True Crime Stories

In April of 2012 police in Narrowsburg New York received a call from a woman named Michelle LaFrance.  She wanted to discuss a murder.  Since that time many have criticized Michelle not only for the claim, but her story, and her motive.  On the surface Michelle may look like a scorned woman out to get revenge on her ex-boyfriend but as a juror would reveal years later put in the totality of the information, Michelle's story made sense. On the night of December 13, 2008 the home of Catherine Novak had caught fire.  When it was all over Catherine's body would be found inside.  Her official cause of death was listed as being caused by debris that had fallen and crushed her chest.  Catherine was the mother of two but her children were with their father and his new girlfriend in Long Island. It was unclear as to whether Catherine and Paul Novak were only in the process of a divorce or if their divorce had become final earlier that year. For his part Paul was...

I remember the night that this crime occurred.  Although I no longer lived in Indianapolis, the town in which I grew up, I still lived in an area in which I could obtain their local programming.  It was a Saturday night and I was in my office watching and episode of 48 Hours  I am sure (it could have been Dateline  but I doubt that).  My husband does not watch many of those shows with me so I tend to watch them alone.  The episode was running late that night or else it had just finished because suddenly the local news station broke in with breaking news.  A home had exploded (that they knew) in a subdivision on the southeast side of the city called Richmond Hill.   Of course, as is the case with every story little was known right away but there were still homes on fire as the news crews hit the scene.  No one knew then what for sure had happened, if anyone was hurt, or even killed.  I remember the scene looked so chaotic.  The new...