Stream ‘The Thing About Pam’ before watching the true crime TV adaptation starring Renée Zellweger
Dateline NBC’s “The Thing About Pam” is a true crime series reporting the bizarre chain of events after Betsy Faria’s death. This stranger-than-fiction tale involved the family’s friend, Pam Hupp, another murder, and facts that just didn’t seem to add up. This podcast was adapted from Dateline TV’s popular episodes and is hosted by Keith Morrison. On March 8, Renée Zellweger will star as Pam in a dramatized TV version, streaming on NBC.
The story starts in December 2011, when Russ Faria returned home from game night and found his wife dead with stab wounds. Russ tearfully called 911, and an investigation ensued. Despite pleading not guilty, Russ was charged and convicted with murder. But was Russ framed? Was evidence planted in his home?
Stream this 8-part series from the first episode to hear the diabolical story. Each episode is less than 35 minutes long, and it’s filled with so many twists and turns, you might find yourself bingeing the series in a day.
During the initial trial, Pam was questioned and seemed to have all bases covered. She fully cooperated with police as they searched her home and belongings, and they did not initially find anything incriminating.
Pam was a constant presence in the Faria’s lives. She accompanied Betsy to chemotherapy sessions after she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010. We learn that Betsy signed over her life insurance policy to Pam days before the murder and claimed she would administer the funds to Betsy’s children instead of having her husband on the plan for a variety of reasons.
Pam claimed Russ and Betsy’s life was filled with “marital tension,” and as a result, Betsy allegedly did not want to list Russ as her beneficiary. Shortly after Betsy’s death, Pam’s mother was found dead and Pam was named as a suspect.
At a retrial in 2015, Russ was found not guilty. In 2021, Pam was charged with Betsy’s murder and pleaded not guilty. She is currently serving a life sentence for the murder of Louis Gumpenberger, another disturbing thread of this storyline.
All episodes of the podcast are now streaming. NBC’s The Thing About Pam‘s scripted TV adaptation will premiere on March 8.