Dateline: A complete timeline of the Paul Novak murder trial, revisited

The case of a paramedic with a history of saving several lives, killing his own wife by setting her house on fire, made it to the popular true crime show, Dateline.

The show features several testimonies and interviews of the family members and police officials probing the case. Some disturbing details surfaced with the neighbours witnessing the blazing house, firefighters arriving at the location, and discovering the burned remains of Paul Novak's wife, Catherine.

Paul and Catherine were just like an ordinary couple with two children. By 2008, their relationship had become tumultuous, and they decided to divorce. They also got separated in the process, with Catherine living in the home in Sullivan County, and Paul living separately with his new girlfriend, Michelle LaFrance.

The case that had remained cold for years due to a lack of evidence was finally reopened in 2012, leading to Paul's conviction.

Here is the complete timeline, as shown on Dateline.

Here's the complete timeline of the Paul Novak murder trial in Dateline

As mentioned, in 2008, the couple had separated after having marital problems, setting the stage for custody and financial disputes that prosecutors later argued provided Novak with motive to kill Catherine.

On December 12, 2008, Novak and his friend Scott Sherwood drove from Long Island to Sullivan County. Early morning on December 13, they ambushed Catherine's home. They drugged her, beat and suffocated her, while Paul set the house on fire. Catherine was left severely drugged and injured, unable to run from the fire, and succumbed to it.

Initially, investigators suspected it could have been an accidental fire. Novak told police he had been in Long Island, New York, with LaFrance at the time, and she backed his alibi. With no forensic evidence, the case quickly went cold, as shown on Dateline.

It was in 2012, when LaFrance changed her testimony and confessed she lied, and admitted that Paul and Scott both drove to Sullivan to kill Catherine. She also said that Paul had even confessed to her that he strangled Catherine after chloroform failed to work.

Dateline: The years-long cold case reopened with new testimonies coming to the surface

On September 27, 2012, Novak was arrested in Florida, while Sherwood was arrested in New York. Paul was charged with first-degree murder, second-degree murder, burglary, arson, grand larceny, and insurance fraud. Sherwood was indicted separately on related charges.

The trial formally began in August 2013 in Sullivan County Court. The entire month, the court heard LaFrance Sherwood and other family members' testimonies to decode Paul's character. Novak even attempted to sway public opinion by granting a jailhouse interview to a local reporter just before jury selection.

After nearly eight weeks of testimony in September, Paul was convicted of all charges. On January 31, 2014, Judge Frank LaBuda sentenced him to life without parole for first-degree murder, plus concurrent 25-to-life sentences for two counts of second-degree murder, and additional terms for arson, burglary, and fraud. LaBuda said:

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“You deserve a sentence where you will never see the sun rise on a free day in your life.”

Novak appealed his conviction, but on March 16, 2017, the New York Appellate Division, Third Department, affirmed both the conviction and sentence, as shown on Dateline. With this, he is ensured to be behind bars for the rest of his life.

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