#23: Betsy Faria: Murder, Deception, and an Unlikely Suspect

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Before we begin. Do you have a theory about this
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insights might be featured in a future episode. I'm Harper
Finley and this is night Watch Files. On the evening

(00:26):
of December twenty seventh, twenty eleven, Russ Furrea drove through
the light snow falling on Lincoln County, Missouri. He had
just left his weekly game night with friends, stopping at
an Arby's drive through for a late dinner before heading
home to Troy. His wife, Betsy, was battling terminal breast
cancer and the chemotherapy treatments often left her exhausted. When

(00:47):
he tried calling to let her know he was on
his way, she didn't answer, nothing unusual if she had
fallen asleep after her treatment earlier that day. Russ parked
in the driveway around nine forty five p m. And
entered through the unlocked front door, dropping a bag of
dog food and removing his jacket. As he glanced into
the living room, he made a discovery that would change

(01:08):
his life forever. Betsy lay sprawled on the floor in
front of the sofa, a pool of blood beneath her head.
She was on her right side, her face covered in blood,
with the black handle of a kitchen knife protruding from
the left side of her neck. Her right forearm bore
a deep gash, and her arms were crossed in front
of her in a contorted pose. When Deputy Chris Hollingsworth

(01:31):
arrived nine minutes after Russ's frantic nine one one call,
he immediately recognized they were dealing with a murder. The
paramedics found Betsy's body cold and stiff, with rigor mortis
already setting in and blood that was coagulating and drying.
The physical evidence at the scene would suggest that Betsy
Firia had been dead for hours, not minutes. Yet within days,

(01:53):
investigators would arrest her husband for her murder, convinced he
had killed her in the brief moments between arriving home
and calling for help. But there was something else about
December twenty seventh, twenty eleven that investigators initially overlooked, something
that had happened just four days earlier. A single piece
of paperwork that would raise questions about who really wanted

(02:16):
Betsy Faria dead, and there was someone else who had
been with Betsy that evening, someone whose story would change
multiple times, someone who stood to gain from Betsy's death
in ways that wouldn't become clear until it was almost
too late. What really happened in those final hours of
Betsy Faria's life, and why would the investigation that followed

(02:37):
lead to one of the most shocking wrongful convictions in
Missouri's history. Russell Scott Faria grew up in Florescent, Missouri,

(03:17):
a middle class community on the northern edge of Saint Louis.
During sixth and seventh grade, he spent a year in Florida,
where his father worked as a construction laborer and painter.
After returning to Missouri, Russ struggled academically and dropped out
of Hazelwood Central High School in nineteen eighty seven. Two
years later, he earned his ged from a local technical school.

(03:39):
In his younger years, Russ was known for having a
volatile temper. A high school classmate recalled him getting into
a fistfight over a girl. He worked various jobs, including
maintenance for a major grocery chain, and spent ten years
managing a liquor store. Meanwhile, Elizabeth K. Carter, known as Betsy,
grew up in the Saint Louis suburbs as the third

(03:59):
of four daughters in a devoutly Roman Catholic family. During
her school years, she excelled as a softball pitcher and
was part of state championship teams in nineteen eighty four
and nineteen eighty five. As a high school senior, she
launched her own djay business called Party Starters, which showcased
her extroverted personality and love of music. After graduation, Betsy

(04:22):
studied broadcasting and secured work as a DJA at a
country music station in the Florida Keys. While there, she
began a long term relationship that would result in two daughters,
Leah and Mariah Day, born in nineteen ninety and nineteen
ninety four. The relationship ended when her partner returned to
Florida after their second daughter's birth, maintaining minimal contact with

(04:45):
his children. Thereafter, Betsy returned to Missouri and briefly married
Ron Carter in nineteen ninety five, though they divorced within
a year. Despite the failed marriage, she maintained a friendship
with Ron and continued intimate relations with him approximately every
two weeks. In nineteen ninety seven, twenty eight year old

(05:06):
Russ stopped for gas at a service station in O'fallen, Missouri.
Behind the cash register worked twenty nine year old Betsy,
still finalizing her divorce from Ron Carter. Russ was immediately
struck by her appearance, her curly brown hair with blonde highlights,
sparkling blue eyes, and radiant smile that reflected her bubbly,
extroverted personality. He began making regular visits to the station,

(05:30):
engaging in flirtatious conversation. Eventually, Betsy asked him out. Their
romance developed quickly. Russ grew attached to Betsy's two young daughters,
ages seven and three, and moved into her mobile home
in O'fallen. They married in January two thousand, after her
divorce was finalized. The early years of their marriage proved turbulent.

(05:51):
The couple engaged in frequent loud arguments. Though there was
never any physical violence, Russ's volatile temper would lead to
angry words he later regarded. While Betsy battled depression for
years and had been prescribed the antidepressant Selexa by at
least two thousand and six, Betsy's infidelity became a recurring issue.

(06:11):
She maintained her sexual relationship with ex husband Ron Carter,
visiting him when upset with Russ or seeking what she
called a release. Around two thousand and five, during one
of their separations, she also had an affair with her sister,
Mary Roger's husband. Mary indicated that she did not take
the news well and was quote pretty darn angry. She

(06:32):
also mentioned having a few unkind words for her husband,
although at that time they were already split up. In
January two thousand five, tensions escalated when Mary intervened during
a verbal altercation at their mobile home. Mary later claimed
she heard Russ threaten to cut her up and put
her in a bag, though police reports indicated the argument

(06:54):
centered on household responsibilities. The couple separated multiple times, including
one period lasting about a year when Russ stayed with
a friend in southwestern Illinois. Despite these difficulties, they repeatedly
attempted reconciliation. They sought counseling at Morning Star United Methodist
Church in Wensville, where pastoral guidance significantly improved their relationship.

(07:19):
During this period, Betsy worked for an insurance company and
continued operating party starters, with Russ often assisting at events.
In October two thousand one, she met Pam Hup on
Pam's first day at the insurance office. Betsy had taken
out a life insurance policy that same year, maintaining Russ
as the primary beneficiary. Despite their marital troubles. Encouraged by Betsy,

(07:42):
Russ pursued higher education, earning associates and bachelor's degrees in
information technology. This led to a significant career advancement when
he secured a position in IT technical support for enterprise
holdings in two thousand seven. By the decade's end, those
close to the couple observed in improvements in their relationship.

(08:02):
Mary Rogers noted that Russ and Betsy had worked through
their problems and genuinely loved each other, commenting that Russ
had come a long way and changed his behavior significantly. However,
Betsy's mental health struggles persisted. She was hospitalized for psychiatric
issues in two thousand and eight and again in twenty

(08:23):
ten after making suicidal statements to a police officer. Throughout
this period, Pam Hupp consistently portrayed Betsy's marriage as deeply troubled,
claiming Betsy frequently spoke of leaving Russ and describing him
as verbally abusive and degrading. In late two thousand and nine,

(08:47):
Betsy received devastating news she had been diagnosed with breast cancer.
She underwent a mastectomy and reconstructive surgery in twenty ten,
and by early twenty eleven the cancer appeared to be
in remission. The diagnosis and treatment created what would be
described as the worst challenge of their lives, profoundly impacting

(09:08):
their finances and daily routines. In October twenty eleven, while
attending a family wedding in Rhode Island, the cancer returned
with a vengeance. Betsy's doctor delivered a grim prognosis. The
cancer had spread to her liver, was inoperable, and she
likely had only three to five years to live. According
to Pam Hupp, Russ insisted on knowing the full extent

(09:31):
of the prognosis, which distressed Betsy. Despite the devastating news,
Betsy and Russ decided to proceed with their planned seven
day crews to Belize, Honduras, and Casumel in November twenty eleven,
reframing it as a celebration of life. The couple was
joined by friends and family, and those who accompanied them

(09:51):
observed their closeness during the trip. Linda Hartman, a friend
who went on the cruise, recalled Betsy saying she was
really happy with Thruss and noted the couple appeared to
be honeymooning. Ronda Graham, who knew the Parias from church,
characterized their relationship as having a stronger bond after Betsy
got sick. For Betsy, swimming with dolphins became one of

(10:15):
the highlights of her life. She appeared determined to beat
cancer again, maintaining her generally positive nature despite the circumstances.
Just after her cancer recurred, but before the cruise, Betsy
made comments to Linda Hartman about her life insurance, stating
she was okay with dying because she was leaving the
insurance money to Russ and her two daughters to be

(10:37):
split three ways. The cancer and chemotherapy treatments took a
severe toll on both Betsy's health and their finances. She
became too ill to work at the insurance company and
qualified for disability payments from Social Security. She continued operating
her part time Djay service party starters, spending most week
days making calls for the business from home. The chemotherapy

(11:01):
was debilitating and painful, sapping her energy and lowering her
white blood cell count. She had also begun wetting the bed,
which allegedly angered Russ. Betsy's mental health history remained a
concern throughout her cancer battle. She had been taking the
antidepressant Selexa for at least five years and had a
documented history of suicidal threats. After her first cancer diagnosis,

(11:25):
her daughter Mariah had found a suicide note during one
previous separation from Russ. She had told Pam Hupp, you know,
I just feel like killing myself. I can't do this
any more. However, Pam also noted Betsy's fluctuating moods, observing
that she can be down in the dumps and an
hour later be flying high, and didn't believe she had

(11:47):
ever actually attempted suicide. As twenty eleven drew to a close,
Betsy began making what she described as unspecified preparations for
the future and for the care of her daughters after
she was gone. She maintained several life insurance policies totaling
between three and four hundred thousand dollars, with Russ as

(12:07):
the primary beneficiary. Her family stated she wanted the money
split equally among Russ and her two daughters. She was
also making plans for a cruise with her younger daughter,
Mariah the following March. The holiday season brought mixed emotions.
From December nineteenth to twenty second, Betsy enjoyed a girl's
weekend to Branson, Missouri, with her close friend Linda Hartman

(12:30):
and Linda's daughter, Ashley Frost. On Christmas Eve, she and
Russ engaged in holiday activities with both their families. She
also spoke with her ex husband Ron Carter by phone
and seemed upbeat and not at all depressed. Christmas Day
saw the couple spending time together, participating in holiday activities
with both families. Russ gave Betsy a jewelry armoir as

(12:54):
a Christmas gift, though it had a broken leg and
needed to be propped against the bedroom wall. His family
noted Betsy's positive attitude despite her terminal diagnosis, and she
and Russ discussed taking Maria on vacation to Florida in
March twenty twelve. On December twenty sixth, the day after
Christmas Betsy stayed at her mother, Janet Meyer's apartment in

(13:16):
Lake Saint Louis, to be closer to her chemotherapy appointment
scheduled for the following day in Saint Peter's. That evening,
Russ's cousin Mary Anderson saw the couple at a family
Christmas party, observing them as happy and laughing. However, at
another Christmas party hosted by Betsy's sister, Pamela Welker, Betsy

(13:36):
appeared unusually reserved and tired, which was attributed to feeling
down from the cancer treatments. Around five PM, Russ called
his mother, Lucy Farrea to inform her he would miss
family dinner due to errands. Quick break ads keep the

(13:58):
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Thanks for sticking through that. Let's get back to it.
December twenty seventh, twenty eleven, began like many other days

(14:21):
in the Faria household. Betsy had spent the night at
her mother, Janet Meyer's apartment in Lake Saint Louis, to
be closer to her chemotherapy appointment. Scheduled for one thirty
PM at the Seitman Cancer Center in Saint Peter's. Russ
was working from his home office in the basement, providing
it support remotely. The couple exchanged a series of text

(14:42):
messages throughout the morning, coordinating their evening plans. At ten
thirty five am, Betsy texted Russ, you were supposed to
get dog food tonight. He replied six minutes later, Yeah,
I will get it when I come in. When Betsy
asked if he had his weekly game night, Russ confirmed
it twelve pm. Yeah, go into game and then we'll

(15:02):
come get you. We'll call on the way. Should not
be too late. Betsy responded warmly, okay, great, honey. Earlier
that morning, Betsy had texted her friend Pam Hup at
ten thirty five am, telling her that Bobby Wan would
take her to chemotherapy instead, as she wanted one on
one time with Bobby. Despite this change, Pam decided to

(15:22):
join them anyway, driving to Janet's apartment around the time
Betsy was scheduled to leave, finding that Betsy had already
departed with Bobby. Pam chatted with Janet before leaving. After
her chemotherapy session, Betsy's plans changed. At three forty six pm.
She texted Russ, I got toilet paper and Pam hup

(15:43):
wants to bring me home to bed. I need rest.
White blood cell count is low, but got chemotherapy anyway.
Russ confirmed the new arrangement and Betsy replied at three
fifty two pm. Yes, she offered and I accepted. Shortly
after five pm, Betsy called Russ to confirm them. Pam
would drive her home and mentioned she had good news
to share with him later. Pam returned to Janet's apartment

(16:05):
around five fifteen p m to collect Betsy, waiting while
she finished playing a board game with her mother and Bobby.
At approximately six p m, Russ arrived at his friend
Mike Corbyn's house for their weekly game night. He joined
Mike Corbin and Jelia Hoolian, Brandon Sweeney, and Marshall Bach
for what would be three uninterrupted hours of movies and conversation.

(16:28):
The group watched Conan, The Barbarian, and The Road, sharing
some marijuana but consuming no alcohol. Friends later described Russ
as appearing completely normal, even dozing off at one point
during the evening. Meanwhile, Pam and Betsy left Janet's apartment
after six p M. Pam later claimed she called her
husband Mark from Betsy's driveway at seven four p m,

(16:51):
leaving a voicemail to which Betsy also added holiday greetings.
The two women went inside the house, where Pam said
she turned on the hall, living room, and kitchen lights
because Betsy didn't like to be alone and was calling
for Russ. Betsy showed Pam the jewelry Armoi Russ had
given her for Christmas, which had a broken leg and
was propped against the bedroom wall. Betsy tried to convince

(17:15):
Pam to stay the night or watch movies, but Pam refused,
stating she didn't want to be around when Russ returned home.
After what Pam described as twenty thirty minutes or so
inside the house, she left and called Betsy's phone at
seven twenty seven p m, claiming she was almost home
or home free, to assure Betsy she was okay with

(17:36):
driving at night. During this time, Betsy's daughter Lee A
Day had called her mother's phone at seven p M
to ask her to answer a call later from the
phone store. Leah subsequently called three more times from a
US cellular store. At seven twenty one p M, seven
twenty six p m, and seven thirty p m. But
Betsy did not answer any of these calls. Between eight

(17:58):
and eight thirty p m. While Russ was still at
Game Night, his phone rang once with his Imperial March
ring tone from an unknown number, but he didn't answer.
At eight fifty two pm, Pam called Betsy's mother, Janet,
because Betsy wasn't answering her phone. Pam told Janet she
was worried Betsy was mad at her for not staying
until Russ got home. Five minutes later, at eight fifty

(18:21):
seven pm, Janet called Russ's phone, leaving a voicemail. The
Game Night group decided to call it an evening. About
halfway through the road, departing at nine o'clock into a
light snow, Russ drove only a few minutes before pulling
into an Arby's drive through in Lake Saint Louis at
nine o nine p m. Ordering two Junior cheddar melt
roast beef sandwiches. He ate the sandwiches and drank iced

(18:44):
tea during his drive home to Troy. When he tried
calling Betsy to let her know he was on his way,
she didn't answer, which he found normal if she was asleep.
After chemotherapy, Russ parked in the driveway around nine forty
five pm, entered through the unlocked front door, dropped the
bag of dog food, and removed his jacket. As he

(19:05):
glanced into the living room, he discovered Betsy's body sprawled
on the floor in front of the sofa in a
contorted pose, with a pool of blood under her head.
Betsy was lying on her right side, wearing a black
T shirt, blue workout pants, and green and white socks.
Her face was covered in blood. Her arms were crossed
in front of her, and there was a deep gash

(19:26):
on her right forearm. The black handle of a kitchen
steak knife protruded from the left side of her neck,
just below the jawline and above a grisly slash. Her
eyes were closed and her tongue was protruding. In his
shock and seeing the slashed arm, Russ initially thought Betsy
had committed suicide. He recalled her past suicidal threats and hospitalizations,

(19:50):
including an incident where she had threatened to harm herself
with a knife during an argument. He started to cradle her,
but stopped, realizing he shouldn't disturb the scene for police.
Staggering to the kitchen land line, he dialed nine one
one at nine forty p m, collapsing to the floor
while hysterical and sobbing. Deputy Chris Hollingsworth from the Lincoln

(20:11):
County Sheriff's Office arrived at nine forty nine p m.
Upon seeing Betsy's body, he immediately recognized this was not
a suicide but a murder. He escorted Russ to the
front porch to avoid contaminating the scene. Russ shivered uncontrollably
in the frigid air, wearing only a T shirt and jeans,
and was given a white blanket. Hollingsworth noted Russ's erratic

(20:35):
breathing and panic, though he also observed that Russ appeared
calm at times and even laughed while discussing his childhood.
Captain Robert Schrammick of the Fire Protection District arrived moments
after Hollingsworth and was the first official to examine Betsy's body.
He found it cold and stiff, with rigor mortis already
setting in, suggesting death had occurred two to four hours earlier.

(20:59):
The blood under her her head appeared cold and coagulating
paramedic mic Quatraki arrived at nine fifty one PM and
made similar observations, noting the body was cold, stiff, and
the blood was drying, indicating Betsy had been dead for
some time. The crime scene was quickly secured and investigators
began their methodical examination. They took hundreds of photographs and

(21:23):
collected evidence throughout the house. The bloody carpet under Betsy's
head and sofa upholstery were removed. A second knife, similar
to the one in Betsy's neck, but without blood, was
found under a sofa pillow. A suspected dog pawprint was
discovered on Betsy's left rear hip on her pants. In
Russ's bedroom closet, investigators found a pair of tan men's

(21:44):
house slippers size eleven with smudges of what appeared to
be dried blood. They also collected his black Harley Davidson
leather jacket and black leather gloves. Electronic devices were seized,
including two cell phones, four laptops and computers, hard drives,
an iPod, m P, three players, CDs, and a camera.

(22:05):
In Russ's Ford Explorer, they found the Arby's bag with
a receipt time stamped nine nine p m. From Tuesday,
December twenty seventh, along with two bottles of iced tea
and a carton of cigarettes, Russ was transported to the
Lincoln County Sheriff's Office in Troy, where his interrogation began
at ten thirty p m. In Interview Room two. Wrapped

(22:25):
in a blanket and appearing pale, he constantly whispered no, no, no,
and why. Detective Mike Merkle observed Russ's behavior when alone,
noting he seemed to bury his face in his hands
and sob later slamming his head against the wall and
falling to his knees in prayer. However, Merkell's report noted
that Russ did not appear to have any moisture on

(22:48):
his face or arms where he may have been crying.
During the interrogation, Russ described his and Betsy's lives, their
marital history, including past separations and recent improvements through church
case counseling, Betsy's cancer diagnosis, and his activities that day.
He explained finding Betsy's body, his initial thought of suicide,

(23:08):
and his deliberate decision not to touch her to preserve the
crime scene, which surprised Merkele. Eventually, Merkele suggested to Russ
that the truth of Betsy's final hours was between you
and Pam Right. At three fifty two a m. On
December twenty eighth, detectives Ray Floyd and Keith Rider of
the Major Case Squad took over the questioning. Russ stated

(23:31):
that he and Betsy had sex on Christmas night, two
days before her death, and he noticed no new injuries.
He confirmed his alibi and mentioned his life insurance policies
totaling three hundred thousand dollars or more with him as
the primary beneficiary. At five thirty a m. After seven
hours of questioning, Floyd asked Russ to write a statement,
which he did. DNA samples were taken from Russ at

(23:54):
eight thirty a m, with swabs of his hands and
feet collected at nine forty nine a m. At eleven
twenty a m, Floyd informed Russ that Betsy's death was
not a suicide but a murder. Russ was read his
miranda rights and signed a waiver, though he felt he
wasn't free to leave. The autopsy began at one p m.
On Wednesday, December twenty eighth, led by doctor camal d Saberwaal.

(24:18):
The examination revealed that Betsy Faria had been stabbed fifty
five times. The wounds included ten to the neck, injuries
to the thyroid, gland, trachea, and right jugular vein, with
the knife penetrating five and a half inches deep. Numerous
stab wounds and slashes were found on her neck, face, head, arms, shoulders, chest, back,

(24:39):
and abdomen. The cause of death was determined to be
stab wounds to the neck, chest, and abdomen. Blood tests
showed a low level of dieph and hydramine commonly known
as benadryl rigor mortis was severe in her jaw and limbs.
That afternoon, Russ was taken to the Lake Saint Louis
Police station for a polygraph test administered by Detective Gary

(24:59):
MacIntyre at one fifty five p m. When asked if
he killed Betsy, if he killed her with a knife,
and if he knew who killed her, Russ answered no
to all questions. MacIntyre told Russ he was not one
hundred percent honest and accused him of stabbing Betsy. Russ
was beyond horrified and repeatedly insisted, no, I did not

(25:19):
I wasn't even there. MacIntyre suggested he could help if
Russ confessed, portraying him as either somebody who lost it,
made a mistake and is remorseful, or some kind of
fucking monster. Detective Floyd joined the interrogation, claiming there was
no way Betsy was dead when Russ got home and
stating she was alive when you got home, she was

(25:40):
dead by the time the police got there. The detectives
introduced allegations about a prior incident where Russ allegedly held
a pillow over Betsy's face and said this is what
dying feels like. Russ was flabbergasted and denied the claim.
Questioning where such an absurd allegation came from. Floyd stated

(26:01):
you only have one person with a motive money and
claimed the polygraph showed one hundred percent deception. The detectives
estimated Russ got home around nine thirty to nine thirty
five p m. And made the nine one one call
at nine forty p m, suggesting he killed Betsy in
a ten to fifteen minute time frame. Floyd claimed Betsy

(26:21):
hadn't been dead hardly at all when the police got
there less than an hour contradicting the initial observations of
first responders. He also alleged the crime scene had been
cleaned and that there was blood on Russ's slippers and
a bedroom light switch plate. Russ repeatedly denied involvement and
maintained his alibi. At four thirty six p m. He

(26:43):
finally requested a lawyer. He was then arrested and handcuffed,
with Floyd heard saying as soon as they want a lawyer,
that means their guilty. While Russ was being interrogated, detectives
were also conducting interviews with others connected to the case.
At six forty a m. On December twenty eighth, Detective
Stephanie Kaiser and Sergeant Perry Smith arrived at Pam Hupp's

(27:06):
door in O'fallen. Pam provided a nearly three hour recorded interview,
offering insights into what she described as Betsy's fatally troubled
marriage with Russ. Pam claimed Betsy talked often about leaving Russ,
and that she and friend Linda Hartman had discussed moving
to Branson. She recounted taking Betsy home, saying they arrived

(27:28):
between seven pm and seven o five pm, and admitted
to going into the house, turning on lights, and staying
for ten to twenty minutes. Pam increasingly built a case
against Russ, alleging Betsy was afraid of him and tired
of his talk about her insurance money. Pam also mentioned
Betsy's p dot doc letter, which was found by detective

(27:48):
Robert O'Neill, who conducted a thorough search of Betsy's laptop
computer and made mention of this policy change. Deep within
the hard drive, he discovered a document that was titled
simply p dot com do. The metadata associated with the
document revealed specific details about its creation. According to the
computer records, the letter had been opened using Betsy's profile

(28:11):
and password on December twenty second, twenty eleven, just five
days before her murder. The time stamps indicated it was
written in approximately fifteen minutes between eleven fifty five a m.
And twelve ten pm that day. After completion, the document
was immediately saved to the hard drive and then reopened

(28:31):
again at two ten pm. Prior to the letter's creation,
the computer showed evidence of someone searching for stationary templates.
The phrase love Betsy had been typed three times in
different fonts, as if the author was experimenting with various
formats before settling on the final version. The letter was
addressed to Pam and contained disturbing allegations about Russ Ferrea's

(28:55):
behavior toward his terminally ill wife. The document described Betsy's
fear that Russ is going to do something to me.
It detailed an incident where Russ had allegedly become angry
that Betsy came home instead of staying at her mother's house,
and claimed he had been reading her emails. According to
the letter, Russ had made threatening comments, telling Betsy he said,

(29:19):
I won't be around much longer, so what do I care.
The document alleged that for months Russ had been talking
about how much money he would make after I die,
and that he preferred when Betsy stayed at her mother's
residence rather than at home. Perhaps most disturbing was the
letter's description of a specific incident where Betsy claimed to

(29:41):
have woke up to Russ holding a pillow over my face.
The letter stated that during this alleged encounter, Russ had
said that he wanted me to know what dying feels like.
The document went on to explain Betsy's supposed plan to
change her life insurance policy without Russ's knowledge. In the letter,

(30:01):
she asked, Pam, do you think I could put it
in your name and you could help my daughters when
they need it. The reasoning given was that her daughters
would blow it if they received the money directly. The
letter concluded with Betsy expressing fear about staying alone with
Russ and Troy and making a specific request to Pam
to please show this to the police if something happens

(30:23):
to me. During her interview, Pam made statements that suggested
she knew specific details about the timing of Betsy's death,
saying something happened to her last night when talking to
her brother, and later asking detectives if Betsy's death happened
this morning. She consented to a search of her cell phone,
provided a DNA sample, and gave police the clothes she

(30:46):
wore the previous night. Detective Kaiser noted no noticeable marks
or injuries on Pam. Other family members were also interviewed
throughout the day. Detectives informed Betsy's older daughter, Leah Day
and sister Julie Swainey of the death at seven twenty
a m. Leah criticized Russ's behavior saying he would sometimes
get angry over financial issues and yell at Betsy, making

(31:10):
her afraid. Mariah Day spoke of her mother's depression and
a past suicide note, but thought Betsy was handling her
new diagnosis well and seemed happy over Christmas. Betsy's sister
Mary Rogers recounted the two thousand five incident where Russ
allegedly threatened to cut her up and put her in
a bag during an argument. She confirmed Betsy had cheated

(31:33):
on Russ multiple times, but maintained they loved each other
very much and that Russ had changed. Members of Russ's family,
including his mother, Lucy Faria and sister Rachel. Faria, noted
Betsy's positive attitude despite her cancer, and confirmed that Russ
and Betsy had discussed a future vacation with Mariah. Rachel

(31:53):
mentioned that Betsy had once threatened suicide with a knife,
which Russ had taken away from her. Quick break ads
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(32:14):
the ad free versions on Patreon for just three bucks
a month. Links in the show notes and we're back.
Thanks for sticking through that. Let's get back to it.
On January fourth, twenty twelve, at three thirty pm, Russ
Ferrea was arrested for his wife's murder after Sergeant Ryan

(32:36):
McCarrick filed a probable cause statement with Lincoln County Prosecuting
Attorney Leah Asky. The statement provided grounds to file charges
of first degree murder and armed criminal action against Russ.
Following his arrest, he was fingerprinted, photographed, and dressed in
a prisoner's uniform. From jail, he was able to call
his mother and his cousin, Mary Anderson. That same evening.

(33:00):
At nine thirty pm, Mary Anderson called defense attorney Joel Schwartz,
asking him to represent her cousin on the murder charge.
Schwartz agreed to take the case after meeting with Mary
Anderson the following day. On January fifth, Betsy Farrea's life
insurance agent, Kathy Peterson received an angry and threatening phone

(33:20):
call from someone claiming to be Russ Feria's sister, inquiring
about Betsy's life insurance. Peterson immediately contacted police about the call.
Following Russ's arrest, media coverage intensified. Sheriff Mike Crigbaum announced
to cameras that they had arrested the right person and
possessed sufficient evidence. Prosecuting attorney Leah Aske stated publicly that

(33:43):
they knew Betsy had come home, laid down, and was
likely resting or asleep when the incident occurred. She also
attacked Russ's alibi, asserting it had unraveled and led authorities
to believe the murder was premeditated. On January twenty fifth,
twenty twelve, Pam Hupp provided a letter from her doctor,
doctor Ronald L. Fisher, stating that she was unable to

(34:06):
undergo a polygraph due to her medical condition. This letter
followed a handwritten note she had sent to doctor Fisher
requesting such a statement. Russ's trial was initially scheduled for
June twenty six, two thousand twelve, before Lincoln County Circuit
Judge Dan Dildane. On June twenty fifth, the day before
the scheduled trial, Sergeant Ryan mc carrick interviewed Pam Hupp

(34:28):
to hammer out discrepancies in her statements and prepare her
as a witness. During this interview, Pam made a notable comment,
casually stating that if she really wanted money, her mother
was worth a half a million that I get when
she dies, implying it would be an easier way to
obtain money than by killing Betsy, who she described as

(34:50):
physically stronger. When directly asked by mc carrick if she
had anything to do with Betsy's murder, Pam responded no,
absolutely not. During the summer of twenty twelve, attorney David
Butch filed a lawsuit against Pam Hupp on behalf of
Betsy Faria's daughters, to recover the hundred and fifty thousand
dollars from Betsy's life insurance policy. Two weeks after his

(35:12):
June interview with Pam Hupp, mccerrick filed a report concluding
that Pam attributed documented memory loss due to a head
injury as the reason for any subtle differences or discrepancies
in her statements. On September eleventh, two thousand twelve, a
hearing was held on Joel Schwartz's motion to reduce Russfaria's bond.
Judge Dildean reduced the one million dollar cash bond to

(35:35):
twenty five thousand dollars, though Russ remained in jail as
he was unable to meet even the reduced amount. During
this hearing, Schwartz overheard Asky refer to him as the
biggest asshole defense lawyer she had encountered. The case progressed
slowly through the summer of two thousand twelve, with Russ's
trial eventually rescheduled for November twenty thirteen. In March twenty thirteen,

(35:59):
Joel Schwartz conducted crucial depositions that would reveal significant inconsistencies
in the prosecution's case. On March eighteenth, he deposed Janet Meyer,
Betsy's mother, who stated her belief that Pam Hup was
money hungry but not the killer. She firmly believed Russ
killed Betsy in a crime of passion, attributing the fifty

(36:20):
five stab wounds to betrayal over the insurance policy. She
indicated that Sergeant McCarrick had told her that Russ came
home after he played the games and took care of business.
On March nineteenth, Schwartz deposed Sergeant Ryan McCarrick, who was
described as very defensive and hostile. During questioning. McCarrick acknowledged

(36:41):
that first responders had reported Betsy's body as being cold
and stiff upon their arrival, stating that if a body
was cold and stiff. It usually means that somebody's been
dead for a couple hours at least. However, he maintained
his belief that Russ got home sometime around nine thirty
ish or so, and then I ordered his wife before
calling nine one one. Mcerrick admitted that some of the

(37:04):
facts he cited in the probable cause statement, such as
Russ putting a pillow over Betsy's face and Betsy writing
an unfindable letter to Pam, came solely from Pam Hup.
He confirmed that Pam was the sole recipient of the
wonderdred and fifty thousand dollars from the beneficiary change just
four days before the murder, and was the only person
known to be alone with Betsy two hours before her

(37:27):
confirmed time of death. He conceded that not one of
the one hundred and four leads investigated had confirmed Pam
Hup's whereabouts after she left the Faria house. On March twentieth,
Schwartz deposed Pam Hupp herself. She made an unsolicited declaration
that I did not kill Betsy and denied sending her

(37:47):
doctor a note requesting him to state she could not
take a polygraph for medical reasons, despite Schwartz's possessing a
copy of the note, She asserted that Betsy had asked
her for a ride home, untradicting text messages that showed
Pam had offered. She confirmed she entered Betsy's house after
calling her husband at seven o four pm and remained

(38:09):
therefore twenty minutes or even longer. Pam admitted to initially
telling police she never went in the house, then changing
her story to say she did. She offered new excuses
for her contradictions, attributing them to memory problems stemming from
menopause and being fifty five years old. She admitted she

(38:30):
had not created the trust fund for Betsy's daughters until
the week before Russ's trial in November twenty thirteen, despite
telling McCarrick she would set it up by July twenty twelve.
During the deposition, she mentioned that her mother had died
of Alzheimer's on October thirty first, twenty thirteen. Russ Faria's

(38:50):
trial began on November eighteen, twenty thirteen, with opening statements
from both sides. Prosecuting attorney Leah Asky immediately attacked russ
initial assumption that Betsy had committed suicide, declaring folks, this
is a murder about greed. Despite objections from Schwartz, Judge
Menemier allowed Aski to discuss the insurance policies as a motive.

(39:13):
She characterized Russ as having a short temper, being abusive
to the family dog, and suggested he had orchestrated a
plan for game night to facilitate the murder. She sarcastically
highlighted Russ's stops during his alibi, using the phrase got
a receipt got on video. Defense attorney Joel Schwartz framed

(39:33):
the event as a tragedy for both families and for Russ,
who found his brutally murdered wife. He emphasized Russ's normal
day and the crucial change where Pam Hupp drove Betsy home.
He attempted to introduce Pam Hupp's inconsistent statements and cell
phone location data to suggest her involvement, but Judge Menemier
prohibited this, ruling that he could not imply Pam committed

(39:55):
this crime or even discuss her contradictory statements because they
were not relevant. Schwartz then focused on the testimony of
first responders who would describe Betsy's body as stiff, cold,
and with blood that was matted, coagulated, and drying, suggesting
a time of death two to three hours before Russ's

(40:17):
nine one one call. He highlighted the absence of blood
on Russ despite the fifty five stab wounds, and suggested
the bloody slippers could have been a deliberate attempt to
frame him. The first day's witnesses included Betsy's daughters Maria
and Leah Day, who testified about frequent arguing between their
mother and stepfather. Mariah became visibly emotional when asked about

(40:40):
her fear of Russ's influencing her living arrangements. Later, outside
the jury's presence, Mariah testified that she had withdrawn approximately
nine thousand dollars from Russ and Betsy's joint bank account
without Russ's permission after his arrest. Other family members testified
on the first day, including Betsy's sister Pamela Welker and

(41:01):
Mary Rogers. Welker described Russ as condescending, while Rogers recounted
the two thousand and five incident where Russ allegedly threatened
to cut her up and put her in a bag.
Russ's mother, Lucy Farrea, confirmed that Russ had called to
say he wouldn't attend family dinner due to Errand's though
she clarified this was common happening half the time. On

(41:24):
November nineteenth, the second day of trial, Pam Huck took
the stand as the prosecution's key witness. She described Russ
as degrading and claimed he made Betsy feel simple and
not that smart. She confirmed her earlier statement to police,
I don't know him that well. I've only met him
maybe three times in ten years. She reiterated that Betsy

(41:46):
had asked her for a ride home, and affirmed she
had entered Betsy's house after calling her husband at seven
or four p m. Staying for twenty minutes or even longer.
She confirmed Betsy had shown her the jewelry chest in
the bedroom, and stated she had received a hundred fifty
thousand dollars from the insurance policy, depositing one hundred thousand

(42:07):
dollars in a trust for the girls, and using fifty
thousand dollars to help another friend's daughter. Other key witnesses
on the second day included officer Chris Hollingsworth, who testified
that after moving Russ to a patrol car for warmth.
They talked and laughed for about an hour, having normal conversation.

(42:27):
Lead medic Michael Quatracki confirmed Betsy's body was cold and
stiff with dried blood upon his arrival, estimating she had
been dead a couple hours. He noted that the cut
on Betsy's arm had no blood in it, suggesting she
had bled out before it was inflicted. The third day,
November twentieth, brought more crucial testimony. Lieutenant Mark Shimwegg explained

(42:50):
how the major case squad operated and confirmed that while
Russ's alibi witnesses were interviewed multiple times, Pam Hup's whereabouts
were not similarly investigated. Crime scene technician Amy Pratt testified
about evidence collection, though during a court break after conferring
with prosecutors, she changed her testimony regarding testing on what

(43:11):
appeared to be a pawprint on Betsy's pants. Doctor Kamal Sabarwall,
the medical examiner, described the fifty five stab wounds Betsy suffered.
He explained the concept of kataveric spasm, but admitted there
was no test for it and he couldn't confirm it
had happened to Betsy. He agreed that kataverc spasm wouldn't

(43:32):
account for body cooling or blood drying, and stated he
expected more blood at the scene and on the assailant
given the nature of the wounds, if Betsy had been
alive when they were inflicted. Detective Mike Merkle testified about
his investigation and described Russ's demeanor as erratic, displaying overwhelming
emotion at times and then appearing completely emotionless. He confirmed

(43:57):
that Russ believed Betsy had killed herself and agreed that
Russ was wearing the same clothes in surveillance video as
when arrested. Major Ray Floyd testified that Russ was interrogated
for approximately twelve hours and acknowledged that Russ had been
awake for thirty six hours when interviewed. Critical evidence was
presented regarding DNA and blood evidence. Daniel Faonnistock from the

(44:20):
crime lab testified that blood on Russ's right slipper was
Betsy's with odds of one in one hundred and seventy
eight quadrillion of being anyone else. The DNA inside the
slipper was Russ's with odds of one in nine seventy
eight billion of being anyone else. He described the blood
on the slippers as droplets, not smears. Blood on the

(44:41):
master bedroom light switch plate was predominantly Betsy's, with an
unidentifiable male contributor, Janet Meyer. Betsy's mother, testified that it
was unusual for Russ not to return her calls. She
referred to Pam Hup as a money grubbing not a
nice word, but changed her previous testimony, now insisting Pam
told her she did go into the house, contradicting police

(45:03):
reports of her initial statement. On November twenty first, the
final day of trial, closing arguments revealed the stark differences
in how each side viewed the case. Leah Asky presented
a theory that Russ's game night was the ultimate role play,
the ultimate game, implying his friends were co conspirators in
a murder plot. She suggested Russ had orchestrated the entire

(45:26):
evening to establish an alibi, grotesquely theorizing that he had
sex with Betsy and then killed her while naked with
a kitchen knife, hoping it would look like suicide. Askey
accused Brandon Sweeney of being an active co conspirator, claiming
he went to Arbi's and brought Russ his phone to
help cover up the murder. She suggested that the seamen

(45:48):
found in Betsy's body was from forced sex just before
her death, and claimed that multiple officials had judged him
as guilty based on his behavior. Joel Schwartz immediately attacked
ascid Ski's argument as a shameful fiction, accusing her of
implicating four innocent people in murder without one shred of evidence.

(46:08):
He countered with proof of Russ's alibi, including videos, receipts,
and cell phone records, emphasizing the complete absence of blood
on Russ and the implausibility of the prosecution's naked killer theory.
In her rebuttal Aski continued to attack the alibi, suggesting
Russ could have left his phone at game night while

(46:29):
he went home to kill Betsy. She made a statement
that there isn't any evidence that points anywhere else, violating
a court order, though the statement was stricken after objection.
After just over two hours of deliberation, following lunch, the

(46:50):
jury returned with their verdict. Russ Faria was found guilty
on all counts. Jurors later revealed The initial vote was
six to six, but those voting for acquittal were convinced
to change their votes. They found Asky's timeline more logical
and believed the crime scene had been cleaned. Crucially, they

(47:10):
were unaware that evidence regarding Pam Hupp becoming Betsy's beneficiary
had been suppressed by the judge. Joel Schwartz immediately expressed
outrage and vowed to appeal, asserting this isn't over. He
sent a text to Askey, calling her closing argument irresponsible
and unethical, and stating that an innocent man was convicted.

(47:31):
Mary Anderson began reaching out to date Line MBC to
cover Russ's case. On December thirteenth, twenty thirteen, Schwartz filed
a comprehensive eleven page motion for judgment of acquittal or
a new trial, detailing eleven points of error by Judge
Menemier or misconduct by Lea Aski. The motion explicitly stated

(47:52):
the defense believed Pam Hupp was Betsy's killer. On December
twenty third, twenty thirteen, Russ Farrea was formally sentenced to
life in prison without parole. Betsy's sister, Julie Swainey read
a victim impact statement accusing Russ of planning and executing
the murder out of anger over the insurance changes. Aski

(48:12):
responded to Schwartz's criticisms by attacking him personally, while Judge
Menemire denied the motion for acquittal or a new trial.
Following the verdict, anonymous callers began contacting Schwartz, asserting that
Pam Hupp had lied under oath about her mother's death.
Schwartz then learned through the Post Dispatch article from November one,
twenty thirteen, that Pam's mother, Shirley Newman, had died on

(48:37):
October thirty first, twenty thirteen, from injuries sustained in a
fall from her third floor balcony, with Pam being the
last person to see her alive. This directly contradicted Pam's
testimony that her mother had died of Alzheimer's, revealing yet
another inconsistency in her statements. Quick break ads keep the

(49:08):
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ad free versions on Patreon for just three bucks a month.
Links in the show notes and we're back. Thanks for
sticking through that. Let's get back to it. In twenty fourteen,

(49:28):
the Betsy Faria murder case gained national attention when Dateline
NBC aired The House on Sumac Drive on March fourteenth.
This marked the first televised national coverage of the case,
featuring an interview with Russ Faria from prison, where he
maintained his innocence. The broadcast would become the initial installment
of what would eventually be Dateline's most extensive series on

(49:50):
a single case. Meanwhile, significant developments were unfolding in the
civil litigation surrounding Betsy's life insurance money. On July twenty first,
twenty fourteen, attorney David Butch, representing Betsy's daughters Leah and
Mariah Day in their lawsuit against Pam Hupp, deposed Pam
regarding the one hundred and fifty thousand dollar insurance payout.

(50:14):
During this deposition, Pam made several damaging admissions that would
prove crucial to Russ's appeal. Pam testified that shortly after
Russ's conviction in November twenty thirteen, she had revoked the
trust fund she had established for Leah and Mariah and
withdrawn all but three hundred dollars of the one hundred
thousand dollars she had deposited. She stated she had transferred

(50:36):
the money into her personal checking account, which she shared
with her husband, using it to pay bills and invest
in real estate. Butch believed there was evidence that she
had used some of the insurance funds to purchase a
new house around this time. Most significantly, Pam admitted that
she had initially opened the trust only due to pressure

(50:57):
from Sergeant Ryan McCarrick and implied pressure from prosecuting attorney
Leah Askey. Mcerrick had explicitly told her that setting up
a trust for the girls would make the murder case
against Russ's look better at trial. Joel Schwartz viewed this
information as dynamite, as it contradicted Pam's earlier statements about

(51:18):
Betsy's wishes for the money and strongly suggested greed as
her primary motive, implicating her as a prime suspect in
Betsy's murder. In November twenty fourteen, Saint Louis County Police
re reviewed their investigation into the death of Shirley Newman,
Pam Hupp's mother. This review was prompted by an anonymous
note informing them that Pam had been investigated in Betsy

(51:42):
Faria's murder. Shirley had died on October thirty first, twenty thirteen,
from a fall from her third floor balcony, with Pam
being the last person to see her alive. On December one,
twenty fourteen, Joel Schwartz filed a seventy page appeal for
Russ Farrea to the Court of Appeals of the Eastern
District of Missouri. The appeal incorporated the newly discovered evidence

(52:04):
from Pam's deposition testimony regarding the trust fund its revocation
and the pressure she faced from law enforcement to establish it.
Schwartz argued that this information, if presented to the jury,
could have led to Russ's acquittal. During preparation of the appeal,
Schwartz's associate, Hannah Jow discovered a crucial legal precedent in

(52:27):
State of Missouri v. Mooney. This case established that an
appellate court possessed the inherent right to remand a case
to the trial court for a new trial if evidence
discovered post trial could have resulted in an acquittal, even
if standard time limits for new trial motions had expired.
On February fourth, twenty fifteen, Schwartz filed the rare mooney

(52:49):
motion with the Court of Appeals, arguing that the newly
discovered evidence about Pam's admissions and the alleged pressure from
Mecerrick and Askey warranted a new trial. The motion contended
that this evidence could have resulted in Russ's acquittal. In
an unusually swift response, approximately twenty days after the filing,

(53:10):
Chief Appellate Judge Angela T. Quigless ordered Russ's case sent
back to the trial court to decide if he should
receive a new trial. She acted without even waiting for
a response from the prosecution, citing the court's inherent power
to prevent a miscarriage of justice or manifest injustice. Judge
Quigless ruled that the new evidence met all four requirements

(53:33):
for such an order. It was discovered post trial, the
defense was not at fault for not knowing it earlier,
it was likely to produce a different result in a
new trial, and it was more than just cumulative or
impeaching evidence. On March eleventh, twenty fifteen, following Judge Quigless's order,
Schwartz filed the motion for a new trial. The motion

(53:54):
specifically highlighted Pam's self incriminating lies, and the alleged pressure
exerted by pro secuting attorney Leah Aske and Sergeant McCarrick
on Pam to take actions that would bolster the state's
case and enhance her credibility as a witness. Schwartz accused
Askey of deliberate silence regarding Pam's alleged perjury about establishing

(54:15):
the trust fund. In May twenty fifteen, Pam met with
Leah Askey to discuss her anticipated testimony at the hearing
for Russ's new trial. Their conversation focused on Pam's denial
of ever promising Betsy to give the insurance money to
her daughter's, her claim of being pressured to set up
the trust, and her subsequent revocation of the fund due

(54:36):
to the daughter's criticism. Ask expressed confidence in her legal position,
stating the law is on our side, and reaffirmed her
belief in Russ's guilt. On June fifth, twenty fifteen, a
contentious hearing on the motion for a new trial was held.
By the end of the day, Judge Stephen Omer granted

(54:56):
the motion, overturning Russ Feria's conviction. Judge Jomer concluded that
the new evidence from Pam's testimony met the appellate Court's
requirements and demonstrated that Pam, as a person with opportunity
or motive, had committed an act that directly connected her
to the crime. This ruling rebutted Judgemnemier's earlier decision on

(55:16):
the direct connection rule. Judge Omer scheduled the new trial
for November second, twenty fifteen. Around June eleventh, six days
after his conviction was overturned, Russ was transferred from state
prison back to the Lincoln County Jail in Troy. On
June sixteenth, twenty fifteen, Russ's cousin, Mary Anderson, courageously posted

(55:38):
her home as security for Russ's five hundred thousand dollars
bond and paid seventeen thousand dollars in cash to a
bail bondsman, securing Russ's release from jail. This marked the
end of three and a half years of incarceration. Russ
began enjoying his freedom, started an it job, and aimed
to regain a sense of normalcy. The very next day,

(56:00):
June seventeenth, twenty fifteen, a new police interview with Pam
Hupp took place that would reveal yet another shocking claim.
During this interview, Pam alleged that she and Betsy Faria
had been lovers and that Russ was enraged upon discovering
this relationship, leading to a violent threat against her at
Betsy's house shortly before the murder. Later in the same interview,

(56:24):
Detective Patrick Harney inappropriately suggested to Pam a theory that
Russ had arrived at the house after she and Betsy left,
attempting to get her to change her sworn testimony and
implicate Russ further. This latest claim represented another dramatic shift
in Pam's narrative. On October first, twenty fifteen, Judge Stephen

(57:02):
Omer held a hearing on pretrial motions in anticipation of
Russ Feria's second trial. Joel Schwartz made what many considered
a risky decision to present evidence and arguments implicating Pam
Hupp as a legitimate suspect in Betsy Faria's murder. Almost
every colleague and friend warned against this strategy, calling it crazy,
but Russ agreed with Schwartz's explanation, saying, let's do it.

(57:27):
Judge Omer had consistently made decisions that were correct on
the law and unfailingly fair, particularly his ruling that Schwartz
could present evidence and argument that Pam Hupp was a
legitimate suspect. He denied Lea Asky's motion for reconsideration of
this ruling. Despite Asky's argument that there was no direct

(57:47):
connection between Hupp and the murder, Schwartz successfully countered that
there was ample evidence of a direct link. The animosity
between Schwartz and Asky continued, leading Judge Omer to admonished
them multiple times and even jokingly asked if he would
have to put them in the corner. On October sixth,
twenty fifteen, Pam Hupp gave another police interview to Detective

(58:10):
Harney and Detective Harry Belcher. During this session, she made
a dramatic claim of a recovered memory. She now remembered
seeing Russ and another man in a car parked near
the Faria house when she and Betsy arrived on the
night of the murder. She also claimed she saw Russ
still in the car, ducking his head when she left later.

(58:31):
She attributed these huge lapses of memory to head injuries
from three car accidents and regular doses of ambion, the
same drug found in her mother's system. On November one,
twenty fifteen, Joel Schwartz and Nate Swanson arrived at their
hotel near the Lincoln County court House for final preparations.
Schwartz found a fortune cookie that read all of your

(58:54):
hard work will soon be rewarded, which they took as
a good omen. The second trial commenced on November second,
twenty fifteen, Lea Asky presented what she called a new
piece of evidence. Sergeant Mike Pertell of the Lincoln County
Sheriff's Office testified that he saw water droplets in Russ
Feria's shower during a preliminary search on the night of

(59:16):
the murder. This information had never been reported in nearly
four years of investigation or mentioned in the first trial.
Perdl admitted he only discovered it wasn't documented a few
months before this trial. Schwartz vehemently challenged this new testimony,
noting its absence from all previous documentation. Judge Omer, in

(59:38):
a rare move, questioned Pertl directly for more details. In
her opening statement, Asky did not mention Pam Hup by name,
referring only to a friend who drove Betsy home. She
introduced a new attack on the Game Night players, accusing
them of initially lying about playing a board game before
watching movies, then changing their story in second interviews. She

(01:00:00):
also made new, unproven allegations about Russ having a mistress
who was pregnant with his child when Betsy died, which
Schwartz refuted as largely false. Schwartz's opening statement immediately centered
on Pam Hupp as the only person who knew about
a recently discovered letter supposedly written by Betsy. He highlighted

(01:00:20):
that Pam became the beneficiary to Betsy's one hundred and
fifty thousand dollars policy only four days before the murder,
contrasting it with Russ being the beneficiary for over a decade.
He criticized the lack of investigation into Pam's whereabouts, noting
no attempts were made to corroborate her story with her husband, neighbors,
or cell tower data. The day's witnesses included Mariah and

(01:00:44):
Leah Day, who reiterated their prior testimony about Russ and
Betsy's rocky relationship. Pamela Welker, Betsy's sister, testified that Pam
Hupp surprisingly told Betsy's family after the murder, that she
was the new beneficiary and would give the money to
the daughters. Mary Rogers, Betsy's oldest sister, described the two

(01:01:05):
thousand and four incident where Russ allegedly threatened to cut
her up and bury her. Under redirect examination, she revealed
that Betsy had an affair with Mary's husband and Russ
knew about it and was furious, providing Asky with another
potential motive. Amy Boutner, the crime scene investigator, testified that
her search found no water droplets or evidence of recent

(01:01:27):
shower use, drains were dry, and no attempt to clean
up was evident. She confirmed that the bloody slippers appeared
swiped in blood, not stepped in, and there were no
bloody footprints. She stated it would be impossible for the
assailant not to have blood on them at such a
bloody crime scene. On November third, Detective Mike Merkle testified,

(01:01:49):
describing Russ's grief as over the top, exaggerated and put on,
especially when alone, implying he was faking it. However, Schwartz
produced one hundred and thirty two U photos from January third,
twenty twelve, showing positive indications of blood during blue Star tests,
contradicting Merkle's previous testimony in the first trial that they

(01:02:10):
showed absolutely nothing. Merkell admitted his earlier testimony was incorrect.
Major Ray Floyd testified, admitting that by the time he
interviewed Russ, the Major case squad had already concluded Russ
was the killer. He said his job was merely to
follow the leads. I was assigned justifying the lack of
investigation into Pam Hup. On November fourth, Sergeant Ryan McCarrick

(01:02:34):
testified for the first time in a trial involving Russ FARRIEA.
He stated that Pam Hup showed no signs of deception
and there was no reason to investigate her further, despite
her numerous contradictions. Mcarick admitted he repeatedly urged Pam to
set up a trust for Betsy's daughters before the first
trial because it would look good for the prosecution. He

(01:02:57):
confirmed he never checked Pam's cell tower records or spoke
to her husband or neighbors to confirm her alibi. Lauren Manganelli,
the librarian, testified that Betsy Faria had asked her to
witness a beneficiary form stating she was changing her beneficiary
because she was getting a divorce and wanted her children

(01:03:17):
to be on the form some day. Rita Wolf, Betsy's friend,
testified that Detective maccerrick had lied when he claimed he
never spoke to her about not pressuring Betsy's family to
sue Pam for the insurance money before Russ's first trial.
Rita insisted maccarrick had urged her to lay off the
family about suing Pam until after the trial. Detective Robert

(01:03:39):
O'Neill testified about finding the p doc letter on Betsy's laptop.
His analysis showed it was created on December twenty second,
twenty eleven, using word ninety seven, though Betsy's computer had
word two thousand three and was saved while connected to
a Wi Fi network called the Club, consistent with Pam's
story about being at the tennis club. He could not

(01:04:02):
verify its origin, author or truthfulness. On November fifth, Detective
Sergeant Patrick Harney testified that Pam Hupp's claim of a
sexual relationship with Betsy Faria and Russ's alleged threats against
Pam were first made in June twenty fifteen, three and
a half years after the murder, Harney admitted he had

(01:04:22):
suggested to Pam the theory that Russ arrived at the
house and motivated her to leave and act. Schwartz considered
coaching a witness. On November sixth, the final day of trial,
Pam Hupp's bank records were introduced as evidence, showing she
opened a revocable trust for Betsy's daughters with one hundred
thousand dollars just four days before Russ's first trial, then

(01:04:45):
withdrew all but three hundred dollars and revoked the trust
three weeks after Russ's conviction. Computer analyst Greg Chatten confirmed
that Pam's cell phone was in the same cell tower
sector as Betsy's house when she made calls at seven
o four p m and seven twenty seven p m,
contradicting her varied accounts of her location. He also testified

(01:05:06):
that the pa Dock letter could not have been created
on Betsy's laptop. The game Night players reaffirmed Russ's alibi,
disputing Aski's claims about them playing a board game or
participating in violent role play. Marshall Bach testified that detectives
had offered him immunity if he changed his testimony. In
closing arguments, ask quoted the p DOC letter extensively, treating

(01:05:30):
it as Betsy's dying declaration, while Schwartz countered with arguments
about the overwhelming alibi evidence for Russ, Pam's financial motive
and opportunity, and the questionable police investigation. During her rebuttal
Aski again violated the judge's order against discussing alternate suspects,
drawing a sustained objection from Schwartz. Judge Stephen Omer delivered

(01:05:53):
his verdict, stating that the law enforcement investigation was rather
disturbing and frankly raises more questions then answers. Russ Faria
was acquitted on all charges. After the acquittal, Schwartz immediately
called US Attorney Richard Callahan, urging a review of the
Faria case and Pam Hupp's mother's death, warning someone else

(01:06:15):
is going to die if Hupp was not stopped. Quick
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(01:06:40):
and we're back. Thanks for sticking through that. Let's get
back to it. In early twenty sixteen, Russ Faria began
the slow process of rebuilding his life. After years of
legal battles, he was finally able to collect on two
of Betsy's life insurance policies that had been frozen during
the court proceedings. With this money, he purchased a mobile

(01:07:04):
home and began renovating it, creating a new space for himself.
He also secured work, taking on an IT job that
allowed him to telecommute with a friend's business based in Phoenix, Arizona. However,
the fight over Betsy's insurance money was far from over.
In January twenty sixteen, the civil lawsuit brought by Betsy's

(01:07:24):
daughters Leah and Mariah Day to recover the one hundred
fifty thousand dollars insurance payout from Pam Hup went to
trial in Saint Charles County Circuit Court before Judge ted House.
The Day's attorney, David Butch, argued that Pam Hup had
committed constructive fraud and benefited from unjust enrichment by keeping
money that was rightfully intended for Betsy's daughters. Pam Huck's

(01:07:48):
testimony during this civil trial was revealing. She provided contradictory
answers and offered explanations that made little sense. When questioned
about telling police that Betsy wanted her to give the
money to the daughters, Pam claimed she couldn't remember making
such statements. When asked about her previous comment that she

(01:08:08):
would only consider giving the money if the daughter's behavior improved,
she again claimed memory problems. She insisted that the money
sitting in her personal bank account was simply her money.
Under cross examination, Pam admitted to lying to Betsy's sister
about giving away the money. When asked why she had lied,

(01:08:29):
she responded that she lied to anybody that would bug
me and bug me, and bug me and bug me.
She frequently cited memory problems as an explanation for her
inconsistent statements. Most surprisingly, for the first time, Pam claimed
she had been in a sexual relationship with Betsy Faria,
something she had never mentioned to police before Russ's first trial.

(01:08:51):
During one particularly confusing line of questioning, Pam became visibly flustered,
waving her arm and repeatedly saying whoa wo, woe, woe, woa,
whoa oh. The performance was so unconvincing that even Pam
Hup's own lawyer refused to vouch for her credibility during
closing arguments, stating bluntly she's not a credible witness. As

(01:09:13):
Pam left the court house after her testimony, she noticed
a Dateline NBC camera crew with a smile. She looked
directly into the camera and said say hi to Kathy,
referring to the show's producer, Cathy Singer. Despite the contradictory
testimony and admitted lies, Judge ted House issued his verdict
in February twenty sixteen, allowing Pam Hup to keep Betsy's

(01:09:35):
insurance money. The judge found there was insufficient evidence to
determine Betsy's specific intent for the funds. He noted that
if Betsy had wanted the money to go to her daughters,
she could have specified this on the beneficiary form, but
had not done so. His conclusion was that Betsy left
it up to Pam Hup. David Butch appealed this decision,

(01:09:57):
but the appellate court ultimately upheld Judge house verdict. Meanwhile,
russ Faria's legal team wasn't finished fighting. In April twenty sixteen,
Joel Schwartz filed a lawsuit against State Farm Insurance in
Saint Charles County Circuit Court, challenging the validity of the
beneficiary change altogether. Schwartz alleged that the form was incomplete,

(01:10:20):
had been received after Betsy's death, and that State Farm's
investigation into the matter had been inadequate. Three months later,
in July twenty sixteen, Schwartz and attorney Bevis Shock escalated
their legal strategy significantly. They filed an eighty two page
federal lawsuit against Lincoln County prosecuting attorney Leah ask Cheney

(01:10:41):
and sheriff's detectives Ryan McCarrick, Mike Merkel, and Patrick Harney.
The comprehensive lawsuit alleged that these officials had fabricated evidence,
ignored exonerating evidence, and failed to investigate the obvious suspect
as part of a conspiracy to wrongly convict Russ Faria.
The federal charged that their actions had violated Russ's civil

(01:11:03):
rights and liberty without due process, contrary to both the
Fourth and fourteenth Amendments. The lawsuit detailed numerous acts of misconduct,
including prohibiting DNA testing of crucial evidence, coaching witnesses to
change their testimony, conducting what amounted to a fake polygraph
examination on Russ and deliberately mischaracterizing the results of luminol testing.

(01:11:27):
The suit argued that the evidence had never established probable
cause for Russ's arrest and subsequent trial. As summer progressed,
events would take a dramatic and deadly turn that would
vindicate much of what Russ's legal team had been arguing.
On August tenth, twenty sixteen, Carol McAfee made a report
to police about a suspicious encounter. She described how a

(01:11:50):
woman in a gray SUV had approached her, offering one
thousand dollars to participate in what was described as a
re enactment for Dateline NBC. The woman had provided specific
instructions for Carol to make a fake nine one one call,
telling her to yell phrases that would suggest a staged
kidnapping scenario. Carol was later able to identify Pam Hupp

(01:12:11):
from a photo line up as the woman who had
approached her. Surveillance footage confirmed that Pam Hup's vehicle had
been seen passing by the home of Russ Furia's parents
around the same time. Six days later, on August sixteenth,
twenty sixteen, at twelve o six in the afternoon, Pam
Hup called nine one one to report a break in

(01:12:32):
at her O'fallen home. During the call, a muffled male
voice could be heard saying something that sounded like what
we did to your wife. Pam told the responding officers
that a man had jumped into her car, pressed a
knife to her throat, and demanded she drive him to
her bank to get Russ's money. Throughout her interview with police,

(01:12:53):
she repeatedly and emphatically denied knowing anyone named Russ. The
man Pam had shot was identified as Leu Police Roy's Gumpenberger.
Detective Kevin Mountain, one of the responding officers, noted that
Pam appeared remarkably composed for someone who had just been
through what she claimed was a terrifying ordeal and had
killed a man in self defense. He found her nine

(01:13:16):
one one call seemed staged, almost scripted. When investigators searched
Gumpenberger's body, they found a handwritten note in his pocket
that would prove crucial to understanding what had really happened.
The note contained detailed instructions for kidnapping, robbing, and murdering
Pam Hup. The language and methodology described in the note

(01:13:37):
bore a striking resemblance to the manner in which Betsy
Faria had been killed, including the specific instruction to make
sure knife is sticking out of neck, complete with the
misspelling of knife. The note also instructed that any money
obtained should be left at the address of Russ Feria's parents.
As police investigated further, they uncovered information about Louis Gumpenberger

(01:14:01):
that completely contradicted Pam Hup's account of events. Gumpenberger had
suffered a severe traumatic brain injury in a car crash
in two thousand and five, which had left him with
the mental capacity of a twelve year old child. His
physical limitations were equally significant. He was unable to run,
couldn't drive a car, and didn't know how to use

(01:14:23):
a computer. These disabilities made it impossible for him to
have carried out the sophisticated plan that Pam described. Cell
Phone records revealed the truth of what had likely occurred.
The data showed that Pam Hup's phone had been active
in the parking lot of Gumpenberger's apartment complex for approximately
four minutes, shortly before the shooting at her home. This

(01:14:46):
evidence suggested that rather than being a random attack, Pam
had gone to Gumpenberger's residence, picked him up, and driven
him to her house, where she shot him. Investigators concluded
that Pam Hupp had been trolling the air for at
least a week, looking for a vulnerable person she could
manipulate into serving as a victim in her scheme to

(01:15:06):
frame Russfaria for another violent crime. As part of their investigation,
o'fallen police interviewed Russfaria and requested alibi information, handwriting samples, DNA,
and fingerprints. After reviewing all the evidence, police quickly concluded
there was no connection whatsoever between Russ Faria and Louis

(01:15:26):
Gumpenberger or his death. On August twenty third, twenty sixteen,
Saint Charles County Prosecuting Attorney Tim Lomar announced his decision
to charge Pam Hup with first degree murder and armed
criminal action for the death of Louis Gumpenberger. On the
day of her arrest, Pam attempted to leave her home,
but was stopped by officers and taken into custody at

(01:15:50):
the police station. Pam's behavior became increasingly erratic while in
a bathroom, she stabbed herself repeatedly in the wrists and
neck using a ballpoint pen. Surveillance video from the station
later showed that she had concealed the pen earlier, suggesting
this act of self harm was premeditated rather than a
spontaneous breakdown. A search warrant executed at the home of

(01:16:13):
Pam's son Travis, revealed suspicious financial activity. Investigators found evidence
of a deposit exceeding hundred and twenty two thousand dollars
and a notarized document from H two Partners LC, a
company owned by Pam and her husband Mark Hupp, describing
the money as a loan to Travis. When questioned, Travis

(01:16:34):
claimed his mother had given him this money on August
twentieth to protect family assets from being frozen by the courts.
On August twenty fifth, police attempted to obtain finger prints, DNA,
and handwriting samples from Mark Hupp. He declined to co operate,
stating Rusferia's friends never gave samples, so I don't think
I'm going to give samples. After this interaction, Mark Hupp

(01:16:57):
ceased all communication with law enforcement. Pam Hup's booking photo
from August twenty fifth at Saint Charles County Jail became
notorious among those following the case. The image showed her
with disheveled hair and thick bandages around her neck from
her self inflicted injuries. This photograph, which some dubbed the
Maxi pad shot due to the appearance of the bandages,

(01:17:20):
became an enduring symbol of her downfall. In response to
these developments, both Russ Faria and Joel Schwartz made public
statements arguing that if Lincoln County authorities had properly investigated
Betsy's murder from the beginning, Pam Hupp would have been
charged in that case and would not have been free
to kill Louis Gumpenberger. Leah Asky Cheney, the Lincoln County Prosecutor,

(01:17:45):
issued a statement confirming that her office had been cooperating
with the U. S. Attorney's Office in a review of
the Betsy Faria murder case. Searches of Pam Hup's vehicle
revealed telling evidence about her state of mind and activities.
Police found Betsy Faria's death certificate, transcripts of Pam's own
testimony from previous proceedings, various bank statements, records related to

(01:18:10):
another woman named Shirley Newman, and a note regarding Mark
Hupp's extramarital affair. On September first, police executed another search
warrant at the Hupp residence. When no one responded to
their knocks, officers broke down the front door. Inside, they
discovered a small safe, but it contained only a tube
of ky intense gel, hardly the treasure trove of evidence

(01:18:33):
they might have expected. Saint Charles County Prosecuting Attorney Tim
Lomar announced that if Pam Hupp was convicted of Louis
Gumpenberger's murder, his office would seek the death penalty, citing
the depravity of mind demonstrated by her actions. As twenty
sixteen drew to a close, there were positive developments in
Russ Faria's personal life. He had fallen in love with

(01:18:57):
Carol McAfee, the woman who had helped expose Pam Hupp's
attempt to stage another crime, and the couple was preparing
to move in together. Additionally, State Farm Insurance reached a
settlement with Russ regarding his lawsuit over the beneficiary change,
agreeing to pay him an undisclosed sum. The year twenty

(01:19:17):
sixteen had begun with Russ Faria trying to rebuild his
life after years of wrongful prosecution. It ended with the
person many believed was truly responsible for his wife's murder
finally behind bars, charged with killing an innocent disabled man
in a twisted scheme to frame Russ for yet another
crime he didn't commit. Quick break ads keep the show running,

(01:19:44):
but if you want to skip them, the ad free
versions on Patreon for just three bucks a month. Links
in the show notes and we're back. Thanks for sticking
through that. Let's get back to it. In January twenty seventeen,
Circuit Judge Christina Menemire received a six month unpaid suspension.

(01:20:08):
The Missouri Commission on Retirement, Removal and Discipline had recommended
this action, and the Missouri Supreme Court justices unanimously imposed it.
The suspension was based on allegations of mishandling cases both
as a private attorney and as a sitting judge, though
importantly none of these allegations involved the Faria case. The
Supreme Court found that Menemier had intentionally delayed cases involving

(01:20:31):
eight defendants during a dispute with public defenders. The twenty
eighteen primary elections brought significant changes to Lincoln County's legal landscape.
Prosecuting Attorney Leah Aski, who had changed her name to
Leah wamckcheney and switched her political party affiliation from Democrat
to Republican, faced challenger Mike Wood in the Republican primary. Meanwhile,

(01:20:56):
Judge Christina Menemier sought re election in the Republican primary
for Circuit Judge, but placed a disappointing third in a
three way race, securing only twenty one percent of the vote.
Her prior suspension had become a major campaign issue, with
many voters incorrectly assuming it was connected to her handling
of the Faria case. Mike Wood decisively defeated Leah Cheney

(01:21:20):
in the Republican primary for Prosecuting Attorney, securing nearly three
quarters of the vote, after what had been described as
a bitter campaign. In the November twenty eighteen general election,
Patrick Flynn won the Republican primary for Circuit Judge and
went on to defeat the Democratic candidate. Mike Wood took
office as Lincoln County Prosecuting Attorney unopposed, as no Democrat

(01:21:44):
had sought the position. Leah Cheney returned to private practice.
By early spring twenty nineteen, developments were occurring in Pam
Hupp's case for the murder of Louis Gumpenberger. Saint Charles
County prosecuting attorney Tim Lomar proposed a plea bargain to
Hupp's attorneys. He offered a life sentence without the possibility

(01:22:05):
of parole if she pleaded guilty to first degree murder,
effectively dropping his office's demand for the death penalty. Louis
Gumpenberger's mother, Margaret Birch, agreed to this proposed arrangement. On
June nineteenth, twenty nineteen, Pam Hupp accepted an al Ford
plea for first degree murder in the death of Louis Gumpenberger.

(01:22:27):
Under an Alford plea, a defendant does not admit guilt,
but acknowledges that the prosecution possesses sufficient evidence to secure
a conviction at trial. The plea hearing generated significant public
interest and had to be moved to a larger court
room to accommodate the hundred spectators who attended. Among those
present were Russ Farrea, his family and friends, Attorney Joel Schwartz,

(01:22:51):
investigator Nate Swanson, and Louis Gumpenberger's mother, Margaret Birch. Notably
absent were any members of Pam Hupp's family. Following the
plea hearing, Prosecuting Attorney Tim Lomar held a press conference
where he praised the o'fallen police investigation as brilliant and
described the evidence against Hupp as overwhelming. Lomar made a

(01:23:13):
significant public statement declaring that Pam Hupp was linked to
three separate deaths, Betsy Faria, Shirley Newman, and Louis Gumpenberger.
He assured the public that Hupp would never spend another
day of her life outside a prison cell. Importantly, Lomar
explicitly stated that Russfaria had absolutely nothing to do with

(01:23:34):
the Gumpenberger murder plot. Russfaria expressed relief at Hup's guilty plea,
but also disappointment that she had not confessed to his
wife Betsy's murder. This development prompted Lincoln County Prosecuting Attorney
Mike Wood to officially reopen the investigation into Betsy Faria's murder.
Wood retrieved seven boxes of evidence from the original case

(01:23:56):
and assembled a new major case squad team to conduct
a freend investigation. In August twenty nineteen, Pam Hup began
serving her sentence in Missouri State Prison. On August twelfth,
Judge Cunningham formally sentenced her for Louis Gumpenberger's murder. During
the sentencing hearing, Hupp appeared in an orange jail uniform

(01:24:17):
and was observed giggling and joking with her defense team
before proceedings began. Carol McAfee, who was now in a
relationship with Russ Faria, was present in the courtroom. September
twenty seventh, twenty nineteen, marked another significant milestone in the
case's public profile. Dateline NBC premiered a two hour episode

(01:24:38):
titled The Thing About Pam, which was the fifth date
Line episode covering the Faria Hup case. The episode became
one of their highest rated programs, focusing on Betsy's murder,
Russ's prosecution, and Pam Hup's attempt to frame Russ in
the Gumpenberger murder. Accompanying the television episode was a six
part podcast of the same name, which debuted as as

(01:25:00):
the highest rated podcast in the country that month. Also
in twenty nineteen, a judge dismissed former prosecuting attorney Leah Womack, Cheney,
and Lincoln County as parties to Russfaria's federal lawsuit. The
dismissal was based on their sovereign immunity for actions committed
as part of their official duties. March twenty twenty brought

(01:25:21):
a significant resolution to one aspect of Russfaria's legal battles.
The insurance company representing detectives Ryan Mcerrick, Mike Merkele, and
Patrick Harney agreed to pay Russ just over two million
dollars in settlement of his federal lawsuit. The settlement did
not include any admission of wrongdoing by the detectives. Joel

(01:25:42):
Schwartz acknowledged that while the money was significant, it could
never truly repay Russ for his losses, but the settlement
represented recognition of the wrongs he had suffered. In May
twenty twenty, NBC announced that The Thing About Pam podcast
would be developed into a six parts scripted television series.

(01:26:02):
Academy Award winner Rene Zellweger was later cast to portray
Pam Hupp in the production. July twenty twenty saw another
legal victory. For the victims of Pam Hup's crimes. A
Saint Charles Circuit Court judge ordered Hupp to pay three
million dollars in damages to Margaret Birch in a wrongful
death lawsuit over the murder of her son, Louis Gumpenberger.

(01:26:24):
This judgment was specifically designed to prevent Huck from profiting
from her story through any future media deals. In September
twenty twenty, Pam Hup attempted to withdraw her guilty plea
for the Gumpenberger murder, claiming that her defense attorneys had
pressured her into accepting the plea agreement. This legal maneuver
would prove unsuccessful. October twenty twenty brought personal changes for

(01:26:49):
Pam Hupp when her husband, Mark A. Hupp, filed for
divorce in Saint Charles County Circuit Court. Mark cited their
separation since her August twenty sixteen arrests and stated that
their twenty six year marriage had suffered an irretrievable breakdown.
The judgment of dissolution of marriage was entered on November twelfth,
twenty twenty, finalizing the divorce. According to an insider, Pam

(01:27:14):
was furious about the divorce, and Mark reportedly remarried within
weeks of the finalization. In February twenty twenty one, Judge
Cunningham denied pam Hup's petition to withdraw her guilty plea,
ensuring that her conviction for Louis Gumpenberger's murder would stand.
The most significant development came on July twelfth, twenty twenty one.

(01:27:36):
The Lincoln County Sheriff's office filed a new document in
circuit court that stated it was clear that Russ Farria
was not involved in his wife's death. More importantly, the
document established probable cause to charge Pamela Hup with the
first degree murder of Betsy Faria. Based on this new evidence,
Lincoln County Prosecuting Attorney Mike Wood formally charged Pam Hupp

(01:28:00):
with first degree murder an armed criminal action for Betsy
Faria's death. Wood announced that he would seek the death
penalty against Hupp. He cited greed as her primary motive
and described her actions as demonstrating heinousness and depravity. Wood
detailed how Hupp had mutilated Betsy's body, staged the crime scene,

(01:28:21):
and later murdered Louis Gumpenberger in an attempt to avoid
suspicion falling on her for Betsy's death. During his announcement,
Wood revealed several crucial findings from the new investigation. He
disclosed that there would be an investigation into possible criminal
misconduct by the police and prosecutors involved in the initial
investigation of Betsy Faria's murder. Wood stated that the new

(01:28:45):
investigation had largely corroborated the civil rights allegations made in
Russ Feria's federal lawsuit. Perhaps most damning, Wood revealed that
three independent sources had come forward claiming they were asked
to lie on the witness stand by the prosecutor in
that case. The new investigation had also determined that the

(01:29:07):
blood pattern found on the bedroom light switch plate had
resulted from the killer wearing Betsy's socks on their hands
during the murder. Russfaria was present at Wood's announcement and
expressed his gratitude to the new prosecutor. He vowed to
testify against Hupp and supported the decision to seek the
death penalty. Russ stated his hope for justice against those

(01:29:29):
he believed had conducted an incompetent and corrupt investigation that
had wrongly targeted him. Joel Schwartz and Nate Swanson were
also present, with both men noting that justice for Betsy
and Russ Faria finally was within sight. The announcement prompted
a defensive response from Leah Aski Cheney, who publicly denied

(01:29:51):
any improper, unethical, or illegal conduct during Russfaria's prosecution. She
accused Wood of character assassination and expressed regret forever running
for prosecutor. In what appeared to be a moment of candor,
Cheney called winning the conviction against Russ in the first
trial the worst thing that ever happened to her. Joel

(01:30:12):
Schwartz rejected Cheney's claims and characterized her expressions of regret
as remarkable admissions of a job badly done. On July
twenty seventh, twenty twenty one, Pam Hupp made her first
court appearance for Betsy Faria's murder charge. She entered a
plea of not guilty to the charges. Throughout the hearing,

(01:30:33):
Hupp remained silent and did not look at the crowd
of spectators, which included members of Russfaria's family as well
as Betsy's daughters and sisters. The legal proceedings that followed
would prove to be drawn out and complicated by various
delays and procedural issues. On September eighth, twenty twenty one,
the armed criminal action charge against Hupp was dismissed, leaving

(01:30:55):
only the first degree murder charge. A preliminary hearing was
initially scheduled for February twenty twenty two, but had to
be delayed indefinitely after Hupp's public defender died of a
heart attack in August twenty twenty two. Hupp waived her
right to a preliminary hearing altogether. In October twenty twenty two,

(01:31:17):
recognizing the extensive publicity surrounding the case, the court moved
the venue of Hupp's trial to Green County, Missouri, to
insure access to an impartial jury pool. The case was
transferred to the thirty first Judicial Circuit. However, by October
twenty twenty three, the Lincoln County Prosecutor's Office announced it
would refile the case and petition for a venue closer

(01:31:39):
to Saint Louis for logistical reasons. The prosecutor's office indicated
that it expected the trial to take place in summer
twenty twenty five, and estimated it would last approximately one month.
In February twenty twenty four, Prosecutor Mike Wood filed a
motion with the Lincoln County Circuit Court formally declaring the
state's intention to pursue the death penalty. Wood cited the

(01:32:03):
statutory aggravating circumstance that the murder was outrageously or wantonly vile, horrible,
or inhumane in that it involved depravity of the mind
as justification for seeking capital punishment. When the case was
refiled in March twenty twenty four, Pam Hup once again
entered a plea of not guilty to the charges. At

(01:32:23):
a hearing in September twenty twenty four, her public defender
successfully requested that all DNA related evidence held by prosecutors
be provided to the defense team for examination. In January
twenty twenty five, the trial was formally scheduled for August third,
twenty twenty six, to take place in Saint Charles. Prosecutor

(01:32:44):
Would made it clear that, unlike the previous case involving
Louis Gumpenberger's murder, he would not accept an alfred plea
from Hupp. After more than a decade of legal battles,
wrongful convictions, appeals, and mounting evidence, the case that Bega
Agan with Betsy Faria's brutal murder on December twenty seventh,
twenty eleven continues to work its way through the courts.

(01:33:07):
Russ Faria, who spent four years fighting to clear his
name and prove his innocence, now awaits the trial of
the woman prosecutor's believe was responsible for his wife's death.
All along, the wheels of justice, though often slow, continue
to turn toward what many hope will finally be accountability
for Betsy Faria's murder. A

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#23: Betsy Faria: Murder, Deception, and an Unlikely Suspect

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