An EMT killed his ex-wife to hide his affair — and it was his own mistress who finally broke the case wide open.
Story Snapshot
- Paul Novak, a New York EMT, was convicted of murdering his ex-wife Catherine in a staged house fire meant to look like an accident.
- His girlfriend Michelle LaFrance had given him a false alibi — but she later confessed to investigators and named a second man involved in the crime.
- A co-conspirator named Scott Sherwood pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder and testified against Novak at trial.
- The case had no usable forensic evidence because the fire destroyed the scene, making witness testimony the backbone of the prosecution.
A Fire, a Dead Ex-Wife, and a Suspicious Alibi
Catherine Novak died in a house fire in Narrowsburg, New York. At first, it looked like a tragic accident. But investigators quickly focused on her ex-husband, Paul Novak, a trained emergency medical technician. He had motive — an ongoing affair with a woman named Michelle LaFrance — and he had an alibi LaFrance provided. For nearly four years, police suspected Novak but could not prove anything. Then LaFrance changed her story.
In 2012, LaFrance sat down with investigators in Florida for a six-hour interview. She admitted she had lied about Novak’s whereabouts. She told investigators Novak and a man named Scott Sherwood had driven to Narrowsburg to set the fire and kill Catherine. That confession led to Novak’s indictment on October 24, 2012, on charges including murder in the first and second degree, arson, burglary, larceny, and insurance fraud.
The Witness Who Drove the Getaway Car
Scott Sherwood was not just a name LaFrance dropped. He was there. Sherwood pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder and agreed to testify against Novak in exchange for a reduced sentence. He told the court he drove Novak to the scene and heard Novak confess to the killing on the drive back. Prosecutors also pointed to a Walmart receipt for duct tape, a hat, and gloves, along with toll records that placed Sherwood at the scene.
The defense pushed back hard. Sherwood had a documented history of mental illness, including depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder. The court allowed a psychiatrist to observe his testimony, though not to rule on his credibility. And because Sherwood received a lighter sentence for cooperating, the defense argued his story was self-serving. Novak himself denied all charges throughout the trial — one of the longest in Sullivan County history.
No Physical Evidence, But a Conviction That Held Up
The fire destroyed any physical evidence at the scene. No DNA, no fingerprints, no forensic link to Novak. The entire case rested on what two witnesses said. That might sound shaky — but courts have upheld convictions built on testimony alone when the accounts are detailed, consistent, and supported by circumstantial facts like receipts and toll records. A New York appeals court reviewed the case and found the evidence legally sufficient to uphold the conviction on both counts of murder.
Cases like this one raise real questions that people across the political spectrum can agree on. When forensic evidence is gone and the government’s case rests entirely on witnesses with their own reasons to talk, the justice system is working without a safety net. Sherwood got a deal. LaFrance had been deceived by the man she was protecting. Neither is a perfect witness. That does not mean Novak is innocent — the appeals court said the evidence was enough. But it does mean the system is only as good as the people inside it, and that should make all of us pay attention.
