LINCOLN COUNTY, Mo. (First Alert 4) - A crime scene investigator who testified during two murder trials has been accused of lying on the stand.

Michael Merkel has been charged with two counts of perjury in a criminal trial to secure a conviction of murder, in association with the trial of Russell Faria and the death of his wife, Elizabeth “Betsy” Faria, in 2011. The charges accuse Merkel of lying, resulting in Russell’s imprisonment before his release after a retrial, and delayed sentencing for Pamela Hupp, who was later charged with Betsy’s death .

According to court documents, Betsy Faria was stabbed around 55 times and died in her home on December 27, 2011, with the knife left in her neck. A 911 call was made by her husband, Russell Faria, when he returned home.

On January 3, 2012,

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