Pam Hupp

Pamela Hupp is a Missouri woman whose case encompasses two murders, a wrongful conviction, an insurance fraud scheme, and a staged crime. Her story unfolded over nearly a decade and became the subject of national media attention and multiple documentaries. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch](https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/how-did-the-pam-hupp-case-unfold/article_c1e4c0b2-5e8d-11e9-9ad3-e30edd83e26f.html)

Betsy Faria was Hupp's longtime friend. In December 2011, just days before Betsy died, Hupp convinced her to change the beneficiary of a $150,000 life insurance policy from Betsy's husband Russ Faria to Hupp herself, claiming she would distribute the money to Betsy's daughters. On December 27, 2011, Betsy was found stabbed to death at her home in Troy, Missouri. Russ Faria, who said he had been at a friend's house playing games all evening, was arrested and tried for his wife's murder. The prosecution emphasized the life insurance and alleged Russ had motive. He was convicted in 2013 and sentenced to life in prison. [NBC News](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/pam-hupp-pleads-guilty-murder-betsy-faria-n1277200)

However, a key detail emerged: Pam Hupp had collected $150,000 from the life insurance policy — the only beneficiary. Russ Faria's attorneys argued that Hupp was the actual killer and that the insurance policy motive pointed to her, not him. After an appeal, Russ Faria received a new trial. At the retrial in November 2015, he was acquitted. The Lincoln County prosecutor acknowledged that investigation had shifted focus toward Hupp. [NBC News](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/pam-hupp-pleads-guilty-murder-betsy-faria-n1277200)

In August 2016, Hupp's behavior escalated dramatically. She called 911 claiming a man had broken into her home and was attacking her. When police arrived, they found Louis Gumpenberger, a mentally disabled man, dead from multiple gunshot wounds. Hupp told police he had tried to kidnap her and that she had shot him in self-defense. Investigators quickly found the story implausible. Surveillance footage showed that Hupp had driven to a Schnucks grocery store, approached Gumpenberger in the parking lot, and lured him to her home under false pretenses — pretending to offer him a ride. A note found in his pocket, purportedly written by Russ Faria directing Gumpenberger to kidnap Hupp, was determined to have been written by Hupp herself. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch](https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/how-did-the-pam-hupp-case-unfold/article_c1e4c0b2-5e8d-11e9-9ad3-e30edd83e26f.html)

In August 2019, Hupp was convicted of first-degree murder in the death of Louis Gumpenberger and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Prosecutors argued she had killed Gumpenberger in an elaborate attempt to frame Russ Faria and create the appearance that he was seeking revenge against her, thereby supporting the theory that he had also killed Betsy Faria.

In July 2021, Missouri prosecutors charged Hupp with first-degree murder in the death of Betsy Faria, even though she was already serving a life sentence. The case presented significant challenges including the need to establish what happened in December 2011 now that a decade had passed. As of 2026, the Betsy Faria murder charge remained pending.

The case drew national attention partly because it illustrated how the wrongful conviction of Russ Faria — an innocent man who served nearly three years in prison — was connected to an insurance fraud and murder scheme allegedly orchestrated by someone who had presented herself as Betsy's trusted friend. [NBC News](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/pam-hupp-pleads-guilty-murder-betsy-faria-n1277200)

Russ Faria — Wrongful Conviction and Acquittal

Russ Faria was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in the death of his wife Betsy Faria. He was convicted in 2013 and sentenced to life in prison. After appeal proceedings, a new trial was ordered. At the retrial in November 2015, Russ Faria was acquitted of all charges. He had served nearly three years in prison before being exonerated.

Pam Hupp — Louis Gumpenberger Murder

In August 2016, Pam Hupp shot and killed Louis Gumpenberger, a mentally disabled man, at her home in O'Fallon, Missouri. She claimed self-defense, but investigators concluded she had lured Gumpenberger to her home using a fabricated story. In August 2019, Hupp was convicted of first-degree murder in St. Charles County Circuit Court and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch](https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/how-did-the-pam-hupp-case-unfold/article_c1e4c0b2-5e8d-11e9-9ad3-e30edd83e26f.html)

Pam Hupp — Betsy Faria Murder Charge

In July 2021, Lincoln County prosecutors charged Pam Hupp with first-degree murder in the death of Betsy Faria, who was killed in December 2011. The charge came nearly a decade after the original killing and years after Russ Faria's acquittal shifted suspicion to Hupp. Hupp was already serving a life sentence for the Gumpenberger murder when she was charged.

In 2022, Hupp pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the Betsy Faria case as part of a plea agreement. She received no additional prison time beyond her existing life sentence. [NBC News](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/pam-hupp-pleads-guilty-murder-betsy-faria-n1277200)

Insurance Fraud

Hupp was also implicated in insurance fraud related to the $150,000 life insurance policy on Betsy Faria's life. Hupp had convinced Betsy to change the beneficiary to her shortly before Betsy's death. After Betsy died, Hupp collected the full policy proceeds. This insurance motive became central to the theory that Hupp, not Russ Faria, killed Betsy.