 of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, domestic violence, stalking, money laundering, and witness tampering for orchestrating the killings of her husband and mother-in-law; sentenced December 17, 2012 to life in prison without parole.
Bernice Novack
VICTIM
Ben Novack Jr.'s mother; found dead in her Fort Lauderdale, Florida, garage on April 5, 2009, one day after her recorded date of death. Her death was initially ruled an accidental fall before a later police investigation determined it was a homicide.
Alejandro Gutiérrez-García
CONVICTED
Accused of being enlisted by Cristóbal Véliz to participate in the killings; pleaded guilty to lesser charges and was sentenced in September 2013 to 17 years and six months in prison for the beating deaths of Ben and Bernice Novack.
Joel González
CONVICTED
Accused of being enlisted by Cristóbal Véliz to participate in the killings; pleaded guilty to lesser charges.
Cristóbal Véliz
CONVICTED
Narcy Novack's brother; accused of enlisting three other men to help carry out the killings. Convicted alongside Narcy Novack in 2012 of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, domestic violence, stalking, money laundering, and witness tampering; sentenced December 17, 2012 to life in prison without parole.
Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.
Bernice Novack and her son, Fontainebleau Miami Beach hotel heir Ben Novack Jr., were killed three months apart in 2009 — Bernice in her Fort Lauderdale, Florida garage and Ben in a Rye Brook, New York hotel suite. Ben's estranged wife, Narcy Novack, was convicted in 2012 of orchestrating both killings and was sentenced to life in prison without parole; her brother and three other men were also convicted or pleaded guilty for their roles.
Where did the murders happen?
Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Who was convicted?
Denis Ramírez (Accused of being enlisted by Cristóbal Véliz to participate in the killings; pleaded guilty to lesser charges.), Narcy Novack (Born Narcisa Véliz Pacheco (b. 1956); Ben Novack Jr.'s estranged wife. Convicted in 2012 of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, domestic violence, stalking, money laundering, and witness tampering for orchestrating the killings of her husband and mother-in-law; sentenced December 17, 2012 to life in prison without parole.), Alejandro Gutiérrez-García (Accused of being enlisted by Cristóbal Véliz to participate in the killings; pleaded guilty to lesser charges and was sentenced in September 2013 to 17 years and six months in prison for the beating deaths of Ben and Bernice Novack.), Joel González (Accused of being enlisted by Cristóbal Véliz to participate in the killings; pleaded guilty to lesser charges.), and Cristóbal Véliz (Narcy Novack's brother; accused of enlisting three other men to help carry out the killings. Convicted alongside Narcy Novack in 2012 of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, domestic violence, stalking, money laundering, and witness tampering; sentenced December 17, 2012 to life in prison without parole.).
