BANDERA, TEXAS: In a shocking turn of events, a gruesome discovery inside a family home has led to murder charges being filed against a 28-year-old man. Michael Andrew Novak was charged with murder after authorities found two bludgeoned and decomposing bodies believed to be his mother and her husband. Novak was arrested on Friday night, July 28, after deputies were called to investigate a foul odor coming from the house.
Novak was found hiding inside his home in the 8700 block of Wharton’s Dock Road at the time of his arrest, per the Bandera Bulletin. Upon entering the scene, the police reportedly discovered two bodies decomposing in a bed, with both victims bearing "severe trauma" to their heads. It is not clear how long they were there before the police came to retrieve them. The Bandera County Sheriff's office said the bodies were too decayed to know who they were right away, but they think they might be Novak's mother, Crystal Holder, and her husband, Rick Biering. The investigation into this disturbing incident continues as authorities work to unravel the details surrounding the case.
Who is Michael Andrew Novak?
Michael Andrew Novak is a 28-year-old man from Bandera, Texas, who has been charged with murder in connection with the discovery of two decomposing bodies found in a bed inside his family's home. Novak's grandmother, Judi Andreolli, revealed that he had been to prison in the past for shooting his own father. "He shot his dad, but he didn’t kill him," she told KENS5.
"My daughter was such a loving, giving, beautiful person and I just can’t think of much else right now," Holder's mother, Andreolli, said. "I can’t believe this has happened." Andreolli went to the house after the police sealed it down because she was worried about her daughter, who hadn't responded for three days. She wanted to check on her and give her grandson, Novak, a birthday present - a drawing she made when he was 12. But she was shocked to find that her grandson was arrested for allegedly killing her daughter and son-in-law.
'Something about him just didn’t sit right with me'
Neighbor Elizabeth Miller, who lives across the street on Wharton Dock Road, told KSAT that Novak was staying at the house with his mother and her husband before he was arrested on Friday. "There was something about him that just didn’t sit right with me," Miller said. She had not seen or heard from the couple for several days. "They were just real good people," she said. "If you needed something, you could go ask them. If they had it, they’d help."
Novak has been booked for double homicide at the Bandera County Jail. His total bond set is $1 million, with each charge carrying a bond of $500,000.
