Two-Hour Special Features New Interviews about the Murder of Betsy Faria, Including with the Prosecutor Behind the Wrongful Conviction of Faria’s Husband
‘The Real Thing About Pam’ Follows ‘The Thing About Pam’ NBC Series & #1 ‘Dateline’ Podcast; Broadcast Airs Friday at 9pm ET/8pm CT
April 12, 2022 – On Friday’s new Dateline NBC at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT, correspondent Keith Morrison will report on the latest twists and turns in the case of Pam Hupp, who was charged last year in the murder of her close friend Betsy Faria. The two-hour special will feature new interviews, including with Betsy’s daughter Mariah and Leah Askey, the prosecutor behind the wrongful conviction of Betsy’s husband Russ Faria.
During The Real Thing About Pam, Morrison presses Askey about her decision to prosecute Russ instead of Hupp, who is currently serving life in prison for the murder of Louis Gumpenberger, which detectives allege she committed in an attempt to frame Russ.
Asked whether Gumpenberger may still be alive today if Askey had concentrated on prosecuting Hupp instead of Russ, she defended her actions, telling Morrison: “I don’t have any culpability in anything to do with Louis Gumpenberger. It is a terrible tragedy. But I was elected to do a job. And I did my job. And a jury convicted [Russ.]”
She also admitted that the murder of Gumpenberger made her think that Hupp was “capable of more” than she would have “given her credit for,” but that she still believes Hupp wasn’t involved in the murder of Betsy. She explained, “It made me think, that’s a terrible tragedy, and she obviously lost her marbles. Like, she snapped…She’s definitely gone off the deep end.” Hupp has pleaded not guilty in the murder of Betsy.
Click here to watch the exchange, the transcript is below.
Friday’s special is a continuation of Morrison’s years-long reporting on Hupp, including how she impersonated a real-life Dateline producer. Morrison also hosted the #1 Dateline podcast, The Thing About Pam, which has been downloaded over 22 million times since its September 2019 launch. Additionally, the podcast was also the inspiration for NBC’s eponymous series starring two-time Oscar-winning actress Renée Zellweger. The scripted series was a collaboration between Blumhouse Television, NBC News Studios and Zellweger’s Big Picture Co.
The Real Thing About Pam is produced by Cathy Singer and Christine Fillmore and senior producer Adam Gorfain. David Corvo is the senior executive producer and Liz Cole is the executive producer.
INTERVIEW EXCERPT
KEITH MORRISON VOICE-OVER: LOUIS GUMPENBERGER WAS PURELY COLLATERAL DAMAGE IN PAM’S SCHEME. SO, DID THAT FINALLY CHANGE LEAH ASKEY’S MIND ABOUT PAM HUPP?
LEAH ASKEY: No, it made me think, that’s a terrible tragedy and she obviously lost her marbles. Like, she snapped…She’s definitely gone off the deep end.
KEITH MORRISON: I think that probably a lot of people would agree that there’s some stuff about Pam which is not entirely normal. But the fact that she would kill that person and try to frame the man who was acquitted of the murder of his wife, that must have made you change your mind about this case.
LEAH ASKEY: It definitely made me think, you know, wow, she’s capable of more than I would’ve given her credit for.
KEITH MORRISON: There are some people who even to this day say that you have blood on your hands, that Louis Gumpenberger would be alive today had you concentrated on Pam Hupp and not on Russ Faria.
LEAH ASKEY: I don’t have any culpability in anything to do with Louis Gumpenberger. It is a terrible tragedy. But I was elected to do a job. And I did my job. And a jury convicted him. One has nothing to do with the other. It was never my job to seek out a suspect. And so, I couldn’t have done anything more than what I did, other than not prosecute, which I would’ve not prosecuted, had I not believed that the person we were prosecuting was correct at the time.
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Now in its 30th season, Dateline NBC is the longest-running series in NBC primetime history. Dateline is anchored by Lester Holt and features correspondents Andrea Canning, Josh Mankiewicz, Keith Morrison and Dennis Murphy. With new episodes on Fridays at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT, Dateline also airs across NBC, cable and in broadcast syndication, with hundreds of hours available to stream on Peacock’s Dateline 24/7 channel. The newsmagazine also reaches millions through its #1 podcasts, including The Thing About Pam and its showcast. David Corvo is the senior executive producer and Liz Cole is the executive producer.
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For more information contact:
Dominique Donahue
NBC News
Dominique.Donahue@nbcuni.com
