The Shocking True Story of The Thing About Pam

The Shocking True Story of The Thing About Pam

Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re discussing The Shocking True Story of The Thing About Pam.

For this video, we’ll be looking at the bizarre saga of Pamela Hupp that inspired the NBC crime drama.

Are you watching “The Thing About Pam”? Sound off in the comments.

The Murder of Betsy Faria

The 2011 murder of Betsy Faria has become a nationally recognized case known for its shocking twists and turns. What followed was a bizarre decades-long series of events, involving two other mysterious deaths. And at the center of it all was Pamela Hupp.

Elizabeth “Betsy” Faria and Pamela Hupp worked together at a State Farm office in Missouri, and went on to develop a friendship. In 2010, Betsy was diagnosed with breast cancer, and though it seemed like she may have beaten it after a while, by October 2011, the cancer had spread to her liver. At this stage, it was terminal. Her friend Pam stayed by her side, even accompanying her to chemotherapy treatments. In December of that year, the two women went to WingHaven’s library, and filled out a change-of-beneficiary form. Pam was now the sole beneficiary of Betsy’s $150,000 life insurance policy. A few days later, Betsy was deceased.

On the night of December 27, Russell Faria came home from his Tuesday game night to find his wife laying on the living room floor with her wrists cut. Panicking, he called 911 and told the operator that he believed his wife took her own life. But what he didn’t supposedly see were all the stab wounds all over her body. Police found this suspicious.

Lincoln County investigators interrogated Russ for 10 hours. And despite having an alibi, and not having any blood on him, they decided he was the culprit, didn’t consider any other suspects…not even the last person to see her alive. Earlier that evening, Pam Hupp offered to drive Betsy home from her mother’s house in Lake St. Louis. She later told police that her friend was planning on leaving her husband, whom she’d claimed had a violent temper. The next day, Russ was arrested for murder.

The Trials of Russell Faria

On Jan 4, 2012, two charges were laid against Russ Faria: first-degree murder and armed criminal action. Russ had four people to corroborate his alibi, plus a time-stamped receipt from Arby’s and made multiple pit stops. And the prosecutor’s “strongest” evidence was a pair of Russ’ house slippers found with blood on them at his home. But there was no blood on the soles and no footprints anywhere. The trial began on November 18, 2013, and on November 21, the jury found Russ Faria guilty on both counts. In December, he was sentenced to life plus 30 years, no parole.

Russ’ attorney Joel Schwartz wasn’t allowed to present evidence pointing to Pam Hupp as an alternative suspect. The jury never heard about how she changed her story to police multiple times, had no solid alibi, was the last to see Betsy alive, and became the sole beneficiary just a few days before her death. In January 2014, Fox 2 News and St. Louis Post-Dispatch played an integral role in getting a retrial for Russ. Their reporting brought to light the suppressed evidence at trial and exposed the lies told by the prosecution’s key witness. A judge released Faria on bond, and granted him a retrial in June 2015. And on November 7, a judge overturned the conviction, exonerating Russ Faria of his wife’s murder. He’d later file a civil suit against the prosecutor and several deputy sheriffs for mishandling his case.

The Suspicious Death of Shirley Neumann

On Oct 31, 2013, a housekeeper at Lakeview Park Independent Senior Living Community in Fenton, Missouri found Shirley Neumann’s body below her third-floor balcony. However, the details were extremely odd. The 77-year-old Alzheimer’s patient had apparently fallen through the railings. Her autopsy showed that she had eight times the normal dose of Ambien in her system. The last person to see her alive was her daughter, Pamela Hupp.

A few months before her mother’s death, Hupp gave a chilling statement to police when being interviewed about Faria, claiming that she didn’t need to kill Betsy because once her mother died, she’d get half a million dollars. She wasn’t questioned about Neumann’s death by law enforcement at the time. Fox 2 News reporter Chris Hayes went to the Hupp residence in January 2014, and to his surprise, Pam spoke with him for about a half hour.

The Murder of Louis Gumpenberger

On August 16, 2016, Pamela Hupp called 9-1-1 to report a home invasion in progress. She shot the supposed perpetrator five times, killing him in what was reportedly self-defense. When officers arrived on the scene, they found $900 cash and a handwritten note in the man’s pocket. The note appeared to be from someone putting a hit out on Pam, telling the man to “get Russ’ money” and then kill her.

This alleged hitman was identified as 33-year-old Louis Gumpenberger, an innocent man whom Hupp lured to her house. Investigators connected the knife and bills back to Hupp, and uncovered her elaborate scheme to frame Russ Faria again. What Pam didn’t know was Louis suffered from mental impairments and nerve damage stemming from a 2005 car accident. Louis’s disability made it highly unlikely he’d ever be able to attempt such a crime.

Pamela Hupp’s Conviction(s)

St. Charles County investigators remembered a report filed by Carol McAfee six days before the incident. She was propositioned by a woman claiming to be a “Dateline” producer, willing to pay a lot of money for her to reenact a 9-1-1 call for an upcoming episode. But Pam was unsuccessful in this attempt, and Carol had security cameras on her property that captured a clear shot of Pam’s license plate. Pam was arrested on August 23. At the police station, she went to the bathroom and seemingly tried to take her own life using a pen. That December, a grand jury indicted Hupp for first-degree murder and armed criminal action.

In November 2017, a medical examiner changed Shirley Neumann’s cause of death from accidental to undetermined. However, the case was not reopened.

Meanwhile, the trial involving Louis Gumpenberger’s death began in summer 2019. Pam entered an Alford guilty plea with the condition that the death penalty be off the table, and waived her right to a jury trial. She was found guilty and sentenced to life without parole. The new Lincoln County prosecutor reopened Betsy Faria’s case that same year, and in July 2021, Pam Hupp was charged with first-degree murder (and armed criminal action). As of March 2022, she’s serving a life sentence at Chillicothe Correctional Center in Missouri.

In the Media

The strange cases surrounding Pamela Hupp have been the subject of TV specials, books, and podcasts. Fox 2 News in St. Louis extensively covered the Betsy Faria case as well as the other mysterious deaths surrounding Pamela Hupp. Chris Hayes was the only reporter at Russ’ trial, and played an integral role in getting Russ a second trial (and subsequent exoneration).

From 2014 to 2019, “Dateline NBC” aired five episodes about the Faria case. Also in 2019, the show launched their first ever true crime original podcast, “The Thing About Pam,” hosted by Keith Morrison. NBC and Blumhouse Television co-produced a limited series of the same name starring Renée Zellweger, who also executive produced the series. The crime drama aired in March 2022, drawing negative reviews for what came off like a comedic portrayal of Hupp and her crimes.