I compiled binders full of evidence, photographs showing blood splattered all over home; the autopsy report that said she had massive head injuries, a broken jaw and finger. They are not just idle words. Roberts asked. Bernice Novack, second wife of the Fontainebleau Hotel's original owner, Ben Novack, was found dead, lying in a pool of her own blood, in her Fort Lauderdale home in April 2009. He was not at ease with people ... he would go trick or treating with the chauffeur and no kids went with him.". He had complete control over the hotel," said Matthews. He was sitting on the beach, a scarf around his neck floating in the breeze. Ben Novack Sr., founder of the Fontainebleau Hotel, a popular vacation place for the rich and famous in the 1950's, died of heart and lung failure Friday at Mount Sinai Medical Center. It was just the place to be and to be seen.". "My God, I can't believe this. "A writer who gets in bed with Miami Beach's historical characters ought to end up breathless.''. 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. Each time the story was the same: Bernice Novack had fallen and died from head trauma. April 5, 2011— -- The woman accused of ordering the murder of her travel executive … He kept a lot of cash in the house," Matthews replied. At one point, they called my editor to berate me for harassing them with too many questions. Earlier this season, Mandeville downed the Bulldogs in straight sets at Fontainebleau. Watch episodes from past seasons of The son of the founder of Florida's storied Fontainebleau Hotel was killed in his room at a hotel in suburban New York during a convention he organized, police said Monday. "It was absolutely magnificent ... the glamour, the people that were there from all over the world... it was just incredible," said Michael Aller, a director of tourism for Miami Beach who knows everybody. It was horrific," Det. With each story I wrote questioning her death, Fort Lauderdale police became increasingly uncooperative. Narcy Novack was arrested in Florida today on federal charges of conspiring to intimidate, beat and kill her husband, 53-year-old Ben Novack Jr. at a Hilton in Rye Brook, N.Y. last year. This time around, it went five close, grueling sets before the Skippers prevailed 23-25, 25-23, 25-23, 23-25, 15-13. Weather Forecast. Widow Charged In Fontainebleau Heir’s Death May Face More Charges. Ben Jr.’s ties to the Fontainebleau Hotel ended with bankruptcy in 1977. Joe Matthews, a former Miami Beach homicide detective, also knew Benji. In 2005, Fontainebleau Miami Beach closed its doors, kicking off a 2½ year, $1.0 billion renovation and expansion, which was completed in Fall of 2008, and reopened with rave reviews and an A-list celebrity-attended grand opening bash featuring the Victoria Secret Fashion Show and performances by Usher, Mariah Carey and Robin Thicke. July 13, 2013 / 11:43 PM Wilson continued. Fontainebleau offers a spectacular blend of history as a revered landmark since its opening in 1954. In 1991, Benji began sharing his good fortune with Narcy Veliz, a young, single mother from Ecuador -- a former exotic dancer with a young child, May Abad. Set on a vast wall was a large oil painting of her son, Ben Novack Jr., painted when he was about 20 years old. 1977: Family loses the hotel in a bankruptcy proceeding. Benji was alive at 6.54 a.m. "We know Ben was alive," Det. Fontainebleau Terrace: You MUST go through the owner directly. RESERVATIONS. In the battle of Mandeville, the home team Skippers found the opposition much stiffer in a rematch with District 5-I rival Fontainebleau. Designed by prominent architect Morris Lapidus, the Fontainebleau first opened in 1954, according to the resort’s website. Wilson said as he showed "48 Hours" correspondent Troy Roberts photos of the crime scene. Fontainebleau owner Jeff Soffer buying Mardi Gras casino in Hallandale Beach By Rene Rodriguez, ... Two killed in head-on crash on Overseas Highway in the Florida Keys Police soon established a timeline from phone records. "You had a hotel full of possible suspects?" His head was covered in blood. He was a little prince," Fiel recalled. More than 1,000 employees from Amway Global International, his most prestigious client, squeezed into the 455-room hotel -- and all of them were potential suspects, including his wife, a former stripper he had been married to for almost 19 years. Narcy Novack, 53, her brother and two other suspects were charged in connection with the slaying of multimillionaire Ben Novack Jr., whose father founded the ritzy Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach. 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