In the daylight, they found this mother of two young children dead. Michael lane she lived a very courageous life. She was very bold in the things she did. Craig melvin but after the smoke cleared, a mystery lingered. Steve lungen we knew she did not die in that fire. She died before the fire. Who do you look to as the suspect . Obviously, the spouse is the first person you look to. Craig melvin but her husband had a clear alibi, and he passed a lie detector test. Eventually, the case grew cold until this witness came forward with a tale of Love And Lust gone wrong. But could she be believed . Was she out for Justice Or Revenge . Is it a perfect world . No. Will she get hers . Yes, when she dies. Craig melvin what was the lie and what was the truth . How could you miss it. He wasnt there. Hello, and welcome to dateline. Paul and Catherine Novak wanted to escape the Hustle And Bustle of the big city. They found peace and quiet when they moved into what catherine dubbed the Big Red House
it felt like law & order . the fire broke out before dawn. in the daylight, they found this mother of two young children dead. she lived a very courageous life. she was very bold in the things she did. but after the smoke cleared, a mystery lingered. we knew she did not die in that fire, she died before the fire. who do you look to as the suspect? obviously the spouse is the first person you look to. but her husband had a clear alibi and he passed a lie detector test. eventually, the case grew cold until this witness came forward. with a tale of love and lust gone wrong. he finally just took the sweat shirt and wrapped it around her neck. but could she be believed? i was sleeping around. i think i slept with half the town. was she out for justice or revenge? is it a perfect world, no? will she get hers, yes? and she does. what was the lie? and what was the truth? how could you miss it? he wasn t there! hello and welcome to dateline . paul and c
michelle to move out. and told her it was over. by that time, it had been more than two years since catherine s death. investigators back in new york had moved on to other cases. the years were ticking by with no new leads. but the da was a patient man. we never put the file away, it was always a matter of when something is gonna come forward, we ll be ready to go forward. we never accepted an accidental cause of death, ever. his patients would be rewarded, up break in his cold case was coming, and it would surprise everyone. coming up. a surprise knock at paul novak s door. two police detectives outside, they want to talk to you about your car being involved in a hidden run. is that what they really wanted? when dateline continues. wanted when dateline continues. when dateline continues. essure, a cold is not just a cold. coricidin is the #1 doctor recommended cold and flu brand.
all rise, sullivan county criminal court is now on august 12th, 2013, the trial of paul novak began at the sullivan county courthouse. the district attorney opened the case. the evidence will show that as catherine begged for and fought for her life, the defendant ended her life. murdering her, in the basement of her own home. prosecutors set out to prove that paul orchestrated this murder down to the last detail. he was planning this for a period of weeks, maybe more in his own mind. on how to rid himself of catherine. he s a murderer. he s a sociopath. he planned, he executed, and he killed catherine novak in cold blood. their star witness was paul s ex lover, michelle lafrance. the jury heard every minute of those police interrogation tapes of michelle describing
could never raise a child in this area. so, in 2002, paul and his wife catherine went house hunting in narrowsburg, new york. a small hamlet tucked between the catskill and poconos mountains. they didn t need to look for long. it was the big red house, as she called it. and she would talk about the big red house all the time. catherine s brother michael and sister-in-law joanne says she worked hard to make the big red house a home. growing up, we lived in apartments. you know, this was a space of her own. yeah, she was thrilled to have five acres, or ten acres of property. and she loved it there. the perfect place for the perfectly matched couple. they seemed meant for each other right from the start. i liked her from this first moment i met her. she was very effervescent. very funny and very opinionated. i really liked that in her. so, you really saw into the future the first time you saw her? yes. we ended up getting married, i think seven months later. two years