Who is Leah Askey? Elizabeth “Betsy” Faria’s murder investigation was a complete and utter failure. This is a bit of an understatement, somehow. On December 27, 2011, a cancer patient named Betsy was discovered dead in her Missouri home with more than 55 stab wounds and a steak knife lodged in her neck. Russ Faria, Betsy’s husband, was unfortunate enough to witness a scene reminiscent of Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. He immediately dialed 911, claiming that his wife had taken her own life.
Despite the obviousness of Betsy’s death, Russ received criticism for this phone call. It’s understandable if he’s a little shaken up. He was a prime suspect from the start and spent three years in prison for the murder of his wife until his murder conviction was overturned in 2015. So was there a lone assassin? Mom-of-two and Missourian Pamela Hupp were the culprits. As Betsy’s go-to “Karen,” Pam stood by her side through their turbulent marriage and her harsh chemo treatments.
Pam was interested in Betsy’s life insurance policy just a few days before she killed her best friend, for which she became the beneficiary. In Pam’s case, she was fortunate that the police and District Attorney Leah Askey ignored or at least overlooked her laundry list of errors in attempting to frame Russ. NBC’s Renée Zellweger-led miniseries The Thing About Pam is based on a true-crime story, with Judy Greer playing DA Leah Askey. Let’s talk about Leah Askey, the real-life character, and where she is now.
Where is DA Leah Askey now?
Leah Chaney, a St. Louis University School of Law grad who remarried, is now known as Leah Chaney. In 2018, she was defeated by Michael Wood and forced to leave office. However, Newsweek reports that Leah Chaney is still a lawyer, working at Chaney Law Group, which handles cases ranging from family law and criminal defense to landlord-tenant disputes and personal injury claims.
Leah was accused of using Pam Hupp as her “star witness” to paint Russ as an angry, pot-smoking abuser and even conspiring with Pam to cover up her mess. As a result, Russ Faria was prosecuted twice by her.
During a press conference in 2021, Lincoln County Prosecutor Michael Wood said, “This was the worst example of investigative work members of my team, or I have ever seen.” But, again, an egotistical prosecutor was at the helm of the investigation rather than the truth.
In the wake of his dismissal, Russ Faria filed a lawsuit against Leah Askey, Ryan McCarrick, Detective Sergeant Patrick Harney, and Captain Mike Merkel, alleging that the three men “fabricated evidence, ignored exonerating evidence, and failed to investigate the other obvious suspect,” as reported by NBC. The lawsuit was eventually dismissed. However, Russ was awarded $2 million in a settlement despite the judge removing prosecutor Leah Askey’s name from the suit.
Judy Greer’s portrayal of Leah Chaney in “The Thing About Pam” has left the actress dissatisfied.
My portrayal in this miniseries is consistent with how I’ve been portrayed over the last decade in podcasts, Dateline, social media, and pretty much everything else. I am not responsible for what happened, and I am not responsible for what happened,” Leah Chaney told KSDK News.
It’s our job to take what the police give us and make the best possible case to the jury. And that’s exactly what we did, as well. Greasy-eyed, she continued, “I’m not sure if it would have resonated with [Greer] that we came to work to do our job.”
As a result of the incident, many people have been hurt, but not because we or I were to blame. But unfortunately, this is how it has been depicted. What a disappointment for me.”
Judy Greer responded with some refreshingly rational words, even though we can only imagine how it must feel to see a self-proclaimed “false” version of yourself acted out on primetime television.
Actors aren’t making a documentary; they’re interpreting a true story. “When we bring our characters, we have to be allowed some latitude for interpretation,” Judy insisted. The real-life subjects will continue to speak out as long as we produce modern true-crime miniseries.
Every Tuesday at 10 p.m. EST, NBC broadcasts a new episode of The Thing About Pam.
