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Case Against Widow May Strengthen After NY Man's Guilty Plea

WHITE PLAINS, New York  - (CBS4) - The case against a Fort Lauderdale widow accused of killing her millionaire husband strengthened after a New York City man told authorities he was the wheelman in the murder, federal prosecutors said.

Ben Novack Jr. was killed in a Hilton hotel room in New York on July 12, 2009.

In federal court Thursday, Denis Ramirez, 36, pleaded guilty to conspiracy, domestic violence charges and could face a sentence of life in prison.

Ramirez said he agreed to drive two Florida men to the hotel in Rye Brook, N.Y. Ramirez thought it would be an assault and robbery, federal prosecutor Elliott Jacobson said.

Jacobson said Narcy Novack let the two men into their hotel room, which is where the men fatally beat Fontainebleau heir Ben Novack Jr.

Although she's accused of orchestrating the killing, Narcy Novack has denied those allegations.

Ismael Gonzalez, who is Ramirez's attorney, said Friday he did not know if his client would cooperate with prosecutors.

(©2011 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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