Betsy Faria’s murder case, dramatised in The Thing About Pam, will be the subject of a new edition of “Dateline” on Friday, April 15, at 9 p.m. ET. Interestingly, “The Real Thing About Pam” will be the episode’s title. True crime anthology series The Thing About Pam, which concluded its run on NBC on Tuesday night, recounts the story of Pam Hupp and the three people she was the last person to see alive before they died under mysterious circumstances.
What exactly happened? charges explained
Hupp’s friend Betsy Faria was killed in 2011. Betsy Faria was stabbed, and her husband Russ discovered her body. Hupp was with Betsy just before she was murdered, so he received $150,000 from Betsy’s life insurance policy. A beneficiary change was made four days before Betsy was murdered. Hupp then portrayed Russ as an angry and lousy spouse to the authorities. Part of the reason why Hupp’s evidence during Russ’ trial contributed to his conviction in November 2013 is because of his awareness of the crime. Later, in 2015, Russ was given a new trial and was found not guilty. The next year, in 2016, Hupp allegedly lured Louis Gumpenberger into her vehicle by pretending to be a “Dateline” producer trying to pay someone to re-enact 911 calls, something that “Dateline” would never do. Gumpenberger fell for her trap, and she shot and killed him.
According to rumours, her real intention was to make Russ seem terrible again. She told authorities that Gumpenberger had broken into her house and that she had murdered him in self-defence. By doing so, she admitted that she believed Russ had ordered Gumpenberger after her to steal the insurance money and then murder her. Hupp was found guilty of Gumpenberger’s murder in 2019 and is now serving a life term in a Missouri state prison. She has pled not guilty to murder charges related to the death of Betsy Faria. Hupp’s mother’s death is under investigation again.
Details on the podcast and the dateline episode
Renee Zellweger was inspired to play Pam Hupp after hearing the podcast, which resulted in the production of the TV miniseries based on the “Dateline” episodes and podcast. The two-time Oscar winner reportedly spent up to four hours in the makeup chair to complete his Hupp transformation. Airing the same week as the season finale of The Thing About Pam, the next edition of “Dateline” will contain exclusive interviews with hitherto unheard parties, such as Betsy’s daughter Mariah.
This episode includes a conversation that “Dateline” had been trying to set up for almost eight years. In this episode, “Dateline” journalist Keith Morrison met with former prosecutor Leah Askey Chaney, who twice prosecuted Russ Faria for Betsy’s murder. Morrison did narrate not only the podcast but also performed voice-overs for the TV show. As of this Friday’s broadcast, “Dateline” has aired six reports on the massive investigation. Each episode of the miniseries “The Thing About Pam,” including the pilot “The House on Sumac Drive,” initially aired in March 2014 and is now available to view on Peacock.