Pam Hupp, who once helped convict Russ Faria for his wife Betsy’s 2011 murder, is now charged in Betsy’s death and faces a bench trial beginning January 31, 2028. Hupp, 67, is already serving life without parole after an Alford plea in the 2016 killing of Louis Gumpenberger, which prosecutors say she staged to mislead investigators. Central issues include a $150,000 insurance policy changed to Hupp days before Betsy’s death, disputed forensic evidence, cellphone records, and allegations the crime scene was staged.
Pam Hupp: From Star Witness to Defendant — Charged in Betsy Faria's 2011 Murder; Bench Trial Set for 2028
Where Is Convicted Killer Pam Hupp Now?Missouri Department of Corrections
Pam Hupp, once the star witness in the conviction of Russ Faria, now faces charges accusing her of killing Betsy Faria in 2011. Hupp, 67, is already serving life without parole for a separate 2016 killing prosecutors say she staged to mislead investigators. A judge will decide the Betsy Faria case at a bench trial beginning January 31, 2028.
Background
Pamela Neumann Hupp was born in Dellwood, Missouri, in 1958. She worked clerical jobs at State Farm and later flipped houses with her husband, Mark Hupp. Hupp met Betsy Faria at State Farm in 2001; they reconnected after Betsy was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010, and Hupp often drove her to chemotherapy appointments.
The 2011 Killing of Betsy Faria
On December 27, 2011, after a chemotherapy session, 42-year-old Betsy Faria was driven home by Hupp. Later that night, Betsy's husband, Russ Faria, returned from a game night and found Betsy fatally stabbed 55 times, with a kitchen knife embedded in her neck. First responders concluded the injuries were inconsistent with suicide.
Investigators initially focused on Russ. Hupp became a key prosecution witness at Russ's 2013 trial, testifying that Betsy feared her husband and describing his temperament. A jury convicted Russ of first-degree murder, but his conviction later unraveled amid questions about the evidence and Hupp's testimony.
Evidence Questions and Russ Faria's Exoneration
Russ had an alibi corroborated by four friends and receipts from the evening. Forensic problems dogged the case: while Betsy's blood was found on a pair of slippers in a closet, no blood was found on the clothes Russ had been wearing that night. Defense attorneys argued the slippers could have been planted.
Russ won a new trial in 2015 in which his lawyers introduced evidence implicating Hupp; a judge acquitted him. Lincoln County later settled his wrongful-conviction lawsuit for more than $2 million.
Motive Allegations: The Insurance Policy
Four days before her death, Betsy changed the beneficiary on a $150,000 life insurance policy from Russ to Hupp. Hupp initially said she would hold the money for Betsy's daughters and later maintained Betsy intended her to keep it. A judge allowed Hupp to retain the proceeds despite a lawsuit from Betsy's daughters. Prosecutors now cite the policy as a possible financial motive for Hupp.
Allegations of Scene Staging
Prosecutors allege Hupp staged parts of the Faria home to suggest domestic violence. Investigators contend she removed Betsy's socks, used them to smear blood around the house, then returned them to Betsy's feet. Phone records, they say, place Hupp near the Faria home for as much as half an hour after she claimed to have left.
Lincoln County Prosecutor Mike Wood: "Not only was [Russ] exonerated and acquitted and never had any participation in this, but there was sufficient evidence to establish that someone else had done it, and we continue to believe that that was Ms. Hupp."
The 2016 Shooting of Louis Gumpenberger
In August 2016 Hupp shot and killed Louis Gumpenberger, a 33-year-old man who had cognitive and physical disabilities from a prior car crash. Prosecutors say Hupp recruited Gumpenberger by posing as a Dateline producer and offering money to help stage a fake 911 call. After the shooting, Hupp told police Gumpenberger had threatened her with a knife; investigators later found $900 in his pocket and a note with instructions to kidnap Hupp and obtain the insurance proceeds — items prosecutors say Hupp planted to frame him and create false leads toward Russ.
In June 2019 Hupp entered an Alford plea to first-degree murder in the Gumpenberger case, which allowed her to accept a sentence without admitting guilt. In August 2019 she was sentenced to life without parole and is currently serving that sentence in the Missouri Department of Corrections.
Charges, Trial Plans and Current Status
Lincoln County prosecutors charged Hupp with first-degree murder and armed criminal action in the Betsy Faria case in 2021. Those charges were briefly dismissed and then refiled to allow for a trial venue nearer Lincoln County. In April 2026 Hupp waived her right to a jury trial; in exchange prosecutors agreed not to seek the death penalty. The bench trial is scheduled to begin on January 31, 2028.
Hupp continues to deny killing Betsy. The case—complicated by earlier courtroom decisions, disputed forensic evidence and national media coverage—remains under intense scrutiny as it heads toward a judge-only trial.
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