Where is Pam Hupp now? Is she still in the Prison?
by Aishwarya R
Updated May 02, 2023
Who is Pum Hupp?
Pamela Marie Hupp is a convicted murderer. She is serving a life sentence in Missouri's Chillicothe Correctional Center. In 2011, the murder of Betsy Faria in her Missouri home shocked the local community. Her friend, Pam Hupp, had driven her home from chemotherapy on the night of her murder, and just four days prior, Betsy had made Hupp the sole beneficiary of her $150,000 life insurance policy. When Betsy was found dead with over 50 stab wounds, suspicion immediately fell on her husband, Russell Faria. The couple's home appeared to have been the scene of a violent struggle, with blood smeared around the house. Pam Hupp, the last person to see Betsy alive, told authorities that Faria had a bad temper and even provided them with a note she claimed was written by Betsy, expressing fear that her husband would kill her.
Despite Faria's numerous alibis, including CCTV footage and a receipt from a trip to the cinema, he was convicted of first-degree murder by a jury in 2013. However, two years later, Faria appealed the verdict and was ultimately acquitted by a judge. The case raised questions about the role of Pam Hupp, who had a history of involvement in suspicious deaths. In fact, it was later discovered that Hupp had staged a fake home invasion in her own home, during which she shot and killed a man in 2016, in an apparent attempt to frame him for the murder of another man she had previously befriended. Hupp ultimately pleaded guilty to the murder and was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Where is Pum Hupp now?
A year after Russell Faria's acquittal for the murder of his wife, new developments emerged in the case with the arrest of Pam Hupp, a friend of the victim, on charges of murder. Hupp was charged with the killing of Louis Gumpenberger, whom she had set up to appear as an intruder in a scheme designed to frame Faria as a violent person. Hupp claimed that Gumpenberger had been hired on behalf of Faria to threaten her life, but later entered a "best-interest plea" in 2019, acknowledging that there was enough evidence to convict her. This allowed her to avoid the death penalty but resulted in a life sentence in prison.
Subsequently, prosecutors reopened the case of Betsy Faria and in July 2021, charged Hupp with her murder. Russell Faria expressed his satisfaction with the development and is looking forward to assisting with the trial. The ongoing trial has seen Hupp plead not guilty, with prosecutors seeking the death penalty due to the heinousness and depravity of the case.
The case has attracted significant attention due to the strange and convoluted nature of Hupp's involvement. Her history of involvement in suspicious deaths, including her own staged home invasion in 2016, raised questions about her role in Betsy Faria's murder. The reopening of the case has allowed for a more thorough examination of Hupp's involvement, with prosecutors seeking to establish her motives and actions leading up to the murder. The outcome of the trial will be closely watched by those following the case and the broader public.
Pam Hupp Dateline
On November 18, 2016, the television show "Dateline NBC" aired an episode titled "Stranger Than Fiction". This episode covered the case of Betsy Faria, who was found murdered in Missouri in 2011. Her husband, Russ, was initially convicted of the crime but was granted a re-trial in 2015, which was featured in a previous episode of "Dateline" called "Return to Game Night". This time, the trial was decided by a judge instead of a jury and Russ was found innocent.
However, the case took a new turn when it was revealed that a key witness, Pam Hupp, who had contributed to the state's case against Russ, had some surprises of her own. The episode featured interviews with Lester Holt, Betsy Faria's family members, and Russell Faria, shedding light on the strange twists and turns of the case.
The murders of Betsy Faria and Louis Gumpenberger have garnered a significant amount of attention from the media, with local Fox affiliate station KTVI in St. Louis and six episodes of Dateline NBC dedicated to covering the case between 2014 and 2022. In addition, a true crime podcast from Dateline NBC has also covered the case. The media interest in the case has culminated in a scripted television series titled "The Thing About Pam," which stars actress Renée Zellweger as Pam Hupp. The series premiered on NBC in March and April of 2022.
Pam Hupp Trial
Hupp accused Russ Faria of having a bad temper and provided a note from Betsy's laptop expressing fear of being murdered by him. Despite multiple alibis, including CCTV footage and a receipt from a trip to the cinema, Faria was wrongfully convicted of murder and spent over a year in prison before being acquitted in a retrial. Faria subsequently filed a civil rights lawsuit against Lincoln County, which was settled for $2 million in 2020.
Following Russ's acquittal, the investigation into Betsy's murder was reopened. In 2016, Pam was charged with the murder of Louis Gumpenberger, whom she had tricked into believing she was a Dateline producer. She shot and killed him as part of her plan to frame Russ as a violent person. Pam claimed that Gumpenberger had threatened her and demanded money from Russ, but this was all a fabrication. In 2019, Pam entered an Alford Plea, which allowed her to avoid the death penalty but resulted in a life sentence.
In an interview with Fox 2 Now in 2021, Betsy's daughters, Leah and Mariah Day, expressed their suspicion that Pam Hupp was responsible for their mother's murder. Pam pleaded not guilty to the murder charge in July 2021, according to Fox 2 Now. However, in September 2021, the armed criminal action charge against her was dropped because the statute of limitations had expired. Prosecutor Mike Wood stated that this would not affect their case going forward, as per KSDK.
Was Pam Hupp Convicted?
Hupp's trial was scheduled for June 2019, but instead of going to trial, she entered an Alford plea, relinquishing her right to a jury trial. As part of her plea agreement, she avoided the death penalty and was sentenced to life without parole in August 2019. In a phone call to her then-husband, Hupp claimed that she pleaded guilty to spare her family from a "disgusting trial." She is currently serving her sentence at the Chillicothe Correctional Center in Missouri.
Hupp was arrested on August 23, 2016, and charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action. While in custody, she attempted to commit suicide using a ballpoint pen to stab her neck and wrists in what prosecutors deemed a "consciousness of guilt" act. Her bail was set at $2 million, and she was indicted on the charges on December 16. Hupp pleaded not guilty in January 2017 but in March of that year, prosecutors announced they would seek the death penalty due to the seemingly arbitrary choice of victim. In May 2018, evidence relating to the death of Hupp's mother was ruled inadmissible, but evidence relating to Betsy Faria's killing was deemed admissible the following month by Judge Jon Cunningham.
Pam Hupp Mother
Pam Hupp's mother, Shirley Neumann, was found dead on the lawn of her senior retirement community on Halloween day of 2013. Pam, who lived less than an hour away, had brought Shirley back to Lakeview Park after she was discharged from the hospital. Shirley, who suffered from Alzheimer's disease, required round-the-clock care.
An autopsy determined that Shirley had 0.84 micrograms of Ambien in her blood, which was eight times the prescribed dose. Despite this, Shirley's death was initially ruled as accidental by the police. Pam collected the $500,000 inheritance that her mother had planned to leave her.
However, in November 2017, the St. Louis County Medical Examiner's Office changed the manner of Shirley's death from accidental to undetermined. The Chief Medical Examiner believed that evidence brought forth since Shirley's death indicated that the previous determination was no longer appropriate. While this was suspicious, the Medical Examiner's Office did not investigate further.
Where is Pum Hupp now - FAQs
Pam Hupp is a convicted murderer from Missouri, USA. She was found guilty of killing a mentally disabled man, Louis Gumpenberger, and was also charged with the murder of Betsy Faria, a friend of hers who was found dead in her home in 2011.
In the case of Betsy Faria, Hupp was the beneficiary of her life insurance policy, which raised suspicions that she was involved in the murder. With regards to Louis Gumpenberger, Hupp attempted to make it look like he was a hired thug sent to attack her, and by killing him she hoped to make her earlier story about being attacked by Betsy Faria's husband, Russ, more believable.
Pam Hupp's lies and inconsistencies in her statements to the police raised suspicions and ultimately led to her arrest and conviction. Her false stories about the circumstances surrounding the murder of Betsy Faria and the attack on her by Louis Gumpenberger were contradicted by evidence, including surveillance footage and phone records.
Pam Hupp was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder of Louis Gumpenberger. She had earlier entered an Alford plea for the murder of Betsy Faria, acknowledging that there was enough evidence to convict her, and was also sentenced to life in prison.
Pam Hupp was also charged with the murder of her own mother, Shirley Neumann, whose death was originally ruled as accidental. However, the St. Louis County Medical Examiner’s Office later changed the manner of her death to "undetermined" based on new evidence. Pam was not charged in connection with her mother's death.