‘Dateline’ NBC: What’s the news with “The Thing About Pam”?
This is the story that never ends. Since Pam Hupp was convicted of murder in 2019, Dateline has refused to keep their hands off of her story. With five separate episodes detailing the miserable events, as well as an entire podcast, Pam Hupp’s name will forever be tied to Dateline NBC.
Granted, thanks to Dateline‘s constant coverage of the Faria case, Hupp found new ways to connect herself to the magazine-style show through impersonating a producer. While public opinion has Hupp responsible for three murders, Hupp was only sentenced for one. To lure Louis Gumpenberger into her home, she lied saying she was a Dateline producer who needed someone to recreate a 911 call.
But that was 2016. Where is everyone involved in Hupp’s case now, besides her victims? Four years after her arrest, here’s another update on “The Thing about Pam”, and her story.
Hupp’s still in prison
No shocker there. For the murder of Gumpenberger, Hupp was sentenced to life without parole in June of 2019. Initially, prosecutors wanted to go for the death penalty against her, but after she entered an Alford guilty plea, the possibility of the death penalty was dropped as part of the deal.
Held in the Chillicothe Correctional Center in Missouri, Hupp has got a lot of time on her hands. But even with life without parole for just one murder, she may get extra time added on thanks to the Lincoln County prosecuting attorney reopening another case Hupp was associated with.
Mike Wood reopens the Betsy Faria case
In case you forgot the other victim, Betsy Faria is suspected to have also been murdered by Hupp. Faria was terminally ill, and had changed her life insurance policy so when she passed, Hupp got all her money. On top of that, Hupp was the last one to see Faria alive the night she passed.
We’ll go more into this case in a minute, but after charging and releasing the wrong person, the case was presumed to be left shut. But when Mike Wood became the Lincoln County prosecuting attorney, he wanted to get justice for Betsy Faria and make things right with the people of Lincoln County. So in June of 2019, Wood reopened the case. Nothing has been found yet, but in November, he gave the case to the St. Louis Major Case Squad.
Russ Faria is done clearing his name
So if Hupp wasn’t charged for Betsy Faria’s murder, who was? Her husband, Russ. Betsy Faria was found by Ross after being stabbed 55 times and the murderer leaving the knife lodged in her neck. Yet, when he called 911, he said she committed suicide. Naturally, the police didn’t believe him and took him into custody the following day. There were also several pieces of damning evidence left around the house, plus Russ’s short temper made him look guiltier.
Even during the trial, Russ’ attorney tried to give several alibis and witnesses proving Russ couldn’t have committed the murder, and evidence that tied Hupp to the scene instead. Yet, the judge denied these facts and sentenced Russ to life plus 30 years for first-degree murder. Thankfully, in 2015, Russ’s conviction was overturned and he became a free man. But he wasn’t done yet.
Leah Askey and Chris Mennemeyer lost their jobs
Since both the judge and prosecuting attorney on the cases are responsible for the gross injustice that occurred, Russ knew he had to go for them. While his attorney fought for him in a retrial that allowed evidence pointing to Hupp that freed him, Russ wanted them gone. He sued Askey and three other officers at the Lincoln County Sheriff’s office for failing to look at the much more obvious suspect and fabricating evidence.
But even without the lawsuit, the general public made up their mind after seeing what happened with Russ. When the 2018 reelection came around, both Askey and Mennemeyer lost their positions over their roles in this mistreatment against the Farias. Even members of the Lincoln County Sheriff’s office went on record saying they still don’t know why those two denied Hupp as a suspect.
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