ST. LOUIS — NBC is building a cast for "The Thing About Pam," the limited series based on the 2011 murder of Besty Faria in Troy, Missouri. Pam Hupp was recently charged in Betsy's death.
Josh Duhamel, known for the Transformer movies and several TV appearances, will play Joel Schwartz, according to Deadline. Schwartz is the defense attorney who represented Russ Faria when he was tried in Betsy's death.
"It took a minute to sink in but I love the choice," Schwartz told 5 On Your Side.
Katy Mixon was tapped to play Betsy Faria and Judy Greer was cast as Leah Askey, the Lincoln County prosecutor on the case.
Russ was convicted and sentenced in connection with Betsy's violent death. He served four years in prison before the conviction was overturned in a retrial.
Hupp was charged in Betsy Faria's death in July 2021.
Renée Zellweger was cast to play Pam Hupp in the series. The cast has been closely followed by Dateline NBC. Dateline's podcast, "The Thing About Pam," is one of the most downloaded podcasts on iTunes.
Duhamel appeared in All My Children, Las Vegas, Battle Creek and Jupiter's Legacy.
In addition to charges against Hupp, Lincoln County prosecutors said they would be investigating how the case was handled from the beginning.
Leah Chaney, who was the Lincoln County prosecuting attorney during the case, spoke with 5 On Your Side. She told Christine Byers she welcomed an investigation into her conduct with the case, after facing accusations of encouraging witnesses to lie. Chaney denies these claims.
