Texas man charged with murder after decomposing bodies found in his home

A Texas man was charged with murder after two bludgeoned and decomposing bodies were found inside his family’s home, with the victims believed to be his mother and her partner, police said.

Michael Andrew Novak, 28, was arrested on Friday night after he was found hiding inside his Bandera home when deputies were called to investigate a foul odor coming from the residence, the Bandera Bulletin reports.

Inside, police found two bodies decomposing in a bed together, each suffering “severe trauma” to their heads. It was unclear how long the individuals were lying there before being removed by police.

The Bandera County Sheriff’s office said the bodies were too decomposed to immediately identify, but they believe the bodies belong to Novak’s mother, Crystal Holder, and her common law husband Rick Biering.

“My daughter was such a loving, giving, beautiful person and I just can’t think of much else right now,” Holder’s mother, Judi Andreolli, told KENS5. “I can’t believe this has happened.”

Andreolli was at the home after police closed off the area, saying that she had come to conduct a wellness check after not hearing back from her daughter for three days.

Andreolli added that she was also going to give Novak, her grandson, a birthday present – a picture she drew of him when he was 12.

Instead, the grieving mother was met with shock and horror after learning that her grandson was arrested over the murder of her daughter and son-in-law.

Andreolli noted that Novak was suffering from depression and emotional issues and had previously served a prison sentence for shooting and wounding his father.

“He shot his dad, but he didn’t kill him,” she told KENS5.

Central Texas Autopsy, in Lockhart, will be conducting the official autopsy of the corpses recovered.

Novak was booked for double homicide at the Bandera County Jail, where he remains under a $1 million bond.