“Murder is the unique crime, the only one for which we can never make reparation to the victim.” – P.D. James
On a chilly evening in late December, 2011, Russ Faria returned home to discover a shocking and unforgettable scene. There on the living room floor, lay his wife, Betsy. A dark stain of blood covered her face and pooled around her head. The blade of a black-handled kitchen knife was embedded in Betsy’s neck. She had been stabbed 55 times. The Troy, Missouri police, a judge, and jury believed Russ Faria was guilty of the crime. However, four days before her death, Betsy changed the beneficiary on her life insurance policy from Russ to her friend, Pamela Hupp. Did Russ Faria murder his wife or did Pam Hupp kill her for money? Find out the details in “Bone Deep: Untangling the Betsy Faria Murder Case,” by Charles Bosworth Jr. and Joel J. Schwartz.
Brynhild Storset began life as a poor Norwegian farm girl in 1859. As a young girl, she dreamed of escaping poverty by marrying a wealthy man and having children. When this dream died, Brynhild crossed the Atlantic to start a new life in America, and she changed her name to Belle. Along the way, Belle’s dreams and ambitions turned dark. During her lifetime, Belle would become a dangerous serial killer, who murdered at least 40 men, women, and children. “America’s Femme Fatale,” by Jane Simon Ammeson, chronicles the macabre yet fascinating life of Belle Storset Sorenson Gunness.
“The Doomsday Mother,” by John Glatt, centers around the troubling story of Lori Vallow Daybell and the murder of her two children. Lori was raised in Rialto, Calif., and graduated from Eisenhower High School in 1991. How could a devoted wife and mother end up being indicted on first-degree murder charges of her own children? Evil spirits, zombies, doomsday visions, past lives, light and dark spirits, brainwashing, and the end of the world all play a role in this national attention-grabbing story. Currently, Lori is awaiting trial in Idaho.