Her first words in the recorded interview were, "Is this going to be filmed? 4,673, This story has been shared 3,127 times. Prosecutors in Lincoln County decided to revisit Betsys case following Hupps conviction in the Gumpenberger murder. Later tonight (Friday, April. [54] In August 2020, newly elected Lincoln County Sheriff Rick Harrell said that the Faria case had inspired him to run for the job. ET): This article has been updated to clarify that a charge against Pam Hupp for the murder of Betsy Faria remains pending. Will There Be a Season 2 of '1923' on Paramount+? Zellweger, however, said she felt that in the case of telling this story, it was really important to as closely resemble Pam Hupp as we possibly could, because she seems so familiar. Simpson and JonBent Ramsay have earned more coverage by the investigative series, a sign of just how complicated this story is. [58] Court documents filed by Wood asserted that Hupp murdered Betsy for financial gain. [59] Wood stated that he would seek the death penalty for Hupp due to the "heinousness and depravity" of the crime. . The Missouri woman will spend the rest of her life in prison after admitting that prosecutors had evidence to convict her of killing a mentally disabled man in what authorities believe was part of a complicated plot to divert attention from another homicide case. [52][53] In October 2019, Wood requested a case review by the Major Case Squad of Greater St. [14] Hupp also told police that she had "remembered" seeing Russ and another man in a car parked in a side street outside the Faria house as she drove Betsy home. When her husband Russell Russ Faria found her on the floor he believed his terminally ill wife, whose breast cancer had metastasized to her liver, had taken her own life. [72] An autopsy found that she had .84 mcg of the sedative Zolpidem in her blood, over eight times the expected concentration for someone having taken a normal dose. [123][124] It spent several weeks as one of the most popular Apple podcasts. Hupp later said that Betsy had wanted her to keep the money for herself. You may find the call disturbing, as it includes the victim's final moments of life, as well as the sound of gunshots. By 2010, Hupp had stopped working and was claiming disability benefits for back, leg, and neck pain. Rene Zellweger, who had become interested in the case after becoming "obsessed" with the Dateline NBC podcast, served as executive producer for the series and also portrayed Hupp using facial prosthetics and a fatsuit. It stars Rene Zellweger, Josh Duhamel, Judy Greer, Gideon Adlon, Sean Bridgers, Suanne Spoke, Mac Brandt, Katy Mixon, and Glenn Fleshler. "[14][21][38][39] Meanwhile, KTVI found other problematic cases involving Mennemeyer. Zellweger listened to the podcast and was instantly riveted by the story's twists. [2][14][30] Two members of the jury in Russ' trial informed the media that this information had been withheld. Excessive pride proves to be the downfall of one sinful perpetrator A mother is found dead, another woman targeted at home, two mysterious crimes tied together with a shocking common ground. On August 10, 2016, a police report had been filed with the St. Charles County police stating that a woman matching Hupp's description had approached O'Fallon resident Carol Alford (also known as Carol McAfee, Investigators also suggested that the knife had been purchased at the. This picture of Russ as an aggressive spouse helped prosecutors build a case against him. There was no evidence of Betsys blood on his clients body, under his fingernails, or clothing. 6 Amazon travel essentials for your next getaway, starting at $12. [72][76][77], Louis Royse Gumpenberger was a resident of Union, Missouri. [78][90] On December 16, a grand jury indicted Hupp on the charges. Pam Hupp demonstrated for police detectives how she held the gun in both hands as she shot Louis Gumpenberger, after having claimed she had shot an intruder in her home. IE 11 is not supported. [55] In February 2021, Wood stated that the COVID-19 pandemic had slowed the investigation, but that he expected "significant announcements" in the summer or fall. [113] The series began airing on NBC[137] in March 2022. She was already in prison when she wascharged with Farias murderin 2021. Testimony from Hupp had played a key role in the 2013 conviction of Russ Faria for the murder of his wife, Betsy Faria, who was stabbed to death in her home in Troy, Missouri, in 2011. You have reached your limit of 4 free articles. She alleged that Faria had found out about their affair and killed his wife. [37] In July 2016, Russ filed a civil rights lawsuit against Askey and three deputy sheriffs on the grounds that they had "fabricated evidence, ignored exonerating evidence and failed to investigate the other obvious suspect. Prosecutors allege Hupp killed Betsy in a bid to collect a $150,000 life insurance payout and tried to frame Betsys husband, Russ Faria, for the crime. CLARIFICATION (March 15, 2022 at 10:20 p.m. Hupp, who has always denied any involvement in the murder of her friend, remains in prison. She claimed to police that Gumpenberger had tried to kidnap her at knifepoint to get Russ money, a reference to Betsys husband that was believed to be Hupps attempt to frame Faria. [29], An initial motion for a new trial was rejected by Judge Christina Mennemeyer in December 2013. The St. Charles County prosecuting attorney and the O'Fallon chief of police theorized that Hupp had lured Gumpenberger to her home by presenting herself as "Cathy",[85] a producer for the television program Dateline NBC, and offering to pay him to reenact a 9-1-1 call, then shot him in order to implicate Russ in an attempt on her life (and "take heat off her"), planting the knife, the note, and the money on Gumpenberger's body. In August 2016, she fatally shot Louis Gumpenberger, a mentally and physically disabled man, in her home. Pamela Hupp was once a star witness, taking center stage at the trial for her best friend's murder. Neumanns death had previously been ruled an accident, but, in 2017, the St. Louis County Medical Examiners Office officially changed the manner of death to undetermined. Neumann had eight times the typical dose of Ambien in her system at the time of her death. The new episode will be available for next-day streaming on both Peacock and NBC.com. She ultimately entered an Alford plea before charges of first-degree murder and armed criminal action could go to trial. Betsys daughter Mariah talks to Dateline for the first time about the death of her mother and the wrongful prosecution of her stepfather. In it, Betsy's daughter Mariah Day shared her story. Driven largely by ego; driven toward an agenda rather than truth.. Excessive pride proves to be the downfall of one sinful perpetrator trying to preserve their reputation. [110][111] Burch's attorney, Gary Burger, subsequently filed to garnish Hupp's prison trust account, into which her $1,200 COVID-19 CARES Act relief stimulus was paid. "[46] In a 2021 interview, Leah Wommack Chaney (ne Askey) noted that she had believed Hupp would have been physically incapable of inflicting the wounds found on Betsy's body. Hupp soon became a trusted confidante and advisor to Faria, who worried that her daughters would not be financially taken care of after her death. [43] In January 2017, Mennemeyer was suspended by the Supreme Court of Missouri for misconduct unrelated to the Faria case. Excessive pride proves to be the downfall of one sinful perpetrator trying to preserve their reputation. For the latest twists and turns, watch our full episode, The Real Thing About Pam, now. ET on NBC. Now prosecutors say her close friend framed him", "New murder charge for Pam Hupp could implicate Missouri prosecutors", "Evidence almost destroyed in Betsy Faria murder investigation", "Byers' Beat: What an investigation into Faria case prosecutor didand didn'tfind", "Hupp special prosecutor: 'There are going to be some surprises', "Pam Hupp pleads not guilty to Betsy Faria's 2011 murder", "Hupp faces Lincoln County judge for first time in Faria murder case", "Pam Hupp has one charged dropped in Betsy Faria case", "Pam Hupp trial in Betsy Faria case moved to Greene County as she could face death penalty", "Medical examiner changes manner of death for Pamela Hupp's mother", "Police reviewing death of Pamela Hupp's mother", "Manner of death changed for Pamela Hupp's mother, Shirley Neumann", "Pam Hupp's story leads to change in decision about mother's 'manner of death', "Pam Hupp charged with murder one week after fatal shooting inside her home", "Woman shoots, kills man in O'Fallon, MO home invasion", "Meet the first officer to arrive at Pam Hupp's house and find murder victim", "Prosecutor: Silence on 911 call gave Pam Hupp away", "Russ Faria retrial, Day 1 CSI agent contradicts original prosecution theories", "Here's how Dateline producer Cathy Singer became a story within the murder case that's featured in Friday's season premiere", "Murder suspect Pam Hupp used Dateline ruse on me, too, another man says", "Prosecutors vow to seek death penalty in Pamela Hupp murder trial", "How Pam Hupp's cell phone gave her away", "Russ Faria's message of love for the woman who tried to frame him for murder", "Prosecutor charges Pam Hupp with 1st degree murder, alleges attempt to frame Russ Faria", "Pam Hupp witness: 'It was hard to breathe. And so all of that investigation, including the one in Lincoln County and the one in St. Charles, became pertinent information [] I was no longer willing to say it could be an accident." This 2016 photo provided by the St. Charles County, Mo., Prosecuting Attorney's Office shows Pamela Hupp. Main Content. Pamela Marie Hupp (ne Neumann; born October 10, 1958) is an American murderer serving a life sentence in Missouri's Chillicothe Correctional Center for the 2016 shooting of Louis Gumpenberger in her home in O'Fallon, Missouri. [113] In June 2022, Burger's firm received an initial payment of $783 garnished from money Hupp had earned working as a tutor in the Chillicothe Correctional Center. But today, the 63-year-old has become the suspected killer in the shocking case at the center. The trials, the misinformation, the inconsistencies. This brutal crime set off a chain of events that would expose a diabolical scheme deeply involving Pam Hupp.Based on the 2011 murder of Betsy Faria that resulted in the conviction of her husband, Russ, but he insisted he did not kill her. Hupp insisted upon driving Betsy home from her chemotherapy treatment despite Betsy already having transportation arranged and despite Hupp claiming not to be familiar with the Troy area. Make sure knife sticking out of neck" in return for a reward of $10,000 (equivalent to $11,291 in 2021). [27] The sentence was welcomed by Betsy's family; in an interview given following the sentencing, her sister Julie made claims unheard during the trial: that Russ had been angered by the removal of his name from a separate insurance policy, and that he had on one occasion held a pillow on Betsy's face and said "this is what it feels like to die". (The jury ruled in favor of Hupp keeping the money.). 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