Getty ImagesFormer Dolphins linebacker John Offerdahl was one of the witnesses this week in a strange murder-for-hire case, in which Offerdahl’s next-door neighbor was one of the victims and the neighbor’s daughter-in-law is accused of arranging the killing.
The Miami Herald reports that Offerdahl lived next door to Bernice Novack, an 86-year-old woman who was murdered in 2009. A few weeks before the murder, Offerdahl and his son saw two suspicious-looking men outside Novack’s house, and when Offerdahl and his son approached, the men ran off. The Offerdahls gave chase but couldn’t catch them. It’s believed that the Offerdahls stopped those men from murdering Novack, and that one of the men came back a few weeks later and committed the murder by beating her to death.
It’s also believed that the men were hired by Narcy Novack, who is accused of hiring hitmen to kill her husband and her husband’s mother in order to gain control of the family fortune.
The case has too many strange twists and turns to describe in full here, but the Miami Herald reports that Offerdahl’s testimony followed witnesses including “a one-eyed killer, a tattooed porn star and a hotel guest who snapped pictures of Ben Novack Jr.’s bloody corpse.”
Offerdahl filed a report with the Fort Lauderdale police when the incident took place, but officers didn’t realize there was any connection when his next-door neighbor was found dead in her home a few weeks later, and her death was originally classified as an accident from a fall. It was only when the killer confessed that the police realized that her death had been a homicide, and that the killer was one of the same men who had been chased away by Offerdahl.
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He saved some people who drove into a lake one time I believe.
Good LBer.
He did pull someone out of their car after they skidded off the turnpike. Guy is a flat out hero. After reading this their should be a show called the “Offerdahls “. Weird story.
The Fort Lauderdale PD needs to brush up on their forensic studies.
pretty solid linebacker on tecmo super bowl.
Sad story about that family.
But it goes to show you what kind of guy Offerdahl is. If he wasn’t hurt so much, he would’ve been a HOF’r and maybe the best defensive player the Dolphins ever had. He was fun to watch and my favorite Dolphin ever, next to Marino…
@tree3383, I was thinking the same thing. This guy’s name sure sounds familiar. And it’s not because I kept up with the Dolphins much back in the ’80s. Oh yeah…TECMO BOWL!!
Best Dolphin defender during the Marino era.
Too bad he couldn’t save Marino from a ringless career.
apparently a still a step slow, but truly on of the all-time great Miami Dolphinos
That’s some good police work there Lou.
Look how cool the Dolphins Unis look in that picture. Block font forcing numbers. No navy blue drop shadow. No navy blue at all. No aqua pants. That was a good looking uni. The ones we have now have the JJ, Wannie, Saban, Cameron, Parcells stink on them. Dress like a loser, play like a loser.
Jefferson County is still proud of you John.