1
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<i> [dramatic music]</i>

2
00:00:10,377 --> 00:00:11,643
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

3
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<i> - In certain places</i>
<i> in southern florida,</i>

4
00:00:14,448 --> 00:00:17,182
<i> Your name means everything.</i>

5
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- And that's the way
miami beach was.

6
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<i> - And one name in particular</i>
<i> carries a lot of weight</i>

7
00:00:23,223 --> 00:00:25,557
<i> Down here--</i>

8
00:00:25,626 --> 00:00:27,326
<i> The novacks.</i>

9
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<i> - Bernice novack</i>
<i> was a beautiful woman</i>

10
00:00:30,430 --> 00:00:32,531
<i> And owner</i>
<i> of the fontainebleau hotel.</i>

11
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It was a world renowned hotel.

12
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<i> - She said,</i>
<i> I have diamond earrings</i>

13
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That frank sinatra gave me.

14
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<i> - She was a doting mother</i>
<i> to benji,</i>

15
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<i> And he was the only son,</i>

16
00:00:42,509 --> 00:00:44,242
The prince
of the fontainebleau.

17
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<i> He wanted to be better</i>
<i> and bigger</i>

18
00:00:46,947 --> 00:00:50,182
Than anybody else
in this country.

19
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<i> - So just imagine the talk</i>

20
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<i> When tragedy befalls</i>
<i> this famous family.</i>

21
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<i> - She was laying on the floor,</i>
<i> covered in blood.</i>

22
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They had ruled it
an accidental death.

23
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<i> - Ben was not convinced that</i>
<i> that was the case.</i>

24
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He said to me, if she fell,
she fell all over this house.

25
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<i> There's blood everywhere.</i>

26
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- Nobody deserves
to die like that.

27
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<i> - And that's just</i>
<i> the beginning</i>

28
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<i> Of this sordid tale</i>

29
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<i> About the collapse</i>
<i> of a southern dynasty...</i>

30
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- I got a call telling me that
he was murdered up in new york.

31
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<i> - That pulls two yankee</i>
<i> detectives from new york</i>

32
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<i> Into a murder investigation,</i>

33
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<i> The likes of which</i>
<i> they have never seen before.</i>

34
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- Something was
very suspicious.

35
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- Who could want to hurt
this family this much?

36
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<i> ["just another ghost"]</i>

37
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<i> ♪ ♪</i>

38
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<i> - ♪ oh, child ♪</i>

39
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<i> ♪ come home</i>
<i> to the gallows pole ♪</i>

40
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<i> - Keeping up appearances</i>
<i> is everything in the south,</i>

41
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<i> Especially in a place</i>
<i> where high society</i>

42
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<i> Meets sinful decadence.</i>

43
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- Miami beach is a playground
for the rich and famous,

44
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The wealthy.

45
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<i> - It's always been</i>
<i> a tourist attraction,</i>

46
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Clubs and restaurants.

47
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<i> - But sometimes</i>
<i> the shinier the surface,</i>

48
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<i> The more sinister the secrets</i>
<i> that lie beneath.</i>

49
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- The avarice, the glamor,
very shallow.

50
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No substance.

51
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And it has an allure,
and it's dangerous.

52
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<i> ♪ ♪</i>

53
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<i> - And no one knows that better</i>
<i> than the novack family.</i>

54
00:02:42,796 --> 00:02:48,399
- They built the fontainebleau
hotel in 1953, 1954.

55
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<i> And the fontainebleau was</i>
<i> the place to go.</i>

56
00:02:51,638 --> 00:02:54,339
<i> It was a world renowned hotel.</i>

57
00:02:54,341 --> 00:02:56,474
- A lot of movie stars
stayed there,

58
00:02:56,543 --> 00:03:01,045
And it was known as
a very luxurious hotel.

59
00:03:01,115 --> 00:03:03,982
<i> - Eventually, the novacks</i>
<i> sold the fontainebleau,</i>

60
00:03:04,050 --> 00:03:07,786
<i> But they will always be</i>
<i> associated with the hotspot.</i>

61
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<i> Now 53-year-old benji novack</i>
<i> has parlayed his pedigree</i>

62
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<i> Into his own</i>
<i> successful business.</i>

63
00:03:17,598 --> 00:03:20,732
- He took all his knowledge
of what he had learned

64
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<i> And seen</i>
<i> in the hotel industry,</i>

65
00:03:24,270 --> 00:03:26,838
<i> And he had started</i>
<i> convention concepts.</i>

66
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They hosted conventions
nationally and in the islands.

67
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<i> And it grew into</i>

68
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<i> A multi-million dollar</i>
<i> endeavor.</i>

69
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Everything about ben was

70
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<i> Go big or go home.</i>

71
00:03:41,287 --> 00:03:43,822
<i> - But ben's not just</i>
<i> looking out for himself.</i>

72
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<i> He has a family</i>
<i> to take care of.</i>

73
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<i> His loving wife, narcy,</i>
<i> of over 20 years,</i>

74
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<i> And his grown</i>
<i> stepdaughter, may,</i>

75
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<i> Who he all but raised</i>
<i> as his own.</i>

76
00:03:54,034 --> 00:03:55,600
- They came as a package.

77
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It was ben, narcy, and may.

78
00:03:58,104 --> 00:04:00,839
<i> - Narcy and may are</i>
<i> right by his side</i>

79
00:04:00,907 --> 00:04:03,375
<i> When his mother, bernice,</i>
<i> dies unexpectedly</i>

80
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<i> From what was determined to be</i>

81
00:04:05,045 --> 00:04:08,312
<i> A slip-and-fall accident</i>
<i> in her home.</i>

82
00:04:08,314 --> 00:04:10,015
- There was no doubt
in my mind,

83
00:04:10,083 --> 00:04:11,750
With the loss of his mother,

84
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That he would be
forever changed.

85
00:04:14,588 --> 00:04:17,155
<i> He said, I know there's</i>
<i> something wrong here.</i>

86
00:04:17,223 --> 00:04:19,524
<i> My mother didn't just fall,</i>

87
00:04:19,593 --> 00:04:23,929
<i> But it was ruled accidental.</i>

88
00:04:23,997 --> 00:04:26,498
<i> - Benji struggles to accept</i>
<i> the circumstances</i>

89
00:04:26,566 --> 00:04:28,466
<i> Surrounding his mama's death,</i>

90
00:04:28,535 --> 00:04:31,002
<i> But he has limited time</i>
<i> to grieve.</i>

91
00:04:31,071 --> 00:04:33,772
<i> He is putting together one</i>
<i> of the biggest conventions</i>

92
00:04:33,840 --> 00:04:36,641
<i> Of his career in new york.</i>

93
00:04:36,643 --> 00:04:38,943
<i> But he finds the time</i>
<i> to make a phone call</i>

94
00:04:38,945 --> 00:04:42,280
<i> To an acquaintance</i>
<i> who is a private investigator.</i>

95
00:04:42,349 --> 00:04:45,884
<i> - When he called me,</i>
<i> his voice was very stressed,</i>

96
00:04:45,952 --> 00:04:48,052
And ben wanted me
to get involved

97
00:04:48,122 --> 00:04:52,957
In investigating
his mom, bernice's, death.

98
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<i> So I said, well, ben,</i>
<i> I'll get involved.</i>

99
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And he said, all right,
well, I have a project

100
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Coming up in new york.

101
00:04:59,366 --> 00:05:01,966
He had to set up a convention.

102
00:05:02,035 --> 00:05:04,036
<i> - Benji has to be on site</i>
<i> for the convention,</i>

103
00:05:04,104 --> 00:05:07,439
<i> So he and pat make a plan</i>
<i> to connect when he returns.</i>

104
00:05:07,507 --> 00:05:10,308
<i> Shortly after,</i>
<i> benji, narcy, and may</i>

105
00:05:10,376 --> 00:05:12,043
<i> Pack their bags</i>
<i> and head north,</i>

106
00:05:12,112 --> 00:05:14,913
<i> All the way up</i>
<i> into yankee territory.</i>

107
00:05:14,981 --> 00:05:18,650
<i> But this show isn't</i>
<i> going to go as planned.</i>

108
00:05:24,190 --> 00:05:24,989
<i> [phone ringing]</i>

109
00:05:25,058 --> 00:05:27,959
<i> - When I got the call</i>
<i> in the morning</i>

110
00:05:27,961 --> 00:05:31,162
<i> From the rye brook police</i>
<i> patrol officer on the scene</i>

111
00:05:31,164 --> 00:05:33,498
At the hotel,
I couldn't believe it,

112
00:05:33,566 --> 00:05:35,433
What they were relaying to me.

113
00:05:35,502 --> 00:05:37,469
<i> The wife,</i>
<i> she found her husband</i>

114
00:05:37,537 --> 00:05:40,305
On the floor, beaten to death.

115
00:05:40,373 --> 00:05:42,974
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

116
00:05:42,976 --> 00:05:47,211
<i> When I got to the scene,</i>
<i> the victim was on the floor,</i>

117
00:05:47,281 --> 00:05:48,546
<i> On his stomach.</i>

118
00:05:48,615 --> 00:05:50,882
His legs are taped.

119
00:05:50,951 --> 00:05:52,884
<i> His arms are behind him</i>
<i> and taped.</i>

120
00:05:52,953 --> 00:05:55,153
<i> He was in a gray pair</i>
<i> of underwear.</i>

121
00:05:55,221 --> 00:05:57,822
And then he was taped
around the mouth.

122
00:05:57,824 --> 00:06:00,959
<i> A lot of blood all over</i>
<i> the bed and on the floor.</i>

123
00:06:01,027 --> 00:06:03,361
<i> You could see his eyes</i>
<i> were all deformed.</i>

124
00:06:03,429 --> 00:06:05,864
His eyeballs were cut out.

125
00:06:05,932 --> 00:06:08,933
It was just a really
horrific scene.

126
00:06:08,935 --> 00:06:10,902
<i> The victim's wife was</i>
<i> in the room.</i>

127
00:06:10,971 --> 00:06:14,572
She said the victim
was ben novack.

128
00:06:14,641 --> 00:06:16,340
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

129
00:06:16,410 --> 00:06:18,977
<i> - Narcy has been joined</i>
<i> by her daughter may,</i>

130
00:06:19,045 --> 00:06:22,214
<i> And they all relocate</i>
<i> away from the crime scene.</i>

131
00:06:22,282 --> 00:06:24,182
<i> - May was distraught.</i>

132
00:06:24,251 --> 00:06:26,851
<i> Narcy was extremely calm.</i>
<i> She never cried.</i>

133
00:06:26,853 --> 00:06:29,253
She was just in shock,
I believe,

134
00:06:29,323 --> 00:06:30,889
When we first interviewed her.

135
00:06:30,957 --> 00:06:33,658
<i> The hotel had given us</i>
<i> an empty room to use</i>

136
00:06:33,727 --> 00:06:36,127
<i> For some of our interviews.</i>

137
00:06:36,196 --> 00:06:39,698
<i> - May waits outside while</i>
<i> detectives talk to her mother.</i>

138
00:06:42,068 --> 00:06:45,537
<i> - Narcy tells us that</i>
<i> ben received a phone call</i>

139
00:06:45,605 --> 00:06:47,605
<i> A little after</i>
<i> 6:30 in the morning</i>

140
00:06:47,674 --> 00:06:49,273
<i> From one of the hotel staff</i>

141
00:06:49,275 --> 00:06:51,142
<i> Saying they were having</i>
<i> a problem with breakfast.</i>

142
00:06:51,211 --> 00:06:53,878
The staff couldn't keep up
with the washing

143
00:06:53,880 --> 00:06:57,682
Of all the utensils
for the convention.

144
00:06:57,751 --> 00:06:58,983
And narcy says to him,

145
00:06:59,052 --> 00:07:01,653
I'll go down,
and I'll handle it.

146
00:07:01,721 --> 00:07:03,688
<i> She says</i>
<i> she kisses her husband</i>

147
00:07:03,757 --> 00:07:05,590
And says she loves him,

148
00:07:05,658 --> 00:07:10,294
<i> And she goes downstairs</i>
<i> to talk with the hotel staff.</i>

149
00:07:10,364 --> 00:07:13,397
She came back up approximately
at 7:30 in the morning.

150
00:07:13,467 --> 00:07:15,367
<i> Not long.</i>

151
00:07:15,435 --> 00:07:18,803
She calls out to him
and doesn't have a response.

152
00:07:18,872 --> 00:07:21,239
<i> She walks into the bedroom</i>
<i> and found her husband.</i>

153
00:07:21,307 --> 00:07:23,141
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

154
00:07:23,210 --> 00:07:26,177
<i> - She ran right out the door</i>
<i> into the hallway</i>

155
00:07:26,246 --> 00:07:30,248
And started banging on doors,
screaming her lungs out.

156
00:07:30,316 --> 00:07:31,883
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

157
00:07:31,952 --> 00:07:34,786
- Narcy offers to pay
for all our overtime,

158
00:07:34,855 --> 00:07:36,988
Just to please solve this.

159
00:07:37,056 --> 00:07:40,192
<i> She describes a loving</i>
<i> relationship with her husband</i>

160
00:07:40,260 --> 00:07:42,260
<i> And that he was</i>
<i> the love of her life.</i>

161
00:07:42,328 --> 00:07:44,529
<i> And she doesn't know what</i>
<i> she's gonna do without him.</i>

162
00:07:44,598 --> 00:07:47,966
<i> - Despite narcy appearing</i>
<i> to be in a state of shock,</i>

163
00:07:48,034 --> 00:07:50,602
<i> Detectives have to ask</i>
<i> if she has any idea</i>

164
00:07:50,670 --> 00:07:52,937
<i> Who could have done this</i>
<i> to benji.</i>

165
00:07:53,006 --> 00:07:56,841
- She said he was like
a real hard-nosed businessman,

166
00:07:56,910 --> 00:07:59,710
And everything was
about the business.

167
00:07:59,780 --> 00:08:03,147
- He commanded respect,
and he angered quickly.

168
00:08:03,149 --> 00:08:05,317
<i> But there was really</i>
<i> no business associates</i>

169
00:08:05,385 --> 00:08:08,786
<i> That she was</i>
<i> pointing fingers at.</i>

170
00:08:08,855 --> 00:08:10,755
<i> - With no real leads</i>
<i> to follow,</i>

171
00:08:10,824 --> 00:08:12,624
<i> Detectives decide it's time</i>

172
00:08:12,692 --> 00:08:14,893
<i> To give benji's</i>
<i> grieving widow a break.</i>

173
00:08:14,961 --> 00:08:18,162
- So the next person that I
wanted to talk to is may abad.

174
00:08:18,231 --> 00:08:20,232
<i> - Detectives interview may</i>
<i> separately</i>

175
00:08:20,300 --> 00:08:23,301
<i> While narcy waits</i>
<i> in another room.</i>

176
00:08:23,369 --> 00:08:26,137
- May cried when
we first interviewed her.

177
00:08:26,206 --> 00:08:28,907
<i> - She said her and ben</i>
<i> got along very well.</i>

178
00:08:28,975 --> 00:08:30,442
<i> They were actually very close.</i>

179
00:08:30,510 --> 00:08:33,611
<i> He was grooming her</i>
<i> to take over the business</i>

180
00:08:33,680 --> 00:08:37,349
Because he trusted her,
and she was very loyal to him.

181
00:08:37,417 --> 00:08:38,983
And she was a hard worker.

182
00:08:38,985 --> 00:08:40,885
And she knew how
to run the business.

183
00:08:40,954 --> 00:08:43,721
<i> I asked her where was she</i>
<i> the night before.</i>

184
00:08:43,790 --> 00:08:45,857
<i> Did she see ben</i>
<i> the night before?</i>

185
00:08:45,925 --> 00:08:47,391
<i> And she told us everything.</i>

186
00:08:47,461 --> 00:08:49,260
Very forthcoming.

187
00:08:49,262 --> 00:08:51,595
<i> - May swears she didn't go</i>
<i> anywhere near</i>

188
00:08:51,597 --> 00:08:53,265
<i> Benji's room that morning.</i>

189
00:08:53,333 --> 00:08:56,100
- May was, right away,
I want you to focus

190
00:08:56,169 --> 00:08:58,036
Your attention on
where it needs to be.

191
00:08:58,104 --> 00:09:01,840
And if you need to clear me,
then you need to do that.

192
00:09:01,908 --> 00:09:03,507
<i> - Detectives have</i>
<i> what they need</i>

193
00:09:03,509 --> 00:09:06,978
<i> From narcy and may for now,</i>
<i> so they ask the two women</i>

194
00:09:07,047 --> 00:09:09,780
<i> To hold tight while they</i>
<i> head back to the crime scene.</i>

195
00:09:09,782 --> 00:09:13,885
<i> May makes a phone call</i>
<i> to deliver the horrible news.</i>

196
00:09:13,953 --> 00:09:15,753
- I got a call from may abad,

197
00:09:15,822 --> 00:09:20,658
And may told me that
they had found ben dead.

198
00:09:20,660 --> 00:09:22,927
It hit me like a sledgehammer.

199
00:09:22,929 --> 00:09:27,131
Benji and I, I would consider
to be best friends.

200
00:09:27,200 --> 00:09:29,867
<i> I was best man at his wedding.</i>

201
00:09:29,936 --> 00:09:31,736
There weren't
too many other people

202
00:09:31,804 --> 00:09:34,338
That spent as much time
together as we did.

203
00:09:34,408 --> 00:09:36,774
<i> - Detectives wilson</i>
<i> and carpentier</i>

204
00:09:36,843 --> 00:09:38,442
<i> Have their work</i>
<i> cut out for them,</i>

205
00:09:38,512 --> 00:09:40,712
<i> As they join the csi team</i>

206
00:09:40,780 --> 00:09:43,047
<i> To analyze the crime scene</i>
<i> further.</i>

207
00:09:43,049 --> 00:09:46,050
<i> - You could tell that</i>
<i> the attack of ben novack</i>

208
00:09:46,052 --> 00:09:47,919
<i> Started while</i>
<i> he was on the bed</i>

209
00:09:47,987 --> 00:09:51,690
And then he was pushed down
to the ground somehow.

210
00:09:51,758 --> 00:09:54,158
<i> Ben was a substantial</i>
<i> sized man.</i>

211
00:09:54,160 --> 00:09:55,659
<i> And we're thinking</i>
<i> in order for them</i>

212
00:09:55,661 --> 00:09:58,196
<i> To duct tape his hands,</i>
<i> duct tape his mouth</i>

213
00:09:58,264 --> 00:10:00,332
And his feet,
we're thinking maybe

214
00:10:00,400 --> 00:10:04,035
It's more than one person
in this room at the time.

215
00:10:04,104 --> 00:10:07,671
<i> - There was a rolex watch</i>
<i> there that wasn't taken.</i>

216
00:10:07,673 --> 00:10:11,409
<i> There was a cartier watch</i>
<i> that wasn't taken.</i>

217
00:10:11,477 --> 00:10:14,245
To think that it was just
a regular robbery

218
00:10:14,314 --> 00:10:16,748
Is sort of absurd.

219
00:10:16,816 --> 00:10:18,583
The brutality
of the whole thing,

220
00:10:18,651 --> 00:10:21,085
And then to not take anything.

221
00:10:21,087 --> 00:10:23,421
<i> We are going through</i>
<i> that whole suite</i>

222
00:10:23,489 --> 00:10:28,292
<i> Dusting, fingerprinting,</i>
<i> dna swabbing, photographing.</i>

223
00:10:28,294 --> 00:10:31,095
<i> We were looking for something</i>
<i> that he was assaulted with,</i>

224
00:10:31,164 --> 00:10:33,964
But we couldn't find anything.

225
00:10:33,966 --> 00:10:35,633
<i> - With a crime this violent,</i>

226
00:10:35,701 --> 00:10:38,369
<i> It's hard to imagine</i>
<i> no one heard anything.</i>

227
00:10:38,438 --> 00:10:41,239
<i> And yet a canvass of</i>
<i> the floor proves no one did.</i>

228
00:10:41,307 --> 00:10:43,875
<i> Detectives returned</i>
<i> to the room</i>

229
00:10:43,943 --> 00:10:46,177
<i> To examine how</i>
<i> the killer got in.</i>

230
00:10:46,246 --> 00:10:50,314
- There was no signs of forced
entry into the suite at all.

231
00:10:50,383 --> 00:10:52,784
<i> - You're looking</i>
<i> for maybe the key area</i>

232
00:10:52,852 --> 00:10:55,253
<i> Was tampered with in some way.</i>

233
00:10:55,321 --> 00:10:57,889
Is there anything to show that
the lock didn't close properly?

234
00:10:57,957 --> 00:11:00,358
We checked that.
The lock was closed properly,

235
00:11:00,427 --> 00:11:03,727
<i> And the door wasn't</i>
<i> easily opened.</i>

236
00:11:03,729 --> 00:11:05,897
We could find nothing
to say that

237
00:11:05,965 --> 00:11:08,399
Anybody entered that room
by force.

238
00:11:08,468 --> 00:11:11,469
- Your spidey senses go up
because, well,

239
00:11:11,537 --> 00:11:15,139
How did somebody get in
the room to assault him?

240
00:11:15,141 --> 00:11:17,275
<i> - It was a hotel room,</i>
<i> so you had to swipe in</i>

241
00:11:17,343 --> 00:11:19,410
<i> Or the door to be left open.</i>
<i> [lock beeps]</i>

242
00:11:19,479 --> 00:11:23,047
- I happen to have a lot
of knowledge of that hotel

243
00:11:23,116 --> 00:11:25,149
Because I've done
so many cases there.

244
00:11:25,218 --> 00:11:27,752
<i> You can get information</i>
<i> from the door locks.</i>

245
00:11:27,821 --> 00:11:32,657
That would confirm
who entered the room.

246
00:11:32,725 --> 00:11:35,259
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

247
00:11:35,328 --> 00:11:36,594
<i> - Coming up...</i>

248
00:11:36,663 --> 00:11:39,030
<i> - The biggest thing</i>
<i> we had gotten back</i>

249
00:11:39,099 --> 00:11:41,565
<i> Was the information</i>
<i> from the door locks.</i>

250
00:11:41,635 --> 00:11:43,234
That was huge.

251
00:11:43,236 --> 00:11:46,604
- She is the only one
that swipes into the room.

252
00:11:46,673 --> 00:11:48,272
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

253
00:11:48,274 --> 00:11:52,043
- And we're like,
we can't believe this.

254
00:11:52,045 --> 00:11:55,980
<i> - ♪ come home</i>
<i> to the gallows pole ♪</i>

255
00:12:00,252 --> 00:12:03,855
<i> - ♪ judgment day shall come ♪</i>

256
00:12:03,923 --> 00:12:06,824
<i> [tense music]</i>

257
00:12:06,893 --> 00:12:10,328
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

258
00:12:10,396 --> 00:12:13,197
<i> - When hotel heir</i>
<i> and convention king</i>

259
00:12:13,199 --> 00:12:15,733
<i> Benji novack has been found</i>
<i> brutally murdered,</i>

260
00:12:15,802 --> 00:12:17,435
<i> Detectives want to know</i>

261
00:12:17,503 --> 00:12:20,705
<i> Who swiped into his</i>
<i> hotel room that morning.</i>

262
00:12:20,773 --> 00:12:22,039
<i> - My biggest thing was,</i>

263
00:12:22,108 --> 00:12:24,442
<i> I wanted those locks</i>
<i> interrogated.</i>

264
00:12:24,511 --> 00:12:26,110
<i> The guy comes</i>
<i> with this machine,</i>

265
00:12:26,179 --> 00:12:28,612
<i> And he downloads</i>
<i> all the information</i>

266
00:12:28,682 --> 00:12:30,348
<i> That's on each lock.</i>

267
00:12:30,416 --> 00:12:32,250
And you can find out
who entered the room

268
00:12:32,318 --> 00:12:34,952
At what time, what dates,
so on and so forth.

269
00:12:35,021 --> 00:12:37,722
That was huge.

270
00:12:37,791 --> 00:12:41,625
<i> The lock says the key was used</i>
<i> to go in the main doors</i>

271
00:12:41,627 --> 00:12:44,896
<i> At about 7:30,</i>

272
00:12:44,964 --> 00:12:48,632
<i> And that's when</i>
<i> ben was discovered</i>

273
00:12:48,702 --> 00:12:50,801
<i> In the condition he was in.</i>

274
00:12:50,871 --> 00:12:55,139
So there was no other entries,

275
00:12:55,141 --> 00:12:59,210
No other keys used
to get into the room.

276
00:12:59,279 --> 00:13:02,280
- The only one that swipes
into the room

277
00:13:02,348 --> 00:13:04,915
Is narcy novack,

278
00:13:04,917 --> 00:13:07,919
The key that was assigned
to narcy novack.

279
00:13:07,987 --> 00:13:09,653
- Right then and there,

280
00:13:09,723 --> 00:13:13,891
We started to focus
our attention towards narcy.

281
00:13:13,960 --> 00:13:16,460
<i> We kept everything open,</i>

282
00:13:16,462 --> 00:13:20,264
But there's no way
that somebody

283
00:13:20,266 --> 00:13:22,500
Could get into the suite

284
00:13:22,569 --> 00:13:25,937
<i> Without being let in</i>
<i> or using the card.</i>

285
00:13:26,005 --> 00:13:27,638
- Did ben open the door?

286
00:13:27,640 --> 00:13:29,507
But if he opened the door,
he was found in his underwear.

287
00:13:29,575 --> 00:13:31,275
<i> So he would have had</i>
<i> to open the door</i>

288
00:13:31,277 --> 00:13:34,412
<i> And then go back</i>
<i> and lay in his bed.</i>

289
00:13:34,480 --> 00:13:37,148
<i> - Detectives now want to see</i>
<i> if there's any truth</i>

290
00:13:37,217 --> 00:13:40,084
<i> To the story narcy told them</i>
<i> about that morning.</i>

291
00:13:40,153 --> 00:13:41,886
<i> So they asked the hotel</i>

292
00:13:41,955 --> 00:13:43,955
<i> If they have</i>
<i> any surveillance video.</i>

293
00:13:44,023 --> 00:13:47,825
<i> - So, unfortunately, the hotel</i>
<i> had very limited video,</i>

294
00:13:47,894 --> 00:13:52,463
Very few cameras, maybe
10 cameras in the whole hotel.

295
00:13:52,532 --> 00:13:55,833
<i> - Detectives determine there</i>
<i> are no cameras on the floor</i>

296
00:13:55,901 --> 00:13:58,436
<i> Where benji and narcy</i>
<i> had been staying,</i>

297
00:13:58,504 --> 00:14:02,106
<i> But there is one in the lobby</i>
<i> on the way to the room</i>

298
00:14:02,175 --> 00:14:04,508
<i> Where breakfast is</i>
<i> being served.</i>

299
00:14:04,510 --> 00:14:06,710
<i> - So then we checked</i>
<i> the video downstairs</i>

300
00:14:06,712 --> 00:14:09,046
To its recording
and the date and the time,

301
00:14:09,115 --> 00:14:14,118
<i> And it correlated</i>
<i> with what narcy told us.</i>

302
00:14:14,186 --> 00:14:16,454
<i> - Narcy's timeline checks out.</i>

303
00:14:16,522 --> 00:14:19,457
<i> But as she and may have</i>
<i> retired to new hotel rooms</i>

304
00:14:19,525 --> 00:14:22,493
<i> After a long day,</i>
<i> detectives make a plan</i>

305
00:14:22,495 --> 00:14:24,362
<i> To bring them to the station</i>
<i> in the morning</i>

306
00:14:24,430 --> 00:14:26,631
<i> For more questioning.</i>

307
00:14:26,699 --> 00:14:29,800
<i> But there's no rest</i>
<i> for detectives.</i>

308
00:14:29,869 --> 00:14:32,736
- We never sleep the first
couple days of a homicide.

309
00:14:32,738 --> 00:14:34,538
So you go all night long.

310
00:14:34,540 --> 00:14:36,307
Nobody really likes
to go home

311
00:14:36,376 --> 00:14:38,942
While there's still
questions out there.

312
00:14:38,944 --> 00:14:40,945
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

313
00:14:41,013 --> 00:14:42,647
<i> - Detectives are</i>
<i> chomping at the bit</i>

314
00:14:42,715 --> 00:14:44,748
<i> To get to the bottom</i>
<i> of the mystery of how killers</i>

315
00:14:44,818 --> 00:14:48,519
<i> Gained access</i>
<i> to benji's hotel room.</i>

316
00:14:48,521 --> 00:14:50,554
<i> Once they get narcy and may</i>
<i> down to the station</i>

317
00:14:50,623 --> 00:14:53,124
<i> The next morning,</i>
<i> they question them separately</i>

318
00:14:53,192 --> 00:14:56,427
<i> And start by asking narcy</i>
<i> to tell them her story again,</i>

319
00:14:56,496 --> 00:14:58,896
<i> Listening for any</i>
<i> inconsistencies.</i>

320
00:14:58,965 --> 00:15:02,967
<i> - She said that she walks in</i>
<i> and goes in to wake him up,</i>

321
00:15:03,035 --> 00:15:05,236
<i> And she called out to him.</i>

322
00:15:05,305 --> 00:15:07,104
<i> And then she turns</i>
<i> the light on</i>

323
00:15:07,173 --> 00:15:08,739
Because he had
the blinds pulled,

324
00:15:08,741 --> 00:15:12,043
So it was pretty dark
in the room.

325
00:15:12,111 --> 00:15:13,777
<i> And she tripped on the body.</i>

326
00:15:13,847 --> 00:15:16,480
So now she's changing
her story from the beginning,

327
00:15:16,549 --> 00:15:18,248
<i> That when she found the body,</i>

328
00:15:18,250 --> 00:15:21,185
<i> She ran right out</i>
<i> into the hallway.</i>

329
00:15:21,253 --> 00:15:23,487
<i> - Even more,</i>
<i> this slight variation</i>

330
00:15:23,556 --> 00:15:25,256
<i> Doesn't track</i>
<i> with what detectives</i>

331
00:15:25,324 --> 00:15:28,259
<i> Observed at the crime scene</i>
<i> the day before.</i>

332
00:15:28,328 --> 00:15:31,028
- Narcy was very
well-dressed for that day.

333
00:15:31,030 --> 00:15:32,563
<i> She was dressed up.</i>

334
00:15:32,632 --> 00:15:35,032
<i> From what I remember,</i>
<i> she had no blood on her.</i>

335
00:15:35,034 --> 00:15:38,402
<i> - We had taken her clothing</i>
<i> as part of evidence,</i>

336
00:15:38,404 --> 00:15:40,004
Because she did enter
the scene before we did,

337
00:15:40,073 --> 00:15:41,805
Just to make sure
we didn't miss anything.

338
00:15:41,807 --> 00:15:43,807
<i> - There was blood</i>
<i> all over the place,</i>

339
00:15:43,877 --> 00:15:47,678
<i> But yet she had no blood</i>
<i> on her shoes, on anything.</i>

340
00:15:47,747 --> 00:15:50,981
And that starts leading you
to a point where

341
00:15:51,051 --> 00:15:52,650
You start to have doubts.

342
00:15:52,718 --> 00:15:54,319
It just didn't make sense.

343
00:15:54,387 --> 00:15:56,420
<i> - And so we had asked narcy</i>

344
00:15:56,422 --> 00:15:58,956
<i> If she would submit</i>
<i> to a lie detector test.</i>

345
00:15:59,024 --> 00:16:01,092
If she's innocent
and we can focus

346
00:16:01,160 --> 00:16:02,093
Our attention somewhere else,

347
00:16:02,161 --> 00:16:05,429
Let's just move
that train along and do it.

348
00:16:05,431 --> 00:16:08,566
<i> - Narcy readily agrees,</i>
<i> and detectives escort her</i>

349
00:16:08,634 --> 00:16:11,168
<i> To the polygraph room</i>
<i> across the hall.</i>

350
00:16:11,237 --> 00:16:12,570
<i> - As she gets into the room,</i>

351
00:16:12,638 --> 00:16:14,438
<i> Narcy starts to make</i>
<i> every excuse</i>

352
00:16:14,507 --> 00:16:16,374
<i> Why she can't take the test.</i>

353
00:16:16,442 --> 00:16:17,841
<i> She wasn't feeling good.</i>

354
00:16:17,911 --> 00:16:19,243
<i> Maybe she's tired.</i>

355
00:16:19,312 --> 00:16:20,478
Maybe tonight's not a good day.

356
00:16:20,546 --> 00:16:22,079
I think I should
come back tomorrow.

357
00:16:22,148 --> 00:16:25,316
<i> - Detectives in the north,</i>
<i> just like in the south,</i>

358
00:16:25,385 --> 00:16:28,219
<i> Share a glance when someone</i>
<i> so close to the victim</i>

359
00:16:28,287 --> 00:16:30,020
<i> Resists taking a poly.</i>

360
00:16:30,090 --> 00:16:32,323
<i> May does more than that.</i>

361
00:16:32,391 --> 00:16:33,825
- May starts
flipping out on her.

362
00:16:33,893 --> 00:16:37,061
<i> She's like, why won't you</i>
<i> take a polygraph?</i>

363
00:16:37,130 --> 00:16:38,329
<i> You have nothing</i>
<i> to do with this.</i>

364
00:16:38,398 --> 00:16:41,599
Why won't you take one?

365
00:16:41,667 --> 00:16:45,136
<i> And then narcy finally</i>
<i> agreed to do it.</i>

366
00:16:45,204 --> 00:16:47,638
- So now we're thinking,
this is gonna take

367
00:16:47,707 --> 00:16:51,042
Our investigation
into a whole nother level.

368
00:16:51,110 --> 00:16:56,313
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

369
00:16:56,315 --> 00:16:59,517
<i> - ♪ come home</i>
<i> to the gallows pole ♪</i>

370
00:17:03,956 --> 00:17:07,959
<i> - ♪ judgment day shall come ♪</i>

371
00:17:08,027 --> 00:17:10,994
<i> [tense music]</i>

372
00:17:10,996 --> 00:17:12,663
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

373
00:17:12,665 --> 00:17:14,665
<i> - Narcy novack is</i>
<i> in the hot seat,</i>

374
00:17:14,734 --> 00:17:16,167
<i> Getting ready</i>
<i> to answer questions</i>

375
00:17:16,235 --> 00:17:17,835
<i> About her husband's murder,</i>

376
00:17:17,903 --> 00:17:21,672
<i> And she's as nervous</i>
<i> as all get-out.</i>

377
00:17:21,674 --> 00:17:25,776
- The polygrapher
went easy on narcy.

378
00:17:25,845 --> 00:17:27,979
They asked her a couple
of easy questions,

379
00:17:28,047 --> 00:17:30,080
<i> And she got very agitated.</i>

380
00:17:30,150 --> 00:17:33,517
- We had issued the polygraph
test to her five times.

381
00:17:33,586 --> 00:17:36,620
And all five times, she failed.

382
00:17:36,689 --> 00:17:40,324
May finds out,
and may got really mad.

383
00:17:40,393 --> 00:17:43,360
<i> She stormed in the room</i>
<i> and said,</i>

384
00:17:43,429 --> 00:17:46,297
If you did this, ma,
how could you do this?

385
00:17:46,365 --> 00:17:48,966
And she actually
went after narcy.

386
00:17:49,035 --> 00:17:51,034
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

387
00:17:51,036 --> 00:17:52,603
- It got so bad, to the point--

388
00:17:52,672 --> 00:17:54,738
We had to separate them,
physically.

389
00:17:54,740 --> 00:17:59,110
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

390
00:17:59,178 --> 00:18:02,946
<i> - Detectives observing</i>
<i> the mother-daughter dynamic</i>

391
00:18:03,016 --> 00:18:05,282
<i> Set their thinking about may.</i>

392
00:18:05,351 --> 00:18:08,085
<i> - At that point,</i>
<i> my impression was that</i>

393
00:18:08,153 --> 00:18:10,721
May abad was not involved

394
00:18:10,723 --> 00:18:13,190
In what happened to ben novack.

395
00:18:13,192 --> 00:18:15,059
She was just too forthcoming.

396
00:18:15,127 --> 00:18:18,862
<i> There would be no reason for</i>
<i> her to do something to him.</i>

397
00:18:18,931 --> 00:18:22,566
<i> - It also strengthens</i>
<i> their suspicions of narcy.</i>

398
00:18:22,568 --> 00:18:24,101
<i> - We didn't have enough</i>
<i> to arrest her.</i>

399
00:18:24,169 --> 00:18:26,604
You can't be arrested
for failing a polygraph test.

400
00:18:26,672 --> 00:18:28,539
It's not admissible in court.

401
00:18:28,608 --> 00:18:31,409
<i> She says I'll be back tomorrow</i>
<i> at 11:00 in the morning,</i>

402
00:18:31,477 --> 00:18:33,344
But instead,
she goes right to the airport

403
00:18:33,412 --> 00:18:36,179
<i> And books herself</i>
<i> a trip back to florida.</i>

404
00:18:36,181 --> 00:18:37,848
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

405
00:18:37,917 --> 00:18:39,350
We all look around the room,
and they say,

406
00:18:39,418 --> 00:18:42,253
Ok, what's the next flight
out of jfk for florida?

407
00:18:42,321 --> 00:18:43,888
- There are no arrests
in this case,

408
00:18:43,956 --> 00:18:46,690
But we do know that
53-year-old ben novack, jr.,

409
00:18:46,759 --> 00:18:49,393
<i> Died from blunt force trauma.</i>

410
00:18:49,462 --> 00:18:51,194
<i> - Word of benji's murder</i>

411
00:18:51,196 --> 00:18:53,598
<i> Has been circulating</i>
<i> throughout the south.</i>

412
00:18:53,666 --> 00:18:55,867
<i> So these new york detectives</i>
<i> are met with</i>

413
00:18:55,935 --> 00:18:58,702
<i> A heavy dose</i>
<i> of southern hospitality</i>

414
00:18:58,704 --> 00:19:00,771
<i> When they arrive,</i>
<i> especially from</i>

415
00:19:00,773 --> 00:19:03,240
<i> The florida department</i>
<i> of law enforcement.</i>

416
00:19:03,242 --> 00:19:06,644
- They were definitely partners
in this whole investigation.

417
00:19:06,712 --> 00:19:08,245
<i> They had cars for us.</i>

418
00:19:08,314 --> 00:19:11,482
<i> They assigned investigators</i>
<i> to each one of us.</i>

419
00:19:11,551 --> 00:19:15,152
<i> - After all, benji novack</i>
<i> is a local celebrity.</i>

420
00:19:15,221 --> 00:19:17,287
<i> So no one's gonna rest</i>

421
00:19:17,357 --> 00:19:19,356
<i> Until they know</i>
<i> who killed him.</i>

422
00:19:19,425 --> 00:19:22,426
<i> And that goes</i>
<i> for benji's friends too.</i>

423
00:19:22,495 --> 00:19:23,794
- We started to get calls

424
00:19:23,863 --> 00:19:26,464
From some of ben's
police officer friends.

425
00:19:26,532 --> 00:19:29,567
<i> - When I learned</i>
<i> ben had been murdered,</i>

426
00:19:29,635 --> 00:19:33,571
It's almost like one of those
slow motion pictures

427
00:19:33,639 --> 00:19:37,575
Where you see frame by frame,
and as it speeds up,

428
00:19:37,643 --> 00:19:39,977
You make those
connections and go,

429
00:19:40,045 --> 00:19:43,380
<i> It's only three months</i>
<i> after his mother's death.</i>

430
00:19:43,449 --> 00:19:46,550
In my mind,
there was a relationship

431
00:19:46,552 --> 00:19:50,321
Between the mother's death
and ben's death.

432
00:19:50,389 --> 00:19:53,524
<i> And so I felt</i>
<i> it was required of me</i>

433
00:19:53,593 --> 00:19:57,060
<i> To notify the investigators</i>
<i> of everything</i>

434
00:19:57,062 --> 00:19:59,797
<i> That I know</i>
<i> about benji novack.</i>

435
00:19:59,865 --> 00:20:00,698
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

436
00:20:00,766 --> 00:20:03,801
<i> - To new york detectives,</i>
<i> a mother and son</i>

437
00:20:03,869 --> 00:20:06,938
<i> Unexpectedly dying</i>
<i> only three months apart</i>

438
00:20:07,006 --> 00:20:09,540
<i> Sounds suspicious, indeed.</i>

439
00:20:09,609 --> 00:20:14,812
<i> - So we asked to go over</i>
<i> bernice novack's case folder.</i>

440
00:20:14,880 --> 00:20:17,548
We felt maybe we'll find
something in bernice's death

441
00:20:17,616 --> 00:20:20,884
That leads us
to the person that kills ben.

442
00:20:20,886 --> 00:20:22,953
<i> - While chasing down</i>
<i> the tip from charlie,</i>

443
00:20:23,022 --> 00:20:25,022
<i> Detectives interview</i>
<i> bernice's friend</i>

444
00:20:25,090 --> 00:20:29,126
<i> And neighbor who was there</i>
<i> the day her body was found.</i>

445
00:20:29,195 --> 00:20:32,563
<i> - Bernice had moved up here</i>
<i> from the fontainebleau,</i>

446
00:20:32,631 --> 00:20:35,699
<i> And she just wanted</i>
<i> a more normal life.</i>

447
00:20:35,701 --> 00:20:38,969
She was just
a very intellectual,

448
00:20:39,038 --> 00:20:41,272
Happy-go-lucky person.

449
00:20:41,340 --> 00:20:45,009
<i> Over the years,</i>
<i> we got very close.</i>

450
00:20:50,315 --> 00:20:52,116
<i> On that particular morning,</i>

451
00:20:52,184 --> 00:20:54,252
<i> Every time</i>
<i> that I called bernice,</i>

452
00:20:54,320 --> 00:20:56,153
<i> There was no answer.</i>

453
00:20:56,222 --> 00:20:58,522
And that alarmed me a lot.

454
00:20:58,590 --> 00:21:00,558
<i> So I woke my husband up,</i>

455
00:21:00,626 --> 00:21:04,261
<i> And we walked over</i>
<i> across the street.</i>

456
00:21:04,330 --> 00:21:08,099
And there, I saw where she
would sit and eat her dinner.

457
00:21:08,167 --> 00:21:09,400
<i> The tv was on.</i>

458
00:21:09,468 --> 00:21:12,736
<i> All the lights were on.</i>

459
00:21:12,805 --> 00:21:16,007
<i> But we didn't</i>
<i> see her anywhere.</i>

460
00:21:16,075 --> 00:21:20,544
So we turned around and left
and came home and called ben.

461
00:21:20,613 --> 00:21:24,281
<i> He and narcy pulled up</i>
<i> not long after that.</i>

462
00:21:24,349 --> 00:21:27,285
And then my husband and ben
went inside the house.

463
00:21:27,353 --> 00:21:29,186
<i> Narcy and I did not go in.</i>

464
00:21:29,255 --> 00:21:31,421
<i> We kind of stayed</i>
<i> at the front door.</i>

465
00:21:31,491 --> 00:21:33,791
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

466
00:21:33,859 --> 00:21:36,159
<i> And then ben started yelling,</i>

467
00:21:36,229 --> 00:21:39,963
<i> Oh, my god, my mother.</i>

468
00:21:39,965 --> 00:21:42,900
<i> - The fort lauderdale police</i>
<i> are called to the scene.</i>

469
00:21:42,968 --> 00:21:44,702
<i> Charlie goes as a friend.</i>

470
00:21:44,770 --> 00:21:47,771
<i> He's no longer on the force.</i>

471
00:21:47,773 --> 00:21:49,907
<i> - Bernice's body</i>
<i> was on the floor.</i>

472
00:21:49,975 --> 00:21:52,910
<i> The blood first starts</i>
<i> is in the car,</i>

473
00:21:52,978 --> 00:21:55,146
<i> Bleeding into</i>
<i> the utility room,</i>

474
00:21:55,214 --> 00:21:57,781
<i> Which was attached</i>
<i> to the kitchen.</i>

475
00:21:57,850 --> 00:22:00,283
And I'm talking
swaths of blood,

476
00:22:00,285 --> 00:22:03,186
5 to 6 feet across.

477
00:22:03,256 --> 00:22:05,923
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

478
00:22:05,991 --> 00:22:08,492
<i> - Detectives that were there,</i>
<i> they said</i>

479
00:22:08,494 --> 00:22:10,694
She had a lot of injuries
on her body.

480
00:22:10,763 --> 00:22:12,429
<i> Her teeth were all bashed in.</i>

481
00:22:12,498 --> 00:22:14,397
<i> She had broken knuckles.</i>

482
00:22:14,399 --> 00:22:18,068
She had--
her head had injuries to it.

483
00:22:18,137 --> 00:22:21,371
<i> It looked like she laid in her</i>
<i> house alive for many hours,</i>

484
00:22:21,441 --> 00:22:23,140
Probably trying to get help,

485
00:22:23,209 --> 00:22:25,409
<i> Because you see blood marks</i>
<i> throughout the house</i>

486
00:22:25,478 --> 00:22:27,544
<i> Like she was crawling</i>
<i> for help.</i>

487
00:22:27,613 --> 00:22:30,047
- Bernice had died
such a horrible death,

488
00:22:30,115 --> 00:22:32,916
All by herself at night,
alone like that.

489
00:22:32,985 --> 00:22:34,718
<i> Nobody deserves</i>
<i> to die like that,</i>

490
00:22:34,787 --> 00:22:36,287
And she certainly didn't.

491
00:22:36,355 --> 00:22:38,255
She was a very good person.

492
00:22:38,324 --> 00:22:40,157
<i> - Despite the horrific scene,</i>

493
00:22:40,226 --> 00:22:43,226
<i> There are no signs</i>
<i> of foul play.</i>

494
00:22:43,296 --> 00:22:44,394
- Nothing was taken.

495
00:22:44,464 --> 00:22:45,863
Nothing was broken.

496
00:22:45,931 --> 00:22:47,831
No windows, no forced entry,
no nothing.

497
00:22:47,900 --> 00:22:49,132
No noise.

498
00:22:49,201 --> 00:22:50,167
Nobody heard anything.

499
00:22:50,236 --> 00:22:53,437
<i> - Fort lauderdale detectives</i>
<i> investigating the case</i>

500
00:22:53,506 --> 00:22:56,339
<i> Believe that</i>
<i> bernice simply fell,</i>

501
00:22:56,341 --> 00:22:59,510
<i> And her death is ruled</i>
<i> accidental.</i>

502
00:22:59,578 --> 00:23:01,112
<i> - If we just read the report,</i>

503
00:23:01,180 --> 00:23:04,982
We probably would have not
taken it further.

504
00:23:05,050 --> 00:23:08,919
<i> But the pictures told</i>
<i> a whole different story.</i>

505
00:23:08,988 --> 00:23:12,389
<i> What became evident to us</i>
<i> as investigators,</i>

506
00:23:12,458 --> 00:23:15,993
<i> We noticed that there was</i>
<i> blood spatter in her vehicle</i>

507
00:23:16,061 --> 00:23:19,262
That would only come
from an impact wound.

508
00:23:19,332 --> 00:23:21,732
<i> We noticed she had</i>
<i> injury to her hands</i>

509
00:23:21,801 --> 00:23:25,002
<i> That we felt might be</i>
<i> defensive wounds.</i>

510
00:23:25,070 --> 00:23:27,471
- The way the case was done
and the outcome that

511
00:23:27,539 --> 00:23:30,107
They came up with,
it was baffling.

512
00:23:30,175 --> 00:23:32,209
<i> It was quite clear to us</i>

513
00:23:32,277 --> 00:23:35,278
<i> That there was something more</i>
<i> to that case.</i>

514
00:23:35,280 --> 00:23:37,380
I contacted my equivalent

515
00:23:37,382 --> 00:23:40,083
Down in fort lauderdale
detective division.

516
00:23:40,152 --> 00:23:44,555
<i> I said, my team and I firmly</i>
<i> believe that she was murdered,</i>

517
00:23:44,623 --> 00:23:47,324
And you need to reopen
this case.

518
00:23:47,393 --> 00:23:49,392
He was like, absolutely not.
No.

519
00:23:49,394 --> 00:23:52,229
Because by opening the case,
they admit guilt,

520
00:23:52,297 --> 00:23:54,131
That they screwed it up.

521
00:23:54,200 --> 00:23:55,732
<i> - But that doesn't deter</i>

522
00:23:55,801 --> 00:23:58,902
<i> Detectives wilson</i>
<i> and carpentier.</i>

523
00:23:58,904 --> 00:24:00,637
- Within two days
after ben's death,

524
00:24:00,706 --> 00:24:03,340
We pretty much
were on the thought

525
00:24:03,409 --> 00:24:05,075
That bernice was also killed.

526
00:24:05,144 --> 00:24:07,178
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

527
00:24:07,246 --> 00:24:09,146
<i> We didn't have one homicide.</i>

528
00:24:09,215 --> 00:24:12,415
We now have two.

529
00:24:12,417 --> 00:24:13,851
You have to step back
and question, like,

530
00:24:13,919 --> 00:24:15,652
<i> What's happening</i>
<i> to this family?</i>

531
00:24:15,721 --> 00:24:19,089
<i> Is somebody out</i>
<i> to ruin the whole family?</i>

532
00:24:19,091 --> 00:24:23,160
- At that point,
we were focusing on narcy

533
00:24:23,228 --> 00:24:28,231
<i> And trying to come up</i>
<i> with somewhat of a motive.</i>

534
00:24:28,300 --> 00:24:30,200
- So what are we missing?

535
00:24:30,269 --> 00:24:32,836
At this point, we were
thinking there's a lot

536
00:24:32,905 --> 00:24:35,605
About this family that
we need to find out.

537
00:24:35,675 --> 00:24:38,342
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

538
00:24:38,410 --> 00:24:42,012
<i> - ♪ come home</i>
<i> to the gallows pole ♪</i>

539
00:24:46,117 --> 00:24:49,820
<i> - ♪ judgment day shall come ♪</i>

540
00:24:49,888 --> 00:24:53,090
<i> [dramatic music]</i>

541
00:24:53,158 --> 00:24:55,826
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

542
00:24:55,895 --> 00:24:58,629
<i> - As folks mourned</i>
<i> the death of not one,</i>

543
00:24:58,697 --> 00:25:01,231
<i> But two members</i>
<i> of the novack family,</i>

544
00:25:01,300 --> 00:25:04,301
<i> New york detectives</i>
<i> wilson and carpentier</i>

545
00:25:04,369 --> 00:25:06,904
<i> Found themselves</i>
<i> smack dab in the center</i>

546
00:25:06,972 --> 00:25:09,372
<i> Of a southern mystery.</i>

547
00:25:09,442 --> 00:25:12,142
- Who could want to hurt
this family this much?

548
00:25:12,211 --> 00:25:13,844
And if you thought
it was somebody

549
00:25:13,913 --> 00:25:16,547
From ben's business sense,

550
00:25:16,615 --> 00:25:18,048
Why would they go after
his mother?

551
00:25:18,117 --> 00:25:20,183
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

552
00:25:20,185 --> 00:25:24,087
Narcy novack was always
in our sights as a suspect.

553
00:25:24,089 --> 00:25:27,725
<i> It was narcy novack</i>
<i> who'd found her husband dead.</i>

554
00:25:27,793 --> 00:25:29,492
<i> And the morning</i>
<i> that ben is killed,</i>

555
00:25:29,562 --> 00:25:34,932
The only one that swipes
into the room is narcy novack.

556
00:25:35,000 --> 00:25:37,400
<i> And then after she failed</i>
<i> the polygraph test,</i>

557
00:25:37,402 --> 00:25:39,837
<i> She goes back to florida.</i>

558
00:25:39,905 --> 00:25:42,239
<i> - And when benji's</i>
<i> closest confidants</i>

559
00:25:42,307 --> 00:25:43,674
<i> Reach out to detectives,</i>

560
00:25:43,742 --> 00:25:46,143
<i> It seems they are</i>
<i> on the right track.</i>

561
00:25:46,211 --> 00:25:50,113
- I wasn't surprised when
I heard that ben was murdered.

562
00:25:50,182 --> 00:25:51,882
The first thing I did
was I said,

563
00:25:51,951 --> 00:25:53,584
You better check the wife.

564
00:25:53,652 --> 00:25:57,020
<i> - Benji's friends pat</i>
<i> and charlie tell detectives</i>

565
00:25:57,089 --> 00:25:59,890
<i> That they've been keeping</i>
<i> an eye on narcy for years,</i>

566
00:25:59,959 --> 00:26:03,626
<i> Ever since an event that</i>
<i> happened seven years before.</i>

567
00:26:03,628 --> 00:26:06,796
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

568
00:26:06,866 --> 00:26:09,433
<i> - At approximately</i>
<i> 2:00 in the morning,</i>

569
00:26:09,501 --> 00:26:11,535
I get a phone call from ben.

570
00:26:11,603 --> 00:26:13,070
He's in a panic.

571
00:26:13,138 --> 00:26:18,108
And he says,
the maid just helped me escape.

572
00:26:18,177 --> 00:26:23,380
Five guys broke into my room,
forcefully kicked in the door.

573
00:26:23,382 --> 00:26:24,815
<i> They robbed me.</i>

574
00:26:24,883 --> 00:26:28,318
And I think narcy was involved.

575
00:26:28,387 --> 00:26:30,721
<i> And he said when</i>
<i> they busted in the door,</i>

576
00:26:30,789 --> 00:26:32,322
<i> She yelled, look out,</i>

577
00:26:32,391 --> 00:26:35,058
<i> He has a gun</i>
<i> on his nightstand.</i>

578
00:26:35,060 --> 00:26:37,794
They had taped him
and tied him with rope,

579
00:26:37,863 --> 00:26:39,896
<i> And they put rope</i>
<i> around his neck</i>

580
00:26:39,965 --> 00:26:43,600
And tied that
to the back of the chair.

581
00:26:43,602 --> 00:26:46,437
<i> He said, they stole</i>
<i> all my business records.</i>

582
00:26:46,505 --> 00:26:50,473
<i> They stole the safe,</i>
<i> and narcy is gone.</i>

583
00:26:50,543 --> 00:26:53,344
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

584
00:26:53,412 --> 00:26:55,345
<i> I said, we need to find her,</i>

585
00:26:55,414 --> 00:26:57,480
<i> Find out where</i>
<i> they took all this stuff.</i>

586
00:26:57,550 --> 00:27:00,317
Let's call pat franklin.

587
00:27:00,385 --> 00:27:01,452
<i> - I got a call.</i>

588
00:27:01,520 --> 00:27:05,055
It was a Saturday morning,
probably around 7:30.

589
00:27:05,124 --> 00:27:08,225
<i> First thing I said was,</i>
<i> well, did you call the police?</i>

590
00:27:08,293 --> 00:27:10,827
<i> - Pat convinced him</i>
<i> to make a police report</i>

591
00:27:10,896 --> 00:27:13,263
<i> With the fort lauderdale</i>
<i> police department.</i>

592
00:27:13,332 --> 00:27:15,566
He didn't give them
all the details,

593
00:27:15,634 --> 00:27:19,002
Other than
a home invasion robbery.

594
00:27:19,070 --> 00:27:21,738
<i> - You see, benji wanted</i>
<i> to try and resolve this</i>

595
00:27:21,740 --> 00:27:23,340
<i> Off the books.</i>

596
00:27:23,409 --> 00:27:26,509
<i> - Ben tells me,</i>
<i> I want you to find my wife.</i>

597
00:27:26,579 --> 00:27:28,245
<i> She's involved in this.</i>

598
00:27:28,313 --> 00:27:30,113
<i> And I want you</i>
<i> to find that safe,</i>

599
00:27:30,115 --> 00:27:33,784
Because there's $300,000
inside that safe in cash.

600
00:27:33,852 --> 00:27:35,518
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

601
00:27:35,588 --> 00:27:38,388
<i> And I said, well,</i>
<i> give me her phone number.</i>

602
00:27:38,457 --> 00:27:42,025
And I convince her that
it would be better for her

603
00:27:42,094 --> 00:27:44,394
If I just meet with
her privately,

604
00:27:44,463 --> 00:27:46,663
Instead of involving
the police.

605
00:27:46,732 --> 00:27:47,964
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

606
00:27:47,966 --> 00:27:49,667
<i> - Narcy agreed to meet pat</i>

607
00:27:49,735 --> 00:27:51,568
<i> At a nearby</i>
<i> greasy spoon diner,</i>

608
00:27:51,637 --> 00:27:54,271
<i> Where she spills the beans.</i>

609
00:27:54,339 --> 00:27:56,907
<i> - She said to me that she was</i>
<i> in it from the beginning,</i>

610
00:27:56,975 --> 00:27:58,842
<i> And she did it.</i>

611
00:27:58,910 --> 00:28:01,078
She had rented a u-haul
and that she got

612
00:28:01,146 --> 00:28:03,580
Some friends together
that helped her.

613
00:28:03,649 --> 00:28:06,749
<i> - Narcy goes on to explain</i>
<i> why she orchestrated</i>

614
00:28:06,751 --> 00:28:09,019
<i> The violent attack on ben.</i>

615
00:28:09,088 --> 00:28:14,924
- And then she started to tell
me what kind of man he is.

616
00:28:14,926 --> 00:28:16,860
<i> You know,</i>
<i> what he does with me,</i>

617
00:28:16,862 --> 00:28:19,562
<i> And he has me do</i>
<i> disgusting things,</i>

618
00:28:19,632 --> 00:28:21,298
<i> And he's terrible.</i>

619
00:28:21,366 --> 00:28:25,436
<i> And he likes to have other men</i>
<i> have sex with me and watch me.</i>

620
00:28:25,504 --> 00:28:30,773
And that whatever
she can obtain monetarily,

621
00:28:30,775 --> 00:28:32,342
<i> She has earned.</i>

622
00:28:32,411 --> 00:28:34,845
<i> She paid her dues</i>
<i> by putting up with him</i>

623
00:28:34,913 --> 00:28:37,981
<i> For 20 years.</i>

624
00:28:38,050 --> 00:28:40,217
<i> - Narcy asked pat</i>
<i> to accompany her</i>

625
00:28:40,285 --> 00:28:42,585
<i> To a nearby storage facility.</i>

626
00:28:42,655 --> 00:28:46,189
<i> She had something</i>
<i> she wanted to show him.</i>

627
00:28:46,258 --> 00:28:49,592
<i> - She unlocks the padlock.</i>

628
00:28:49,662 --> 00:28:52,329
<i> I lift open the roll-up door,</i>

629
00:28:52,397 --> 00:28:58,168
And there's all these boxes
and a safe.

630
00:28:58,237 --> 00:29:01,338
<i> And there's an accordion</i>
<i> folder that was water stained</i>

631
00:29:01,406 --> 00:29:03,773
<i> And beat up, and said,</i>
<i> here, you want to see</i>

632
00:29:03,843 --> 00:29:05,876
What kind of man you work for?

633
00:29:05,944 --> 00:29:07,777
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

634
00:29:07,779 --> 00:29:11,815
<i> And I opened up the thing</i>
<i> and saw the polaroids</i>

635
00:29:11,884 --> 00:29:14,217
<i> And different pictures.</i>

636
00:29:14,286 --> 00:29:18,421
There are several photographs,
mostly of

637
00:29:18,423 --> 00:29:21,658
<i> Bikini-clad women</i>
<i> who were amputees.</i>

638
00:29:21,727 --> 00:29:24,361
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

639
00:29:24,429 --> 00:29:28,565
- It wasn't just one fetish.
It was numerous fetishes.

640
00:29:28,634 --> 00:29:32,735
His sexual desires
and his fetishes of amputees.

641
00:29:32,737 --> 00:29:34,237
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

642
00:29:34,239 --> 00:29:37,640
<i> - And I feel that</i>
<i> she was holding on to this</i>

643
00:29:37,710 --> 00:29:40,243
<i> As a trump card for her,</i>
<i> because I don't think</i>

644
00:29:40,245 --> 00:29:41,878
Anybody would want
that kind of thing

645
00:29:41,947 --> 00:29:44,247
Exposed in a courtroom.

646
00:29:44,249 --> 00:29:46,383
<i> - She knew a lot</i>
<i> of ben's secrets,</i>

647
00:29:46,451 --> 00:29:49,252
<i> And he was afraid of</i>
<i> embarrassing his family name</i>

648
00:29:49,321 --> 00:29:52,189
If she let those secrets
be known.

649
00:29:52,257 --> 00:29:54,525
<i> - So having something</i>
<i> like this go public,</i>

650
00:29:54,593 --> 00:29:57,761
<i> Which involved</i>
<i> behind closed doors</i>

651
00:29:57,829 --> 00:30:00,797
<i> Of a bedroom relationship</i>
<i> with your wife,</i>

652
00:30:00,866 --> 00:30:03,433
Regardless of how
it takes its turns,

653
00:30:03,502 --> 00:30:07,537
<i> He was being painted</i>
<i> as a sexualized freak</i>

654
00:30:07,606 --> 00:30:10,273
<i> Who would do things</i>
<i> with his wife</i>

655
00:30:10,275 --> 00:30:12,675
<i> That nobody would</i>
<i> normally agree to</i>

656
00:30:12,745 --> 00:30:14,945
<i> Or admit that it occurs.</i>

657
00:30:15,013 --> 00:30:17,847
But in life, it does.

658
00:30:17,917 --> 00:30:19,916
<i> - Pat negotiated</i>
<i> the safe return</i>

659
00:30:19,918 --> 00:30:22,953
<i> Of benji's business files</i>
<i> and the problematic photos,</i>

660
00:30:23,021 --> 00:30:25,388
<i> And in return,</i>
<i> narcy got to keep</i>

661
00:30:25,390 --> 00:30:27,457
<i> Half the money in the safe.</i>

662
00:30:27,459 --> 00:30:30,227
<i> He also notified</i>
<i> the fort lauderdale police,</i>

663
00:30:30,295 --> 00:30:34,097
<i> And they closed the case</i>
<i> on the novack home invasion.</i>

664
00:30:34,166 --> 00:30:38,701
<i> - Unfortunately,</i>
<i> benji was of the opinion</i>

665
00:30:38,703 --> 00:30:41,438
That he could fix this.

666
00:30:41,506 --> 00:30:44,040
<i> He allowed her</i>
<i> to come back to the home.</i>

667
00:30:44,109 --> 00:30:46,943
<i> He justified it</i>
<i> by saying that they were</i>

668
00:30:47,012 --> 00:30:48,711
<i> Going to a marriage counselor.</i>

669
00:30:48,781 --> 00:30:50,380
They were gonna work this out.

670
00:30:50,449 --> 00:30:52,982
<i> - But if she could</i>
<i> do this once,</i>

671
00:30:53,052 --> 00:30:54,851
<i> Why not do it twice?</i>

672
00:30:54,919 --> 00:30:57,754
So little by little,
we're piecing it all together.

673
00:30:57,822 --> 00:31:01,824
<i> But it takes a while</i>
<i> for an investigation</i>

674
00:31:01,826 --> 00:31:03,927
To go to an arrest.

675
00:31:03,996 --> 00:31:07,730
<i> Then we learned from ben's</i>
<i> police officer friends,</i>

676
00:31:07,800 --> 00:31:09,999
Ben is also having an affair.

677
00:31:10,001 --> 00:31:12,936
<i> He has a woman that he's been</i>
<i> seeing for quite a while.</i>

678
00:31:13,005 --> 00:31:15,272
<i> Her name was rebecca bliss.</i>

679
00:31:15,340 --> 00:31:18,108
So we're thinking, was he
gonna leave narcy novack?

680
00:31:18,176 --> 00:31:20,743
<i> And did she know about that?</i>

681
00:31:20,813 --> 00:31:22,745
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

682
00:31:22,815 --> 00:31:24,247
<i> - Coming up...</i>

683
00:31:24,316 --> 00:31:26,983
<i> - Narcy has hired somebody</i>
<i> to hurt ben in the past.</i>

684
00:31:27,052 --> 00:31:28,285
She would do it again.

685
00:31:28,353 --> 00:31:30,220
<i> We go all the way back</i>
<i> to the days</i>

686
00:31:30,289 --> 00:31:33,323
We secured all the video
cameras in the hotel.

687
00:31:33,392 --> 00:31:35,692
<i> - And they're staring</i>
<i> right into the camera.</i>

688
00:31:35,761 --> 00:31:38,861
So he decided to cooperate
and tell us everything.

689
00:31:38,931 --> 00:31:41,398
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

690
00:31:41,466 --> 00:31:44,668
<i> - ♪ come home</i>
<i> to the gallows pole ♪</i>

691
00:31:49,240 --> 00:31:52,909
<i> - ♪ judgment day shall come ♪</i>

692
00:31:52,978 --> 00:31:55,912
<i> [tense music]</i>

693
00:31:55,981 --> 00:31:59,916
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

694
00:31:59,985 --> 00:32:01,551
<i> - When detectives learn that</i>

695
00:32:01,553 --> 00:32:03,520
<i> Benji novack was</i>
<i> keeping a mistress</i>

696
00:32:03,588 --> 00:32:05,522
<i> And her name is rebecca bliss,</i>

697
00:32:05,590 --> 00:32:09,559
<i> They track her down</i>
<i> for an interview.</i>

698
00:32:09,561 --> 00:32:11,294
<i> - When we interviewed</i>
<i> rebecca bliss,</i>

699
00:32:11,296 --> 00:32:13,830
We learn that ben is
keeping her as a kept woman,

700
00:32:13,899 --> 00:32:15,698
And he pays for
everything for her

701
00:32:15,768 --> 00:32:18,935
<i> For quite a while</i>
<i> before ben's death.</i>

702
00:32:19,003 --> 00:32:22,739
<i> - Rebecca is in mourning</i>
<i> for more reasons than one.</i>

703
00:32:22,807 --> 00:32:24,841
- Ben was really in love
with rebecca bliss,

704
00:32:24,909 --> 00:32:26,943
<i> And he was gonna leave narcy.</i>

705
00:32:27,011 --> 00:32:31,014
We learn that narcy novack
has known about rebecca bliss

706
00:32:31,082 --> 00:32:33,550
<i> Because narcy had</i>
<i> contacted her,</i>

707
00:32:33,618 --> 00:32:36,819
<i> Asking her questions</i>
<i> about the relationship.</i>

708
00:32:36,821 --> 00:32:39,756
<i> - So narcy knew that benji</i>
<i> was keeping a mistress.</i>

709
00:32:39,824 --> 00:32:43,426
<i> And she has a history of using</i>
<i> violence to get back at him.</i>

710
00:32:43,428 --> 00:32:46,363
<i> To detectives,</i>
<i> that's means and a motive.</i>

711
00:32:46,431 --> 00:32:48,198
<i> But since narcy likes</i>

712
00:32:48,266 --> 00:32:50,300
<i> To have other people do</i>
<i> her dirty work,</i>

713
00:32:50,368 --> 00:32:52,168
<i> Like when she had</i>
<i> her friends carry out</i>

714
00:32:52,237 --> 00:32:54,070
<i> The home invasion years ago,</i>

715
00:32:54,139 --> 00:32:57,206
<i> Detectives start looking</i>
<i> for accomplices.</i>

716
00:32:57,276 --> 00:32:59,242
<i> - We wanted to reach out</i>
<i> to her immediate family.</i>

717
00:32:59,310 --> 00:33:00,677
Her brother cristóbal,
at the time,

718
00:33:00,745 --> 00:33:02,979
Was living in
philly, pennsylvania,

719
00:33:03,047 --> 00:33:05,315
<i> And we drove out there</i>
<i> to interview him.</i>

720
00:33:05,384 --> 00:33:09,252
<i> Cristóbal was living</i>
<i> alone in his apartment.</i>

721
00:33:09,320 --> 00:33:11,521
He welcomed us into his home.

722
00:33:11,590 --> 00:33:13,723
<i> - He has us sit down</i>
<i> at this kitchen table.</i>

723
00:33:13,792 --> 00:33:15,958
And he goes,
let me go throw a shirt on,

724
00:33:16,028 --> 00:33:17,460
And he goes in the other room.

725
00:33:17,462 --> 00:33:19,562
And we're looking on the table,

726
00:33:19,631 --> 00:33:22,665
<i> And then we see</i>
<i> these money orders.</i>

727
00:33:22,667 --> 00:33:25,135
<i> - You could see that they were</i>
<i> sent to somebody in florida</i>

728
00:33:25,203 --> 00:33:29,239
Under the name
of alejandro garcia.

729
00:33:29,307 --> 00:33:31,308
So we jot down some information

730
00:33:31,376 --> 00:33:33,543
<i> And figure we'll look him up</i>
<i> a little later.</i>

731
00:33:33,612 --> 00:33:36,012
<i> - When cristóbal returns,</i>

732
00:33:36,080 --> 00:33:39,015
<i> Detectives pretend like</i>
<i> they didn't see anything</i>

733
00:33:39,083 --> 00:33:41,752
<i> So they can get some more</i>
<i> information from him.</i>

734
00:33:41,820 --> 00:33:43,787
- We keep it nice
because we want to keep

735
00:33:43,855 --> 00:33:45,588
The communication open.

736
00:33:45,657 --> 00:33:49,759
<i> He drove a bus for a living</i>
<i> from here to different areas.</i>

737
00:33:49,828 --> 00:33:52,095
At the time of the homicide,
he told us he was on a run.

738
00:33:52,163 --> 00:33:54,564
<i> - Shortly after</i>
<i> the interview concludes,</i>

739
00:33:54,633 --> 00:33:56,699
<i> Detectives return</i>
<i> to the office</i>

740
00:33:56,701 --> 00:33:59,035
<i> To look up the name</i>
<i> on the money orders.</i>

741
00:33:59,103 --> 00:34:01,971
<i> - We started running the name</i>
<i> through the system.</i>

742
00:34:02,040 --> 00:34:04,140
And wouldn't you know, boom,

743
00:34:04,142 --> 00:34:10,112
We had a hit of a guy
in the naples area of florida.

744
00:34:10,114 --> 00:34:13,950
We find pictures of a driver's
license, criminal record.

745
00:34:14,018 --> 00:34:16,153
He's got a screwed-up eye.

746
00:34:16,155 --> 00:34:19,121
<i> He was arrested</i>
<i> on a larceny charge,</i>

747
00:34:19,123 --> 00:34:21,691
And he did time in their jail.

748
00:34:21,760 --> 00:34:24,727
<i> - Next, detectives look back</i>
<i> through the hours</i>

749
00:34:24,729 --> 00:34:27,864
<i> Of surveillance footage that</i>
<i> they collected from the hotel,</i>

750
00:34:27,932 --> 00:34:29,732
<i> Hoping to find a match.</i>

751
00:34:29,734 --> 00:34:32,469
- What was
the biggest for us is,

752
00:34:32,537 --> 00:34:37,840
We were lucky enough
to find alejandro in the hotel.

753
00:34:37,909 --> 00:34:40,910
<i> - Alejandro was</i>
<i> in the lobby of the hotel,</i>

754
00:34:40,912 --> 00:34:43,212
<i> And he wasn't alone.</i>

755
00:34:43,214 --> 00:34:45,448
- We notice a very stocky man.

756
00:34:45,517 --> 00:34:47,083
<i> - They're in this--</i>
<i> like, a little vestibule,</i>

757
00:34:47,152 --> 00:34:48,285
<i> The two of them.</i>

758
00:34:48,353 --> 00:34:50,553
And they go like this,

759
00:34:50,555 --> 00:34:54,123
And they're staring
right into the camera.

760
00:34:54,125 --> 00:34:56,058
<i> - Could these be the hitmen</i>

761
00:34:56,060 --> 00:34:59,229
<i> That narcy and her brother</i>
<i> cristóbal paid to kill benji?</i>

762
00:34:59,297 --> 00:35:01,731
<i> Without an active address</i>
<i> on file,</i>

763
00:35:01,733 --> 00:35:04,233
<i> Detectives look</i>
<i> to alejandro's phone records</i>

764
00:35:04,303 --> 00:35:06,603
<i> To try and track him down.</i>

765
00:35:06,671 --> 00:35:08,939
<i> - Based on his phone records,</i>
<i> we find out</i>

766
00:35:09,007 --> 00:35:10,941
<i> Who is alejandro's</i>
<i> close circuit.</i>

767
00:35:11,009 --> 00:35:12,842
<i> Who's he calling frequently?</i>

768
00:35:12,911 --> 00:35:16,746
We see a woman's name
in fort lauderdale.

769
00:35:16,748 --> 00:35:18,748
<i> We go back to florida,</i>
<i> and we pick her up.</i>

770
00:35:18,817 --> 00:35:21,284
<i> She gives us a little</i>
<i> feedback about alejandro</i>

771
00:35:21,352 --> 00:35:23,987
And where he stays
and where he frequents.

772
00:35:24,055 --> 00:35:26,589
<i> - So detectives start</i>
<i> pounding the pavement</i>

773
00:35:26,658 --> 00:35:28,859
<i> To see if anyone knows</i>
<i> alejandro</i>

774
00:35:28,927 --> 00:35:31,394
<i> Or has seen him lately.</i>

775
00:35:31,463 --> 00:35:35,432
<i> And they don't go</i>
<i> empty-handed.</i>

776
00:35:35,500 --> 00:35:37,600
<i> - We're walking on foot,</i>
<i> knocking on doors.</i>

777
00:35:37,669 --> 00:35:40,903
If you see this guy, you know,
$20 for you, $20 for you.

778
00:35:40,972 --> 00:35:43,573
<i> And we get a call and say he's</i>
<i> at a gas station right now.</i>

779
00:35:43,642 --> 00:35:45,475
<i> And he was picked up</i>
<i> without incident,</i>

780
00:35:45,543 --> 00:35:48,745
Never fought, and taken in
to fdle's headquarters.

781
00:35:53,318 --> 00:35:56,285
<i> - Between the money orders</i>
<i> and the hotel video,</i>

782
00:35:56,287 --> 00:35:57,487
<i> Detectives are building</i>

783
00:35:57,556 --> 00:35:59,956
<i> A solid case</i>
<i> against alejandro,</i>

784
00:35:59,958 --> 00:36:03,225
<i> And they make sure</i>
<i> he knows it.</i>

785
00:36:03,227 --> 00:36:04,394
- We said to him,
look, alejandro,

786
00:36:04,462 --> 00:36:05,962
You gotta understand something.

787
00:36:06,031 --> 00:36:08,498
The first guy in the door
gets the best deal.

788
00:36:10,969 --> 00:36:14,604
So he decided to cooperate
and tell us everything.

789
00:36:14,673 --> 00:36:18,041
<i> - Alejandro starts</i>
<i> from the very beginning.</i>

790
00:36:18,109 --> 00:36:21,544
- Cristóbal came across them
at one of those car washes.

791
00:36:21,613 --> 00:36:25,515
<i> And he said the mastermind</i>
<i> was narcy.</i>

792
00:36:25,584 --> 00:36:29,552
The street boss, if you wanna
call him that, was cristóbal.

793
00:36:29,621 --> 00:36:34,290
<i> He was managing</i>
<i> the pieces on the street.</i>

794
00:36:34,292 --> 00:36:37,327
<i> - Detectives are eager</i>
<i> to hear about benji's murder,</i>

795
00:36:37,395 --> 00:36:42,799
<i> But alejandro insists this</i>
<i> story starts months before.</i>

796
00:36:42,867 --> 00:36:44,734
<i> - And then we find out</i>
<i> alejandro</i>

797
00:36:44,803 --> 00:36:46,670
Was hired to kill
bernice first.

798
00:36:48,573 --> 00:36:52,074
- He gave us bernice's death
on a silver platter.

799
00:36:52,076 --> 00:36:55,011
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

800
00:36:55,080 --> 00:36:58,848
<i> - ♪ come home</i>
<i> to the gallows pole ♪</i>

801
00:37:02,954 --> 00:37:07,023
<i> - ♪ judgment day shall come ♪</i>

802
00:37:07,091 --> 00:37:10,159
<i> [dramatic music]</i>

803
00:37:10,228 --> 00:37:13,830
<i> - Hired hitman alejandro</i>
<i> garcia is in custody,</i>

804
00:37:13,898 --> 00:37:16,967
<i> And he's singing</i>
<i> like a sinner.</i>

805
00:37:17,035 --> 00:37:19,468
<i> Turns out</i>
<i> detectives were right.</i>

806
00:37:19,538 --> 00:37:22,105
<i> Benji and his mama</i>
<i> bernice's murder</i>

807
00:37:22,173 --> 00:37:24,306
<i> Were connected, after all.</i>

808
00:37:24,308 --> 00:37:26,442
- So he describes
bernice's homicide

809
00:37:26,511 --> 00:37:30,080
And tells us he got paid
$600 to commit it.

810
00:37:30,148 --> 00:37:31,781
<i> He said, I had instructions</i>

811
00:37:31,850 --> 00:37:34,985
<i> To make sure</i>
<i> I bust out her mouth.</i>

812
00:37:35,053 --> 00:37:37,353
He brought a monkey wrench
into the garage

813
00:37:37,422 --> 00:37:39,622
When she pulled the car in.

814
00:37:39,691 --> 00:37:41,557
<i> He sneaks down</i>
<i> and crouches down</i>

815
00:37:41,626 --> 00:37:43,993
<i> And comes up while</i>
<i> she opens her door,</i>

816
00:37:44,062 --> 00:37:47,197
And he takes the wrench
and busts her in the face.

817
00:37:47,265 --> 00:37:50,433
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

818
00:37:50,435 --> 00:37:53,502
- She was just out,
and then he leaves.

819
00:37:53,572 --> 00:37:56,806
<i> - Alejandro believed he'd done</i>
<i> what he was hired to do--</i>

820
00:37:56,875 --> 00:37:59,909
<i> Kill bernice--</i>
<i> but he was wrong.</i>

821
00:37:59,978 --> 00:38:02,879
- She wakes up,
goes back into the house.

822
00:38:02,947 --> 00:38:04,747
<i> - You see blood marks</i>
<i> around the house</i>

823
00:38:04,816 --> 00:38:06,148
<i> Like she was crawling</i>
<i> for help.</i>

824
00:38:06,218 --> 00:38:08,250
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

825
00:38:08,252 --> 00:38:09,352
It was a sad ending

826
00:38:09,421 --> 00:38:11,153
To a beautiful life
that she lived.

827
00:38:11,223 --> 00:38:16,826
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

828
00:38:16,895 --> 00:38:21,731
<i> - Then, just like a bad penny,</i>
<i> cristóbal turned up again.</i>

829
00:38:21,800 --> 00:38:24,934
<i> - Cristóbal véliz approaches</i>
<i> alejandro a little later</i>

830
00:38:25,003 --> 00:38:27,503
And says, I have another job
for you in new york.

831
00:38:27,572 --> 00:38:29,139
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

832
00:38:29,207 --> 00:38:31,241
<i> - Alejandro insisted</i>
<i> that this time,</i>

833
00:38:31,309 --> 00:38:33,009
<i> It was a two-person job,</i>

834
00:38:33,078 --> 00:38:36,445
<i> So he brought his friend</i>
<i> joel gonzalez along.</i>

835
00:38:36,447 --> 00:38:38,648
<i> - Once we locked in on joel,</i>

836
00:38:38,717 --> 00:38:41,684
We canvassed the area
where he was from.

837
00:38:41,686 --> 00:38:43,519
<i> Joel felt the grip.</i>

838
00:38:43,588 --> 00:38:45,955
<i> We were all over,</i>
<i> looking for him.</i>

839
00:38:46,024 --> 00:38:50,660
And he turned himself in
to miami-dade pd.

840
00:38:50,729 --> 00:38:52,128
<i> - Joel is, in fact,</i>

841
00:38:52,196 --> 00:38:54,064
<i> The other man</i>
<i> in the hotel video.</i>

842
00:38:54,132 --> 00:38:57,800
<i> And now that both he</i>
<i> and alejandro are in custody,</i>

843
00:38:57,802 --> 00:39:01,604
<i> They give detectives</i>
<i> the story of benji's murder.</i>

844
00:39:04,008 --> 00:39:05,942
<i> - On the day</i>
<i> of ben novack's death,</i>

845
00:39:06,010 --> 00:39:08,344
<i> Narcy novack actually</i>
<i> makes the call,</i>

846
00:39:08,413 --> 00:39:10,046
Telling them he's laying down.

847
00:39:10,115 --> 00:39:11,181
Come on in.

848
00:39:11,249 --> 00:39:13,082
It's time to go.

849
00:39:13,151 --> 00:39:16,486
<i> - Alejandro and joel arrive</i>
<i> around 6:30 that morning,</i>

850
00:39:16,554 --> 00:39:19,089
<i> And narcy lets them in,</i>
<i> which is why</i>

851
00:39:19,157 --> 00:39:23,493
<i> The hotel door didn't show</i>
<i> anyone entering the room.</i>

852
00:39:23,561 --> 00:39:25,327
- She made them strip down
to their underwear.

853
00:39:25,329 --> 00:39:27,797
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

854
00:39:27,865 --> 00:39:30,132
She directed them
to where ben was sleeping

855
00:39:30,201 --> 00:39:31,634
In the adjoining room.

856
00:39:31,703 --> 00:39:34,003
<i> And she told them</i>
<i> to attack him.</i>

857
00:39:34,072 --> 00:39:36,106
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

858
00:39:36,174 --> 00:39:38,074
<i> And she watched</i>
<i> while he was gagged</i>

859
00:39:38,142 --> 00:39:39,441
And beaten with barbells.

860
00:39:39,443 --> 00:39:41,677
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

861
00:39:41,746 --> 00:39:43,179
<i> When they thought</i>
<i> they were done,</i>

862
00:39:43,247 --> 00:39:45,148
<i> They entered into</i>
<i> the main room to wash up,</i>

863
00:39:45,216 --> 00:39:47,617
And she directs them
to go back into the room

864
00:39:47,685 --> 00:39:51,253
And cut his eyes out.

865
00:39:51,323 --> 00:39:54,991
<i> That was the most ruthless</i>
<i> thing that I heard.</i>

866
00:39:55,059 --> 00:39:57,527
<i> And the feeling was,</i>
<i> is because he had</i>

867
00:39:57,595 --> 00:39:59,261
<i> Looked at other women</i>
<i> instead of her,</i>

868
00:39:59,331 --> 00:40:02,364
And she no longer wanted him
to be able to do that.

869
00:40:02,366 --> 00:40:04,534
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

870
00:40:04,602 --> 00:40:07,403
<i> - And a little after 7:00,</i>
<i> because he was already dead,</i>

871
00:40:07,472 --> 00:40:09,038
They all left
the room together.

872
00:40:09,107 --> 00:40:12,474
<i> - Narcy's seen on camera</i>
<i> on her way to breakfast,</i>

873
00:40:12,476 --> 00:40:16,546
<i> Followed by alejandro</i>
<i> and joel moments later.</i>

874
00:40:16,614 --> 00:40:19,015
<i> As a result</i>
<i> of this confession,</i>

875
00:40:19,083 --> 00:40:21,417
<i> Both men are charged</i>
<i> with murder.</i>

876
00:40:21,485 --> 00:40:23,753
<i> Soon after, narcy novack</i>

877
00:40:23,821 --> 00:40:25,555
<i> And her brother,</i>
<i> cristóbal véliz,</i>

878
00:40:25,623 --> 00:40:27,824
<i> Are arrested</i>
<i> for plotting the murders</i>

879
00:40:27,892 --> 00:40:30,260
<i> And hiring the hitmen.</i>

880
00:40:30,328 --> 00:40:32,695
<i> And it's determined</i>
<i> that may abad</i>

881
00:40:32,764 --> 00:40:35,965
<i> Had nothing to do</i>
<i> with either murders.</i>

882
00:40:36,034 --> 00:40:38,300
<i> - May considered ben a father.</i>

883
00:40:38,302 --> 00:40:41,070
There was a true love
of a father and a daughter.

884
00:40:41,139 --> 00:40:44,640
<i> - Narcy was</i>
<i> a cold-blooded killer.</i>

885
00:40:44,709 --> 00:40:48,911
<i> Cristóbal came off to me</i>
<i> as a sleazy snake</i>

886
00:40:48,913 --> 00:40:51,714
<i> Who couldn't look you</i>
<i> in the eyes.</i>

887
00:40:51,783 --> 00:40:55,919
Scum and vile, evil people.

888
00:41:04,729 --> 00:41:07,396
<i> - Narcy and cristóbal</i>
<i> stand trial together</i>

889
00:41:07,465 --> 00:41:09,933
<i> For the murders</i>
<i> of ben and bernice novack,</i>

890
00:41:10,001 --> 00:41:12,768
<i> Where they plead not guilty.</i>

891
00:41:12,837 --> 00:41:16,072
<i> The prosecution lays out</i>
<i> all the evidence,</i>

892
00:41:16,140 --> 00:41:18,875
<i> Including the motive</i>
<i> behind the double murders</i>

893
00:41:18,943 --> 00:41:22,211
<i> That they discovered</i>
<i> upon reading benji's will.</i>

894
00:41:22,280 --> 00:41:25,014
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

895
00:41:25,083 --> 00:41:26,616
<i> - It's either love of money,</i>
<i> right?</i>

896
00:41:26,684 --> 00:41:29,051
For this one, it was both.
[laughs]

897
00:41:29,120 --> 00:41:31,954
<i> She was very concerned</i>
<i> that ben was gonna leave.</i>

898
00:41:31,956 --> 00:41:33,990
- She was gonna get
cut out of everything.

899
00:41:34,058 --> 00:41:36,959
<i> - So narcy decides</i>
<i> to exact revenge</i>

900
00:41:36,961 --> 00:41:39,429
<i> And get her due</i>
<i> in one fell swoop.</i>

901
00:41:39,497 --> 00:41:41,397
<i> There was only one problem.</i>

902
00:41:41,466 --> 00:41:43,132
<i> Bernice was going to inherit</i>

903
00:41:43,201 --> 00:41:46,368
<i> A large portion</i>
<i> of benji's estate.</i>

904
00:41:46,370 --> 00:41:48,638
<i> - They kill him,</i>
<i> then it goes to bernice.</i>

905
00:41:48,706 --> 00:41:51,473
So they, very cleverly,
killed her first.

906
00:41:51,475 --> 00:41:53,242
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

907
00:41:53,244 --> 00:41:56,245
<i> - Both narcy and cristóbal</i>
<i> are found guilty</i>

908
00:41:56,314 --> 00:41:58,982
<i> And sentenced</i>
<i> to life in prison.</i>

909
00:41:59,050 --> 00:42:00,983
<i> In exchange</i>
<i> for their testimony</i>

910
00:42:00,985 --> 00:42:03,119
<i> At narcy</i>
<i> and cristóbal's trial,</i>

911
00:42:03,187 --> 00:42:05,721
<i> Alejandro and joel plead</i>
<i> to lesser charges</i>

912
00:42:05,790 --> 00:42:09,191
<i> And receive 17 and 10 years,</i>
<i> respectively.</i>

913
00:42:09,193 --> 00:42:13,796
- The motive here is simple
greed and vengeance,

914
00:42:13,865 --> 00:42:18,067
<i> And I find that evil</i>
<i> to the core.</i>

915
00:42:18,136 --> 00:42:19,969
I don't have
any closure on this,

916
00:42:20,038 --> 00:42:21,804
Because ben was a friend,

917
00:42:21,873 --> 00:42:23,639
<i> Bernice was a friend.</i>

918
00:42:23,708 --> 00:42:26,008
And I go to bed and I think,

919
00:42:26,077 --> 00:42:29,846
What a terrible way to die.

920
00:42:29,914 --> 00:42:33,283
<i> - Narcy is the coldest,</i>
<i> shrewdest,</i>

921
00:42:33,351 --> 00:42:36,886
Most calculating murderer
that I've ever encountered.

922
00:42:36,955 --> 00:42:40,356
<i> Narcy represents</i>
<i> the sin of the south.</i>

923
00:42:40,425 --> 00:42:46,262
<i> ♪ ♪</i>