Two days after Christmas, 2011, Russel Faria returned to his Troy, Missouri, home to find his wife, Betsy, dead, a knife still lodged in her neck. She had been stabbed fifty-five times in a brutal murder that would set off a chain of events leading to one man's wrongful conviction and imprisonment, another man's death, the revelation of a diabolical scheme, and an astounding miscarriage of justice left unresolved for another ten years.
First responders concluded that Betsy was dead for hours when Russ discovered her. No blood was found implicating Russ, and surveillance video, receipts, and friends' testimony all supported his alibi. Yet incredibly, police and the prosecuting attorney ignored the evidence. In their minds, Russ was guilty. But prominent defense attorney Joel J. Schwartz quickly recognized the real killer.
The motive was clear. Days before her murder, the terminally ill Betsy replaced her husband with her friend, Pamela Hupp, as her life insurance beneficiary. Still, despite the prosecution's flimsy case and Hupp's transparent lies, Russ was convicted—leaving Hupp free to kill again. Bone Deep takes listeners through the perfect storm of miscalculations and missteps that led to an innocent man’s conviction—and recounts Schwartz's successful battle to have that conviction overturned.
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"This is one of the best true-crime books I've read in a long time. I decided to read it after watching the Dateline episode that reported this story for a second time and after Pam Hupp was finally convicted. Joel Schwartz and Charles Bosworth do a great job of developing the characters and keeping the reader's attention. Props to Schwartz for never giving up on his client and for staying the course despite a vindictive prosecutor, shady cops, a negligent Judge, and a cold-blooded murderer. (55 stab wounds?!?!?). This book left me appreciative of criminal defense attorneys, as I suspect something like this could happen a lot easier than what I would've once thought. This is a great book that I had a hard time putting down. I hope Russ Faria is somewhere enjoying life and I REALLY hope his step-daughters are back in his life. Highly Recommend!!!"
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Julie (5 out of 5 stars)