Transcripts For WKYC Dateline NBC 20160123

Have committed this crime. A man cannot be in two places at the same time. A highprofile trial. A speedy verdict. So why is this case getting an almostunprecedented second look . This doesnt happen, right . Its incredibly rare. And is anyone prepared for this . Did she say, i have a bombshell . She did. From tales of a secret love she revealed that she and betsy had had an intimate relationship. To a telltale clue, hidden on a hard drive. It is a smoking gun. Its finally time for the truth. Thats a scary moment. It was a horrible moment. Im lester holt, and this is dateline. Heres Keith Morrison with return to game night. Reporter they were so sure for his freedom. He loved her too much more that, they said. And anyway, he was with us, they said. He could never have done those dreadful things, they said. Here on that frigid night in the house on sumac drive, when the woman inside stopped feeling the cold, or anything else. When the husband returned from what hed later say was his ironclad alibi, and called 911. 9 40pm, december 27th, 2011. What is the location of your emergency . [ crying ] okay. I need you to take a couple deep breaths so i can see whats going on. I just got home from a friends house and and my wife my wife. Reporter the man was hysterical. A real emotion, most who heard it had come to believe. But now, a question was it . God. What is her name . Her name is betsy. Betsy . Yes. And the crying you can hear is her husband, russell. Oh, my god. No. Russell she do you think that shes beyond help right now . I think shes dead. Okay. Oh, my god. Shes gone. Reporter betsy faria was dead and gone at 42. As you will hear, was not a surprise. To say. No, it was how it happened, why it happened, and all thats happened since in a small town near st. Louis, missouri. Was Russell Faria innocent, as his friends and family and army of supporters insisted . Or guilty as sin, as both the state and betsys family were so sure . And then just months ago, a fresh investigation revealed startling new allegations of astonishing recovered memories. As youll see tonight, the search for justice is a winding road, full of jarring potholes, unexpected detours. But first you need to know about betsy faria. She was one of four girls in her family. Mary rodgers and julie swaney were older sisters. Betsy was the most outgoing and the most social. Reporter kinda gregarious, gregarious is a great word very colorful, very lively. She was an individual. You couldnt tell her no. She did what she wanted to do. And she started deejaying at the age of i think she was 18, maybe even younger than that. Reporter wow. And she could start up a party. She was in her element when she was out there. She could get anybody on the dance floor, whether they wanted to or not. Reporter betsy was a single mother of two daughters, leah and mariah, when she met russ, and he seemed just about perfect funny, outgoing, big heart, said russs cousin, mary anderson. Hes a happy person. He was a jokester. Reporter yeah. You you never seen him without him laughing. Reporter and, said russ, she was the perfect woman for him. She encouraged me to go back to school and get led to a better job, more money, things like that. Reporter yeah. Which i probably wouldnt have done had she not come along. Reporter when russ met ters were very young, mariah still a tiny girl. We really created a big bond, you know. And and leah, you know, s well. Reporter betsy and russ got good times and then less good times. For more than a year, they actually lived apart. We argued a lot. Y say. Reporter and then betsy tolda church that meant a lot to her. They wer marriage. It was kind of kind of like an omen. Reporter and that, said russ, is when their marriage got better again. You know, we kinda refell inother. Reporter but life will have its way with a person like it or not. Betsy found out she had breast cancer. 2009, she told us that she thought she had it and it was diagnosed in january 2010. Thats when she had her mastectomy. We went through a lot of ing, lot of heartache, and just lot of hard time. But you know we kept our faith and we kept praying. And she handled it with such grace. She just amazed the the millions of people that she knows. Volved in tennis. She just continued playing tennis. Youd never know she was going through chemo. Reporter and maybe that it. Doctor told her the cancer was so she and russ decided to celebrate. They organized a caribbean cruise, invited their friends and family to come along. And then she thinks im free and clearmb just dropped on her. Reporter the cancer was back, had spread to her liver. It was inoperable. It was too far in her liver that they couldnt take it out. Three to five years, perhaps less. So what did russ and betsy do . They went on that cruise anyway. Gang with them. Betsy got to swim with the dolphins a dream shed had for years. Just seeing how happy she wasppy. She told everybody that this was a second honeymoon for them. She said it was the best thing that happened. They had the best sex that they while they were on this cruise. Weeks later, betsy was dead. Ly wasnt the cancer that killed her. How did bet to that wasnt clear at all. Her husband, who called 911, had one idea. My wife killed herself eporter but investigators had another. Its not typical for someone ommit suicide to do it the way she done it and thats what concerns us. Even turkey jerks. [turkey] gobble. [butcher] im sorry covered march fourth,2014. Talk to farmers. Weve seen almost everything, so we know how to cover almost anything. Bumbumbumbum winter storm jonas promises to with total accumulation down indefinitely, and schools are closed. Ps go great with a cold, and a nice red. 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Before all the events which have so recently upended our story, was russ farias call to 911 the night of december 27th, 2011, in which he uttered four little words that were going to become very. Herself. Ok. Down, honey. Ok . I need you to calm down and take a couple deep breaths. Were going to get somebody on the way there, okay . Re was the town of troy, about an hour from st. Between his sobs, russ told the a night out with friends to find dead on the living room floor. And, he said, it looked like what,do you know . Shes got a knife in her neck. And she sliced her arms. Russ told us something clicked when he saw her lying there. Well, she had talked about it years before and actually tried it once or twice. And when you came in, what do you know, and that was the first thing that just registered in my mind. Ly next morning, betsys mother, janet meyer, got a knock on the door. Officers standing there on her doorstep. One of them just looked rightsaid, betsys dead. And i said, well, how could she be dead . She was just here last night. To betsys sister julies house. They said it was a possible suicide. Gave her this look like, i dont think that sounds right. R thing is by the time police offered that suicide faria was no suicide. Not even possible. First responders could tell right away and the medical body had been pierced many, many times including woundlicted after she was already dead. Hardly surprising then, that police might be casting around for suspects. Or, that russ, the husband, the who supposedly discovered the body had some explaining to do. But that night, at the sheriffs department, getting him to focus was not an easy thing. Oh god. It sucks. No. Oure the only one that can help us with this right now. I dont know what to do. Investigators had a job to do, find betsys killer and they thought it might incredibly emotional. Was he acting . Was this florid grief, actually real . Be sticking with the suicide story. Hink happened to betsy . It looked like she killed herself. R but did he really not know about all those other stab wounds . And Something Else betsys body was cold and stiff when onders arrived, rigor mortis had already set in, the blood was drying. T appeared betsy had been dead for sometime when russ called 911. So detectives zeroed in on betsy and russs movements. Tell me about your night. Reporter russ said betsy had a chemo appointment that ed to go to her moms house afterwards, and then russ would drive her home. Or arrangement. I asked her if she needed a ome and she said, no, that her friend was going to bring her home. And she said she had something to talk to me about. , is it good or bad . And she said, well, its good. Dont worry. , well, ill see you at home later and i love you. And that was the last time i after that, said russ, he ran some errands, and then, at six as he almost always did tuesday evenings, he arrived at a friends house, where a small or what they called their game night. We go over there on tuesday nights and usually we play games. Reporter but that particular night my friend had gotten a couple of movies. D to watch movies instead. Of drivethrough, then drove the 30 minutes back to his house in d have put him there about 9 40pm. Unsuspecting and then i was taking my jacket off and calling for betsy. Floor. Will you ever forget what that was like, coming into the i my eyes. I fell down there by her and i looked and i saw cuts on her arm and then i saw a knife in her neck. Russ, is all he saw so it looked to him like shed done it herself, deliberately. And if this comes back that its not a suicide, you dont have any idea who may have harmed betsy . No, everybody loved betsy. Ve soul. She always brought smiles to people. And she made me smile all the time. She made me so proud. Its not typical for someone thats going to commit suicide to do it by the way that she done it. And thats thats what so it did. It also made russ the prime suspect. Coming up, russ and betsys relationship. Betsys tells Police Things lly werent that sunny. Hed Start Playing this game a pillow over her face. This is what its going to feel like when you die and then act ing. When dateline continues. Why have your glasses fit manually, when theres the Lenscrafters Accufit system. Replacing basic handheld measuring toolsystem thats five times more precise. No longer comes at a price. But its just 9. 99 new hot shot whisky chicken applebees grill bar favorites made a little better for you. Shes loaded with flavor, reporter not long after his wife dead, the police took him in for a estions and a though, said russ, when he saw the machine honestly, i dont even know if the thing was on or not. After it . They told him he failed it miserably, so he must have done it, they said. Confess. The fact of the matter is you stabbed betsy. No, i did not. Ven there. Russ, you were there. No, i found her like that e home. Reporter russ denied it again and again. I did not do this. Investigators didnt buy it and much of the reason for that is they were from this woman. Pam met betsy years earlier when they both worked in the Insurance Industry and she had a say about russ, big fat motive money. Ents about how much money hell have after shes gone. Ive never seen their , but he has Life Insurance on her at work. She has Life Insurance. Reporter pam told stigators she had been with betsy the day she died. Her about a proposal she was going to make to russ that the two of them move into her relatives house, while they rented out their home in troy. Theyd all save money that way and shed be closer to friends o treatments. But pam claimed betsy was concerned about how russ would react to that idea. And she goes, okay. Well, ill tell him, but im telling you right now, hes going to get very angry. She said, hes tired of moving. He is staying in his house and so she had already approached him with the idea . She was going to approach him okay. Home. Russ off . That. Me. Well, that was the news that she wanted to share with you it. Was when you told me. Reporter investigators didnt believe that. Especially when they heard the bombshell pam laid on them, a pam said russ played with betsy. Hed Start Playing this game of putting a pillow over her face to see what it would feel. I dont know if he said this is what its going to feel like ie or whatever and then act like he was kidding. Uhhuh. She was very upset. Oh, yeah. Reporter so they took that accusation to russ, too. Why would her friends tell the police that you had done she had no reasf me. Shes never been scared of me. Reporter but it wasnt just the pam hupp story that made oh, no. Though betsy was killed in her living room, crime scene and on a pair of russs closet. The fact of the matter is, its a sloppy crime scene. Theres blood on your clothes, in your residence, in your bedroom. Reporter then they confronted russ with the horrifying fact that betsy had been stabbed over and over n, many, many times. Your wife was stabbed over 25 times, russ. Oh, my god. No. Oh, my god. A burglar doesnt do that, russ. A stranger doesnt do that. Somebody who loves that person does that. Ho goes into a blind rage does that. Reporter there was only one option, said the investigators. Oing to have to come clean and confess. Theres no one else that has any kind of motive, monetary or. I cant tell you what i dont know. Confess to something i didnt do and i cant give you details for there was never a focus on anybody else. Reporter it was the day after the murder that russs dead, and that russ was being questioned. And that didnt make sense to her. Shed seen betsy and russ just a. Everything seemed fine then. Betsy w she was even saving him a spot on the couch. Shes like, here, babe, you can sit next to me. Y was so sure russ would not, could not, have killed betsy, she set out to defend him any way she could. But by the time investigators 8 hours after he was first brought in for questioning, the story was all over the local media. And boy this case has really been taking a lot of turns today. I mean, they showed my picture on the news and reporter they said you were the main suspect . Yeah. s what it appeared. And while i was watching it, my family came in and turned it off. Reporter some friends began to wonder if theyd ever really known russ at all. His famous jokester humor and y now. More like immature, crude, boorish. These church friends, sondra and marty mcclanahan, had spent a betsy and russ. Many people would describe him as a pig. Just the things he would say. Not respectful. And he would do that to everybody, but hes doing it to wife, too. Oh, you know, you wouldnt understand. It doesnt matter. You dont, like, say that in front of a group of people to your spouse. Reporter betsys mother said shed been close, very close to russ. She also remembered a few thingstuck out like a sore thumb. He told a friend of mines husband that if he got into a fight to kill. Reporter and betsys said, but when they thought man. Builtup anger. Reporter there was the time,russ chased one with a baseball bat. Who chases after a boyfriend with a baseball bat . Reporter yeah. Did you see that happen . Orter who told you about this . The girls. By it. Reporter so when officers told the family about all those when they said that, i didnt have any doubt in my mind. Of it could be anybody else but russ when reporter thats what the investigators were thinking, too. But there were plenty of people o thought the idea that russ faria killed his wife was utter hogwash. And they said they could prove coming up, what sounds like a slam game night buddies. We knew that he could not have committed this crime. Reporter impossible . Its impossible. Why fit in when you were born to stand out. Altima has arrived. Aaaand we re back at Cricket Wireless switch and get a brand new lg risio for 19. 99, or take a spin with the samsung 9 Cricket Wireless. Ottle of suave professionals is a beautiful blend. Moroccan infusion for shine, oothness, sea mineral infusion for volume, ew coconut oil infusion for repair. Find the blend you needove. Suave professionals works as well as salon brands. Live beautifully suave spark of emotion light up every inch of you. Feel warm inside. Feel our big beautiful new candle. Reporter in the days after betsy faria died, her husband russ was without a doubt suspect number one. Murder all of the evidence points to you. Reporter and betsys family others in russ fariaelieve a word of it. They were very happy. And they were planning a trip to florida and it was going to be in march and he was like, well, ou want to do, you plan it. Well make it happen. Reporter after betsys death, cousin mary saw russs grief up close. He was heartbroken. He kept saying how bad it hurt because he lost his betsy. That was the most heartwrenching thing to see. Reporter they had a wake for betsy. And russ e down, just talking to her all by himself, just him at the casket. It was hard. It was very hard, but it was really nice to see how many touched and that came. Reporter and as for that story pam hupp was telling about russ putting a pillow over ying thats what death feels like would russ have done such a thing . No. Now, would russ pull a cover over her head and fart d Say Something like that . Yes, he would. Because he was a jokester . But would he put a pillow over her face and do that . Absolutely not. They were happy couple. Reporter one of betsys many good friends was russs aunt, linda hartmann. S the last person shed suspect of killing betsy, especially given how upset he was about her terminal cancer. He way that he had spoken about losing betsy, you knew howved her and he was taking it really badly. Reporter but, said linda, the police didnt seem to want to hear any of that. Couldve been russ . Reporter but, of course, most of what you heard was just opinion. Russs defenders had something much stronger in their corner. Libi. Remember that game night russ said he attended between 6 00 and 9 00pm the night betsy was murdered . Chael corbin, the host of game night. A few of his friends had been coming by tuesday nights for years. Essentially, its a way where we can all get together, be sociable and not really spend any money. T particular tuesday night, mike said, russ and the others watched movies together. Ne left at 9 00 p. M. As usual. And then early the next day mike and his girlfriend angie got a surprise. We were up having our morning coffee. K on the door, which is instantly odd, about 6 00 or maybe a little before. The police more or less invite themselves in and start asking us a whole lot of questions about what happened last night. Was he drinking anything . Ing strangely . Reporter thing is, the police didnt tell them anything beyond the fact that something had happened to betsy, said mike. They just asked a lot of questions about their game night th, three days later, there was another Early Morning knock at the door. They took angie in one car, me in another vehicle with two investigators and they questioned us separately us. Ill put it that way. Reporter the two others at mikes house that night were also picked up and questioned separately. 6 00. They watched movies. And we were all within eight er the whole night. Did he act the same as usual . Oh yeah. And you yeah. Know, he dozed off at one point. I know that. This. Reporter nor was it simply the unsupported story of some friends. Amera showed russ stopped for gas just after 5 15pm. Food, a couple of iced teas on way to game night before 6 00 p. M. Russs cell phone pinged in those areas, too, and all from 6 00 to 9 00 p. M. Near mikes house. And the receipt from his trip tothru was timestamped 9 09 p. M. The drive back to russs house would take, what with that stop at arbys, about 35, 40 minutes, putting him home just about the. Once we heard the timeline, we knew that he could not have committed this crime. Impossible . Its impossible. A man cannot be in two places at the same time. How your wife died. Repor persuaded, not at all. After all, they had pam hupps story. And what they said was russs failed polygraph and her blood and it wasnt long after betsy was killed that Russell Faria coming up, some say investigators may have blown it on russ because its somebody else who got the payout from bets insurance policy. She got the money . She got the money. Reporter when dateline r body lotion. First i wash. Then i apply it to my wet skin. It moisturizes with no sticky feel. I quickly rinse off. Nivea inshower body lotion in the body lotion aisle. H. It can spread. Robitussin dm max soothes your throat and delivers fast, powerful cough relief. Max. Because its reporter the case against nt to trial in november 2013, almost two years after betsys murder. I dont know what to do. Reporter prosecutors opened that frantic 911 call the night betsy died. Russell she do you think that shes beyond help right now . Hes dead. Reporter the state said it sounded suspiciously hysterical, like an act. Aid it sounded to her like howls of guilt. Y oh my god, oh my god. Its like, oh, what did i do . What did i do . Well, he loved her, didnt uhhuh. Thats what causes these passion. Reporter if that wasnt suspicious enough, said the state, there was also russs clearly bogus suggestion that self. An obvious lie, they argued. After all, as they pointed out, the medical examiner discovered been stabbed more than 50 times. Members of betsys family, including her daugat russ had a temper. The friend who drove betsy home that night, pam hupp, told the olice, essentially that ruc pbbad guy. The physical evidence, said the state, also proved that russ rder that is, betsys blood on his slippers and her blood on the bedroom light switch. Even though she was killed in the living room. E, said the prosecutor, russs semen was found in betsy, showing he had ore killing her. Jurors, he violates her one more time. S alibi, the prosecutor said it only made his movements that evening more suspicious. Looked like he went out of his way to appear in front of cameras at multiple gas stationsought everything at one place. And his alibi witnesses . Sounded suspiciously rehearsed, said the state. Ther didnt think much of them either when they testified. They all were saying the exact same thing and the exact same monotone, da,da,da,da,da,da. It was unbelievable. Reporter and that was in essence the states case against russ faria. To which defense attorney joel re you kidding . In my opinion, an innocent man got charged with murder. And then it sort of snowballed from there. Eporter for one thing, he pings, the friends testimony alibi as airtight as any hed ever seen. But what stood out stark and clear to him, said schwartz, was that there were also some very curious unanswered questions. , for example questions about pam hupp, who had bad mouthed russ to the police and the jury. Tz, had to be one of the last people, if not the last, to see betsy alive. That would have been just after 7pm. Within the window of time betsy is thought to have died. And when spolice reports and listened to pams interviews, inconsistencies stood out to him, anyway. Example . Ated betsys mom said pam told her she didnt go into betsys house when she dropped her off that evening. But she told the police a completely different story. She said she went inside for 10 to 15 minutes. Seems like maybe more between 10 and 20 minutes . Could be, yeah. Okay. I really wasnt paying attention. I was just trying to get out of there. Sure. Another one . E left the house, betsy was sitting on the couch but in another interview, Something Different. Have still been on the couch, but today it makes sense that she walked me to the door. Reporter and then there were the phone records beginning at 7 21. Betsy did not answer phone calls, including three from a daughter. Which just a short time earlier, she had promised to answer. So, was she dead by then . R at 7 27, theres a call from pam hupps cellphone to betsys cellphone. T one also went unanswered but heres what pam told the police about that 7 27 p. M. Call. Ell her i was home. Home . Not possible, said schwartz. Pamlf hours drive away. But where actually was she, based on the cell tower triangulation . The cell tower triangulation had not gotten more than at the very most, about three miles from the house. At the house. Eporter but the biggest questions to schwartz was about insurance. Ey schwartz that just four days before the murder someone, supposedly betsy, made pam the y of betsys 150,000 Life Insurance policy. And she got the money . She got the money. Reporter pam told investigators she was one of betsys best friends and betsy t the money to make sure her daughters got what they needed. She goes, would you be my beneficiary on my life policies and make sure my kids get when they need it . And i said, well, i could. Reporter but to make this important change, they went to ad had a young librarian, not a notary or any ee, witness betsys signature on the change of beneficiary form. The whole thing seemed very i believe that betsy waay, shape or form into signing this policy without believing it would ever actualInsurance Company, which is why she never told anybody, including her own mother and her own sisters, who she was very close with. Detective told the Insurance Company pam was not a suspect ny cut her the check. The husband always does it. So, of course, this is the guy who did it. Clouded their judgment in their investigation. Its the only exes to explain what i consider to be a horribly deficient investigation. Reporter much later, that same lead detective was preparing pam to testify at russs trial and warned her the defense would certainle. One of the concerns that i have is again, like i said, the defense raising doubt with you just because youre one of eople to see betsy. You get this money given to you. Reporter after all, said the betsys death to the tune of 150,000. Oing to suggest that you may have something to do with the planning or the conspiracy to commit that murder because of your financial windfall. Not only that. What youre originally telling investigators is that she wanted you to do this to try to take care of make sure theaken care of because theyre afraid of russ and shes afraid of russ and the kids will blow through it. However, you now have this money and have money over to the family or the kids. Thats correct. Thats a huge problem. Reporter to make it look like less of a problem, he said,p a trust for betsys daughters and soon. It helps, obviously, if that trust is going to be set up for the girls it will before the trial. And i told you that at the. Sure. Reporter then the detective prepared pam for the key question he expected the defense to ask. Did you have anything to do with betsys murder . No, absolutely not. Y whats going to be asked of you. Reporter in open court, but outside the presence of that intend to ask pam hupp about all those things when she took the stand. The judge said, no, he would not ask about any of that because, said the judge, there wa pam and the murder. In the 25 years ive been practicing law, ive never a witness testifies, you can crossexamine the witness. Asic tenet of law. Their bias, their interest, the fact that they are the last h the victim, the fact theyve just recently were given the victims insurance under whonses, the fact that they lied about going into the house, the fact that they lied about where they were when they called the victim after being in the house, and i t get into any of that. Ive never seen anything like it. Reporter meanwhile, the casefaria wasnt quite finished. Russ had helpers as he set about killing his wife. Rosecutors detail a mindboggling plot y, but russ game night pals, but what will the jury think . I was nervous. The rest of my life is on the line. Nding on these 12 people. Find clear or almost clear skin. 8 out of 10 people saw 75 skin clearance at 3 months. While the majority saw 90 clearance. Use if you are allergic to cosentyx. Before starting, you should be tested for tuberculosis. An increased risk of infectionsy to fight them may occur. Tell your doctor if you have. Such as fever, sweats, chills, a vaccine or plan to. If you have crohns disease, tell your doctor as symptoms can worsen. Serious allergic reactions may occur. See me. See me on my way. Find clear skin and a clearer path forward. For a different kind of medicine, ask your dermatologist about cosentyx. Arette cravings hit, all i can think about is getting relief. Only nicorette mini has a patented fastdissolving formula. It starts to relieve sudden cravings fast. Ll need relief. Thats why i only choose nicorette mini. D by protein . Milk has 8 grams to help give you energy to unleash your potential. Case that his client was an innocent man. Russ wasnt pretending to be 911 call, said Joel Schwartz. He was grieving. It sounded like a man whose wife was dead and he was grieving tremendously. St to answer the questions when asked in order to help the 911 operator and to help the police solve this. Russ told the police he thought it was suicide because thats what it looked like when he walked into the house and found her there. Slit deeply and although there was 56 wounds, those were the only two visible. Her shirt, her pants covered every other stab wound, and i think the person calling this in as a suicide is not somebody who committed the crime, but somebody who had no idea. Reporter whats more, said f betsys wounds were clearly not the result of the wild stabbing youd see in aassion. Rather they appeared to have been methodically and deliberately made after betsy o make it look like a crime of passion. Theres no other explanation for the lack of blood and theres no other explanation for the deep cut on her wrist thats postmortem. Reporter and the blood lippers . There was no imprint of a shoe in the blood, nor was thereywhere on the tile floor leading back to where the slippers were found. Reporter so how would the blood get on the shoes . Somebody attempted to s reporter dipped it in the blood . Hid those back in the closet. Reporter as for the prosecution accusation that russ had sex with betsy before killing her ithout getting too graphic, there were eight sperm cell found inside of her during the autopsy the next day. Ally consistent with what russ told the police, said schwartz. We were intimate sunday night. Reporter that is, intimacy ore the murder. And besides all of that, said the defense, given russs alibi, there is simply no way he could he crime. But the state wasnt quite finished with its case against russ faria. Rgument to the jury, prosecutor leah askey proposed a complex theory of how the crime occurred, a theory fort present evidence at the trial. And it was big. Precise intention of hiding a that russs game night friends were in deep, coconspirators who helped russ hatch the murder plan, waited for the right night to carry it out, then lied about it on the an accusation mike corbin wasnt in court to hear. But later . I thought it was beyond the pale. I mean, were innocent people. Bsolutely no evidence that we did anything wrong that night. There never will be because it didnt happen. Despite what the prosecutor argued, neither mike corbin nor any of the others have ever been charged with conspiracy, nor have they n any way to betsys murder. So, according to the prosecutor, how did russ do it . Without getting a single drop ofhe clothes he wore all that evening, and that night when he talked to detectives afterward. , said the prosecutor to the jury. First, knowing what he intended to do, russ ran errands so that then drove to his friends house and dropped off his cell phone so it would ping there all evening. E half hour home, stripped naked, had sex with betsy, stabbed her more than 50 times, showered, put on gan to step in the blood but caught himself and stopped, took those slippers off. At some point, said prosecutor to the kitchen to get towels, which he used to clean up, and finally he put his clothes back on. Mplete his alibi, one of the game night buddies drove russs phone back to his house, picking up an n the way. Only then, said the prosecutor, did russ call 911 as he tossed his bloody slippers into the closet. And what did russ think of all that . I thought she was making up some kinda cockamamie story. Here i have four cu know, that i was with all evening. Lie for anybody when it comes tot, you know. I wouldnt, not for my best friend, not for my mom. Reporter the more important question, of course, was what think. They deliberated four and a half hours before arriving at a verdict. Reporter tell me about going courtroom and seeing them come in. I was nervous. The rest of my life is on the line. Epending on these 12 people, just hoping and just trying to hold it all together. Ne everything he could to appear innocent. . Coming up i couldnt really read what they were thinking, you know, up until they spoke. Rs its verdict, but this case is the opposite of over. New witnesses, of the night of the murder. She remembered seeing a car parked in an odd position down the street. There. R but first, a judges almost unheard of ruling. Its incredibly rare, having happened only three times e state of missouri. Reporter ever . Ever. Dateline continues. cause its a messy world out there. En s new take on lighter italian fare. Three new mediterranean inspired dishes. W chicken piccata. All under 575 calories. Libi russ faria is charged with wife. Again, Keith Morrison. Reporter theres quite possibly no room, no space, as on as a courtroom. When a jury, its intentions hidden behind masks of discretion its verdict. Russ faria stood and searched their faces. But i couldnt really read what ng. Up until they spoke. Reporter betsys family stared and listened. And when you heard it . Relief. Reporter relief because the verdict was guilty. Guilty of firstdegree murder. Gled to maintain his composure. It was devastating. My best to hold it together because my familys behind me and i can hear them crying. The worst part of it was russs face. He was in shock. And i havent lost sleep in a long time over something in this business and i lost sleep. Reporter russs attorney was convinced that a terrible had just occurred. But betsys family did not agree. They wanted to blame somebody and the police were telling them that it was me. Reporter which was exactly right, said betsmore convinced that justice had been done. No matter what any of russsma2 ceiekt jju t qpconvencido que supporters might tell her. If somebody were to come to vidence, strong evidence, that it wasnt russ, but it was some other person, ishat you would accept . I would still feel its russ, 100 . Reporter a month after his trial, just before christmas to life in prison. He filed an appeal. And sat in his cell, unable to mad enough to do anything like that to anybody, let alone my. Ive never stopped loving my wife. Im innocent of this. I did not kill her. Whats it take to get used tof being in here . A lot of prayer. A lot of faith. . Faith in god. Faith in my attorney. Reporter that, of course, Joel Schwartz, who told us, not over. Far from it. I know that russ didnt kill betsy. And if russ didnt, then a jury should hear all the information. Reporter so schwartz ual paperwork. And then he too, was forced to wait. O knew . Long is a piece of string. Im hoping this is open and shut, and we get this thing back in court soon. This man does not deserve to be reporter and so schwartz got busy. For one thing, he followed the money. Remember betsys Life Insurance payout to pam hupp . Pam told detectives the moneye3 f1 was for betsys daughters. And in fact mrs. Hupp had funded a of the kids approximately five days prior to the commencement of trial. Reporter but isnt this interesting . About 10 days after the trial had concluded, the trust was defunded over 99. 7 of what had been placed in there. She funded the trust so that during the trial it would look like she had given all this money to the kids. Y correct. Reporter then in july 2014, pam was questioned by lawyers representing betsys daughters, e suing her over the insurance money and that time pam said that the money was never intended for betsys daughters. Betsy wanted her to have the rself. Did she mention to you that she wanted the money to be used for her daughters . T. She never said anything like no. You that she wanted you to get the money and to hold it for the benefit of til they were older . Absolutely not. I never doubted that that wase first place. So nothing surprised me. However, that in and of itself is something that the court of o hear about. Reporter the question, was key evidence from the states star witness a lie . O the usual formal appeal, schwartz filed a request for a special hearing to reconsider and perhaps throw out verdict based on what pam said about and did with the insurance money. We thought the likelihood of success was very small. What i know to be an innocent man sitting in prison. So i was willing to take any shot. What do you know . Approved. Ould get his hearing. Its incredibly rare having happened only three times previously in the state of missouri. Ever. Reporter a few months later, a week before that special hearing, prosecutor leah askey met with pam hupp. Ersation was recorded. So what are our chances of making the judge believe us . Reporter askey replied that she was confident. I feel comfortable the law isar as next week goes. So i feel real comfortable with that. And the truth of the matter is, while i dont want to have another trial, weve got a good case. You know . Lawyer today than i was three years ago. Pam hupp agreed when askey suggested that Joel Schwartzs bruised ego was hearing, and it was a waste of payer money. So id be happy to take him on again. O got another 3,000 cases that need my attention. And when i spend all my time keep redoing them just because somebody got their feelings hurt because they lost. Chwartz isnt used to losing. Right. And so thats really what its ion. Thats what its about, so to me its doing a disservice to the taxpayers and citizens here. Reporter was she right . A week later, on a june morning 2015, a judge would decide. Hurt feelings or injustice . Coming up, a new witness at least one important way, betsy did not trust russ. I would be beneficiaries on one rance policies. 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E allnew lexus rx and rx hybrid. Never has luxury been this expressive. Uit june 2015, a year and half after russ faria was convicted of murder, Joel Schwartz returned to the to make his pitch. Pam hupp, the states key witness, had shown herself not e credible, said schwartz, and so the conviction should be thrown out. Prosecutor askey countered that the case against russ was as strong as ever. Arguments lasted less than an hour. They broke at eleven. Judge said hed make a decision by 1 30 p. M. But at 1 30, no judge. Of time and to write motion granted doesnt take very long. However if youre going to write a denial, thats gonna go to the ld take quite a while. So at 1 45 i started to get a lot nervous. Finally about 2 00, i talked to sheriffs. And i thought, were going to lose this thing. My confidence had faded. I asked what was going on, if he knew. There was a printer problem. A printer problem. So at that point my spirits were lifted and i thought, ay win this. And the judge came out moments later. I didnt know what he was il he said it. And it just very nervous time. But when he handed down his decision, it was like, finally, good in my favor. Reporter his guilty conviction was overturned. Russ faria would get a new trial. It was very overwhelming. Ke you had a huge victory. Er trial. Reporter russ would remain in jail awaiting trial, though unless someone could come up with bond money. Mary was determined to make that happen. Supposed to come up with 50,000 plus property. Plus property . Plus property as collateral. To guarantee the correct. Thats not so easy to do. All. And i didnt know if we could do it. Reporter but mary had been fighting for her cousin since the day he was charged and somebody i know set me up with a bondsman that knew the story, nt man should be sitting there, and he worked with me. Reporter mary put up her home as collateral. Im that positive in his innocence and that hes not here. Reporter and less than two weeks after the hearing, mary, relatives and friends all piled into a bus provided by a upporter and showed up unannounced at the jail, where russ, whod been behind bars for d no the look on his face was priceless. Ust trying to call you. It was just very emotional. Feel like you cant breathe. Whod you see first . My mother. That was incredible. And getting to hug and kiss as much as you want. Just be with all the people you time. In with he could the life hed missed behind bars. Independence day, concerts, fishing, ball games. Life was sweet on the outside. But all the while, the cloud drifted toward him. , the real possibility hed be convicted again and sent right back to prison. And yet russ told us that despite the risk he was looking forward to a new trial. I want a fair trial the way so t reporter except perhaps he didnt know what the prosecution was finding out about him. A whole new investigation was ed. Detectives dug up brandnew material. Utor declined to excellent on her new comment on her new evidence or anything else. From some of the states new witnesses like betsys longtime friend, rita wolf. We met freshman year in high school and became friends immediately and have been friends ever since. Our friendship never really stopped except for a couple i went away to college. She had moved to florida and then we reconnected after that. Igh School Friend you are able to kind of reconnect with and remain close to. Oh, yeah. Pick up where we left off. R betsy confided in her, said rita, especially about her cancer. She came to my house once and i didnt even know she was upset then she just broke down bawling. And shes like, im going to kill myself. Ould be days where you would never even know she had cancer. Wed go play tennis out of the blue and id say, are you od and shes like, i feel great today. And her personality had changed for the moment. Do you remember how you found out that she wasding both of my babies, they were in their high chairs, and my oldest son said, there betsy. And i turned and looked and i had my tv mutece was on the tv. Thats how i found out. What is that like . I cried. And immediately and said, youre not going to believe this but betsys gone, betsys dead. For a minute, i thought, oh, ally kill herself . Reporter but only for a minute. And of course when she learned betsy had been stabbed many times, she knew it was murder. During those first days of i did ask specifically, do you guys think russ did this . And they said, oh god, no at that moment they did not think russ did it. But what changed it . That the more the Prosecutions Office shared information with their family uhhuh believed, oh my god, he did this. And they would share with me. One of the sisters would text mell never believe this. And then we would talk and so as time went on, i started believing it. Reporter rita told prosecutor askey she knew, mately, about one of the key pieces of evidence, Life Insurance. Remember russs defense implied that pam hupp somehow tricked signing over, to her, a 150,000 policy. But rita knew exactly what betsy wanted to do with that insurance, and it didnt look good for russ. Sked if my husband and i would be beneficiaries on one of her Life Insurance policies. Why would she do that . Would blow the money on toys and fun and would not spend it on the girls and helping the girls start a life. She was really, really concerned about the girls getting the money to have for certain things in their life. And didnt think he was responsible enough to entrust him with it. Eah. I think russ will piss it away, is what she told me. So we sat down at my dining roomte out a mocked up version of a trust. Reporter so it sounded a lot like what pam hupp had said that betsy did not trust russ with her Life Insurance money but shend. You agreed to do it . No. I did not agree to do it. Elt that because she had so many loving sisters i would have done it i would have put one of her sisters on there. Reporter but if betsy wantedo take charge of her money, maybe she went next to her friend pam hupp. And how about this . Pam hupp, the states prime he first trial, had new evidence too, which you can only call explosive. Secrets until now. For reasons which will perhaps be obvious. Secutor told rita, that would blow the case wide open. Really hope if you think he still did it that you have a whole lot more evidence than you had the first d they did. But did she say i have a bombshell. Ething really big. She did. She did. Coming up, from out of the blue a dramatic new claim about betsys personal life. That she and betsy had had an intimate reporter when dateline continues. Cricket wireless switch and get a brand new lg risio for 19. 99, or take a spin with the Samsung Galaxy grand prime for 29. 99 ss. O talk to detectives soon after russ was released from jail. And told them a secret something very surprising indeed. For the first time that she and betsy had had an intimate relationship. Robert patrick has been watching the russ faria case just as we have. Hes a reporter for the st. Louis postdispatch. Taken aback by pams story of an affair with betsy. They became Close Friends when they worked together at an Insurance Company and as russ d of deteriorated, pam took kind of a surrogate role as partner. I knew everything about every member of her family, about d done. Heres pam telling the detectives. I knew the most intimate of intimate of family stuff from okay. So our relationship started pretty soon fast of i was a huge confidante of hers. I dont tell other peoples business. Are right. About that stuff. So she knewould talk to me about anything, and it wouldnt go any farther. Right. So that we had a special that way. It wasnt intimate initially, but after the cancer diagnosis, the least that she could do for her friend was to sort of give into this intimacy that betsy wanted. I mean, we just spent a whole lot of time together, you know, i replaced what a husband would be. Relationship with two women who really arent its not im attracted to men. Love everything about them. Cant wait till magic mike xl way. Or anything. It wasnt like that. It was such an evolution of Emotional Trauma for her. Because russ, according to pam, had become abusive. D out what betsy was up to . What did russ think about this relationship, according to pam . Ording to pam, even before they consummated it, he was suspicious of their relationship. And apparently he and betsy had arguments about it. And she would kind of throw her relationship with pam in russs face. And she talked about me all the time and it bothered him. And that angered him . Ecause it wasnt just well, bothered is one thing. Well, he thought it was sex. At that time, it wasnt even sex. He thought that was part olikes sex, but thats not true. Well, and and youre absolutely right. I dont think the sex would have bothered him as much, again, as no, he wouldnt have cared the closet once a week or whatever yep. D have cared less. I agree 100 with that. And theres a lot of people s no threat. Right. Because you you were changing his whole oh, i was changing his life. His whole dynamic. Yeah. Dete happened. Pushed me up against the wall, and he was all redfaced kind of like a gritted teeth . Oh, hes like, talk about this far away from my face. Ht there. Spit, nasty. And he said, you two [ bleep ], to that effect, if i ever catch you together again, ill bury you out in the backyard. Just a few weeks killed . Yes. And, said pam, on the night betsy was murdered, she was going to tell russ she was leaving hi for divorce. Be furious, said pam. But neither of them understood how furious. I had guilt feelings. Im leaving her with this [bleep] coming home. I know hes coming home. She knows hes coming home. Going to be a big thing going on, and i left her there. Right. And i felt guilty, but i didnt want to be there. Then almost four months later before the new trial, pam told detectives she started recalling some vague m the night of the murder. And so on her own she went to the scene of the crime and here outside the faria house, she told those detectives, an old memory returned to her, a crucial memory. She went back thouse and took pictures. And kind of looked down the street in different ways and shee remembered seeing russ that night. She remembered seeing a car kind of parked in an odd position and there were two guys in there. And you think you recognized one of those men. I do, yes. And who do you think you i believe it was russ. Another guy who was kind of bigger or bulkier in the passenger seat. When she drove by, they appeared to be ducking down, as if, you know, perhaps they lost floor. And at one point, the passenger was gone. Well, this is a fairly rn memory. I mean, it is and its ge gift to the prosecutors. Like, hey, weve got russ faria cene at a time when it would sort of fit in with all the evidence. He or someone else sneaks in kills her. And shes got time to be cold and stiff by the time ems arrives. And an eyewitness who said she saw it. Right. And then the prosecutor revealed shed uncovered what rue scandal. Russ had a girlfriend, said prosecutor askey, was stepping out with her at the time of the murder. Nd, who it seemed, was having his baby. Heres another motive for russ to kill his wife because he girlfriend. But the key piece of new ence, undiscovered until now was a letter found on betsys laptop, a letter that fears about russ. This was the proverbial smoking gun. The prosecutor called it betsys basically dying declaration. Sy having a pillow put over her face, feeling threatened by russ, talked about the insurance. Heres this really bad guy whoshese things, to do me harm. It was the letter in which betsy asked pam to accept her ance money and use it to help betsys daughters. It ended with a line that, looking back, could be considered prophesy. Nything happens to me, give this to the police. Ah askey was confident russ faria was about to be convicted of murder a a very different take, arguing that the prosecutions new evidence will only help russ. Lies continued to at least in our view enhance our defense. Connects your family and friends. Your businesses, devices. Tainment, connected cars, and connected homes. Extending your reach to pull you closer to what you need and the people you love. Still evolving and so are we. With a network that is invented and reinvented every day you need it. Your network. The network of at t. Feel the spark of emotion light up every inch of you. Feel warm inside. Feel our big beautiful new candle. And at the entrance to the courtroom, bags were inspected, police used wands to check for contraband, or metal in peoples pockets. Resentments festered. The treatment, to some people, didnt seem equal. Betsys side, they could cut in line. T get patted down. They didnt use a wand. They didnt search their purses. Pam hupp got to go in through an reporter this was a very polarized room, this courtroom. As like the two sides didnt want much to do with each other at all, right . It was tense. Reporter prosecutor leah askey presented the case, e of passion. She reviewed all the old evidence the 55 stab wounds, the bloody slippers, russs hes mean to his kids. Dog. Hes mean to his wife. Theres blood in spots, maybe there was cleanup in other spots. Reporter and then there was all that new evidence. And one extra tidbit mentioned me on day one of the trial. Eputy said, i remembered that i did see some water in the tub. Reporter meaning . Well, that fit with the prosecution theory that russ had killed her and cleaned up. What did Defense Attorneys Nathan Swanson and Joel Schwartz think about this amped up evidence against russ . Not much, apparently. That last bit, for example, the water drops in the bathtub with russ killed betty and then cleaned up in the tub coming up with this evidence three and a half years after the fact and allegedly remembering something as minute of a detail as water droplets in a tub is deeply troubling. There was never a report on this. And frankly, i dont believe it. Venient pam intimate relationship with betsy . I dont believe it. Nor did anybody else who knows betsy. And frankly the people we spoke who knew pam hupp, nobody bout it. It was just an excuse for betsy to have given her the money. Reporter no, saitates case didnt make any more sense now than it it was still based on no evidence. Reporter but the wildest thing of all, said defense attorney schwartz, was the tale, make that tales, told by pam hupp. Pams story became its called super charged. As s the detectives, the stories became more outlandish. Their case got better. However, the lies upon lies view, enhance our defense, show that the basis of their theory had nothing, had no stability whatsoever. E was telling the truth . Its simply not possible based upon her answers that she was telling the truth, because the things that were stated by 0 degrees different from things that had been stated by her previously. Reporter were they . Back in 2011, pam said shed only met russ a few times. He seems nice enough. I just dont know him that well. Last time i saw him was at her 40th Birthday Party he had for her. Reporter but june 2015, she m all too well, saw him up close and personal just before the murder, when sheeatened to bury her in the backyard. Just a few weeks prior to her being killed . Yes. July 2014, when pam was questioned by lawyers she denied any intimate ip with betsy. We were not having an affair. There was not an intimate relationship. Reporter but when detectives a year later, in 2015, pam was telling them they were very intimate indeed. I replaced what a husband would be. R curious. Also, in the 2014 civil deposition pam said she had a good memory. Do you lems, ms. Hupp . No. No. Reporter but in 2015, when she told detectives that she suddenly recalled seeing russ s house the night betsy was murdered, she blamed her not remembering that before bad memory. So my brain has been almost like a boxers brain. Severe head injuries, three accidents in a row. Just as astonishing as her inconsistencies, said the Defense Attorneys, was where about seeing russ that night actually came from you can hear it for yourself. Ve may have happened is that you were present, that russ was not theresy got there. And that prior to you leaving, somehow or another russ knew ere, either by a phone call or just the sheer presence of your car, or that hew you there and that it was that particular moment motivating factor for youve was him coming into the house. Amongst ourselves. Reporter the detective asked pam straight out f that correct, russ that night . No. Reporter you heard r until a few months later when she said yes. Who do you believe that person was . Enhance miss hupps story as well as bolster their case, ry to miss hupp that she may have seen Russell Faria at the house that night. Reporter which she adopted. Ts so brazen to be doing it on a recording so that everyone can hear it. Reporter pams inconsistencies, said the defense, were rampant. Even that she would tell a story and then a week or a month later, tell a different story. Th single interview would be inconsistent. Reporter then, remember the states allegation that russ wasaffair when betsy was murdered and the woman was at the time . A little factchecking might have been a good idea. Affair with russ, it was way before betsy was murdered. And while she once claimed she while he was in prison, that simply wasnt true, as she herself admitted. Reporter what happened when d . Always said. Yes, we had an affair. That affair ended a year and a half before betsy died. A baby. I dont know why im here. Reporter surprise there was another one coming, too. Didnt look good for someone. Coming up, from deep inside a computer, investigators are about to retrieve a critical piece of evidence. T is a smoking gun. Reporter and the defense makes a risky move. I was either going to be the reporter when dateline continues. Y ma . Always life is unpredictable, so embrace it ve flake be a little better. Better. Introducing entrees loaded with flavor, not calories. Favorites made a little better for you. 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Its something we dont think about much. Except when weve got chapped lips or a small cut. But for People Living in areas of crisis,nditions can turn into serious issues. So we created the vaseline Healing Project a partnership with direct reliefns in need heal their skin. So they can go back to work. Or school. R can make an extraordinary difference. Why have your glasses fit manually, Lenscrafters Accufit system. Replacing basic handheld measuring tools with a digital system thats er it was a little like watching a tennis match for observers at russ farias murder retrial. Prosecution served hard and the defense responded in kind. Every time her people went up, joel would come back and he would just shoot em down. L schwartz, russs attorney, was having some success crossexamining the prosecutors witnesses. Like, for example, rita wolf, e the defense i talked to them uhhuh. And i really felt that the iece helped them more than it helped the prosecution just because of who got it. R it was pam hupp, of course, who got it. Could 150,000 be a motive for murder . As pam herself told and money is makes people do crazy, crazy things. Reporter but the big surprise . At the first trial, an officer testified that a special test ood in the kitchen. Hed taken photos to prove it. Court the pictures did not turn out, so jurors would have to take his word for it. Estified that nothing developed. All of the photographs were simply blackness because the camera malfunctioned. Reporter schwartz didnt believe it. Id been insistwo and a half years on these black photos. I didnt buy it. Suspicions were confirmed. The photos did turn out, were there all along. We got a cd that had 132 photos. Not one of which didnt develop. Wow. Reporter said schwartz, did not support the officers testimony about the results of that special test. And they didnt show what he how, which is why we didnt see them in the first trial. Reporter in fact, later testing found no blood at all in you used a very strong word about that testimony. Perjury . Yeah. Its a strong word. Its a strong allegation. Its not an inaccurate allegation, though. But youre talking about a Police Officer . Reporter when we called the officer, he strenuously rejected that allegation. He was never charged with perjury, and he accused attorneying in smoke and mirrors. In any case, the defense still document. Dressed to pam found on betsys laptop, but never e asked pam to be beneficiary of her Life Insurance and then expressed a ut what russ might do to her. Was betsys own, very personal, dying declaration. When you got it, what did you think . I would say initial reaction was, this is troubling. It was, because it appeared to back up pam hupps version of events. In fact, pam told detectives about the document soon after. I would like to see maybe if you guys can find that letter she was going to send me. Reporter but whether they looked for it or not, they not then. Not until just before the secondber crimes investigator finally cracked that computer. A copy of the document was turned over to tis a smoking gun, but its not a smoking gun that leads to letter would turn up only because ms. Hupp was so insistent that this letter was there. Curious. There was Something Different about this particular document, different from any other document in betsys computer. Once we looked at the letter uter expert analyze it, it turns out that it would be very difficult, if not impossible, for betsy to have written this the way it came up in her computer. Say that . It was the only document in that computer that said author unknown, the only one. Reporter meaning the document most likely had been composed on a different computer altogether. Then transferred to betsys laptop, said the defense, out betsys knowledge. Ms. Hupp knew what computer it was in, where on the computer it was, the entire contents of the letter as well when it was created. I reporter because, said schwartz, the document was loaded onto betsys laptop the day before pam was named the etsys life and just days before the murder. Its likely that person d coolly as to what they were going to do to betsy and when they would do it, knowing where russ would be at the time. Which, if youre right, means ed murder . I think you follow the dots, oney, and that information should be carefully as well as thoroughly looked at. Reporter pam hupp, whose ckbone of the states case against russ faria, was not called to testify. But, thanks to her police shifting stories pam told were front and center in the trial, along with s like how she kept the Life Insurance money and was seen betsy alive. The judge allowed us to go into those things. R in the end, it wouldnt be a jury whod decide russ farias fate. D already rolled judge alone. Too late to go back now. A bench trial, a trial by a not jury. Why in heavens name would you do that when it can be risky . Frankly, it was a gut instinct. Ither be the goat or the hero. Reporter hed find out soon enough. Coming up, the judge announces his ruling. Thats a scary moment. It was a horrible moment. R four long years, the case russ faria finally learns his fate. You know, in hindsight,ably shoulda just started in nashville. Forget your hepatitis c. V but you shouldnt forget this. Hep c is a serious disease. Left untreated it can lead to nd potentially liver cancer. But you havent been forgotten. Theres never been a better time to rethink your hep c because people likeom scientific advances that could help cure your hep c. Visit hepchope. Com or call a hep c educator to help prepare you with your hep c specialist. All the hard work. Time in the service. Community college. It matters. Why we, at university of phoenix, count your relevant work and College Experience as credits toward your degree. Learn more at phoenix. Edu. Winter storm jonas promises to be the biggest of the decade. With total accumulation of up to three feet, roads will be shut down indefinitely, and schools are closed. Ps go great with a cold, and a nice red. Almost everything, anything. Even a stag pool party. party music splashing destruction covered it, october twentyseventh, 2014. Talk to farmers. We know a thing or two because or two. We are farmers. Bumpadum, reporter it was at lunchtime friday, the fifth day was just kind of Milling Around outside the courtroom with family and friends and they were all trying to keep my reporter then, three excruciating hours later. The judge was getting ready to come back in. And youre thinking, im gonna be sick. O his sister and she had the same exact feeling. So we were sitting there holding each others hands thinking, oh, we cant go through this again. What happens . What if he feels the same way those jurors did . What do we do then . O through this. And he walks out and he starts talking. Thats a scary moment. Im just standing there and im sure i was holding my , and just standing as straight as i could focused in on the judge. It seemed like an eternity. S talking and youre thinking, well, now im a little confused. Because where is he going with this. Reporter and then finally, here it was, the words. You know, on the count of murder in the first degree, i find you not guilty. On the count of armed criminal find you not guilty. Its just like a heavyweight lifted off my shoulders. And we all just busted up in tears. And you felt the floor come out from undyoure thinking, did we hear it right . Is it real . Ly coming home . Reporter he was. Russ faria was a free and finally vindicated man. To see the Defense Attorneys for russ and his family because he sat in prison long enough. Reporter there was a big course. Many thank yous to the people whod stuck with him, who workedis freedom. But of course, not everybody was celebrating. Betsys family declined to be interviewed, but called the verdict, quote, shocking and ing. Pam hupp also declined our request. Once again denied she was involved in any way with betsys murder. Ver been charged with any crime in connection with this case. A case prosecutor leah askey considers closed. E she Still Believes russ killed betsy. In fact, askey gave us a written statement, there was probable the defendant committed the crime. Firmly convinced of his guilt. A judge was not. Well, in fact, in open court, the judge said, the theories of this case by Law Enforcement is rather disturbing and frankly raised more questions than answers. Ive represented a lot of people that i felt were innocet. None more than russ. Reporter a few weeks after russ was acquitted once and for im and his friends for game night. Gain, for good now. I got a ultramarine scout. Reporter russs game night buddies vowed at the second as they had at the first one that russ was with them when betsy was murdered. Prosecutor wouldnt believe. In fact, one of the friends revealed here that officers leaned on him, unpleasantly. Did you feel threatened by them . Absolutely. Ore the second trial. Trying to get you to flip on russ . Basically yeah. And theyre like, well, i want you to look at this. And then he opens up the book crime scene and, you know, shes laying there. I said, i dont want to see those. I said i cant handle blood and guts stuff. They come in with trying to offer me immunity. Im like, immunity for what . Why would i need immunity . I didnt do anything. We all didnt do anything. Welcome home now this strangest of cases was finally ria could contemplate some kind of life again. Not with his stepdaughters who defend testified agwsuit against pam hupp over the insurance money continues. The only thing that im planning on doing is moving forward, you know. I could dwell on the past and be miserable for the rest of my life. Ppened to me and dwell on my wifes death and dwell on the fact that i was locked up and made to go through all of this. E miserable forever. Or i can choose to look forward and make my own future. What would she think of all shed be very disappointed ineople. Reporter she, meaning, of course, betsy. Et me see your hand. Yeah. I still care about betsy. I think about her every day. Ill be doing something and g up a memory and, oh, betsy used to love this. S still alive in my heart. Thats all for this edition of dateline. Ain sunday 7 00, 6 00 central. Im lester holt. For all of us at nbc news, good cavs shocker, head copy coach fired. and tracking the winter storm in channel 3 news at 11 00 is