Betrayal: The Perfect Husband The Real Story Of Spencer Herron (& Where He Is Now)

Spencer Herron is the subject of Betrayal: The Perfect Husband, and the Hulu original true-crime series chronicles his shocking crimes and double life. Released in 2023, the documentary series follows TV producer and podcast host Jenifer Faison as she recounts her life and experiences with her husband, Spencer Herron, who would be arrested in 2018 for a series of heinous crimes. Like most true-crime series, Betrayal uses reality as the most effective way to shock the audience and weaves a tale of marital bliss gone wrong with a unique perspective from someone who lived the story.

While critics were decidedly unsure about the series and gave it low marks (via Rotten Tomatoes), the bewildering tale had viewers watching to see what happens next, and The Perfect Husband was quintessential true crime fare. Faison proved to be a deft subject for the series, and her experience hosting the true-crime podcast on the subject translated well into the documentary. The story’s frighteningly plausible nature has kept listeners and viewers so caught up for years, and it once again proves that the real thing is often scarier than anything a writer could ever dream up.

Spencer Herron Is A Former High School Teacher

He Seemed Perfect Before His Shocking Arrest

As the documentary series explained well, Spencer Herron of Betrayal: The Perfect Husband was seemingly just that, a perfect version of what a husband should be. He had a career position at Carlton J. Kell High School in Marietta, Georgia where he taught video production classes for 15 years and was a generally well-liked member of the faculty.

Herron was even named Teacher of the Year for the 2016-2017 school year (via Daily Mail) just a year before the arrest that would shatter the illusion of his perfect image as a husband, teacher, and business owner. The Cobb County School District said it “worked closely with police on this reprehensible crime and are glad justice has been served.” (via MDJ Online)

Herron Groomed And Assaulted Several Of His Students

Herron Had Unfettered Access To Potential Victims

While serving as a teacher at Kell High School, Herron used his position to groom and eventually assault several students. As explained in Betrayal, Herron not only taught classes at the school but also served as the faculty advisor for several “clubs,” which allowed him unfettered access to potential victims. This included his ability to send private text messages to students to have them meet him for what resulted in abusive situations.​​

The conduct carried on for some time before he was eventually caught, with several victims coming forward to expose their former teacher. The Hulu true crime documentary introduced one of Herron’s victims, identified as “Rachel,” who would eventually join Herron’s wife, Jenifer Faison, on her quest to recount all the dark truths about her supposed “perfect husband.” Cobb school board member Leroy Tre’ Hutchins said,

At the end of the day, my hope is that all that were a part of it … have received the healing that they need past that situation. That’s my first concern, really that’s my only concern. Anything outside of that is trivial for me, because I’m only concerned about the well-being of that child … making sure that they’re OK, that they have received whatever necessary healing they need to move forward.

Herron Was Arrested In 2018

He Pleaded Guilty To Five Counts Of Sexual Assault Of A Student In 2019

After carrying on with his dark double life for some time, Spencer Herron was eventually apprehended in 2018, which is when the truth of his crimes also became public. As told in the documentary series, Herron’s wife Jenifer Faison returned home from a work trip to find her husband in possession of a search warrant from the police. Officers soon executed the warrant, and Herron was taken into custody, where he eventually pleaded guilty to five counts of sexual assault of a student in 2019.

In the state of Georgia, where Herron’s crimes were committed, the legal age of consent is 16 (via RAINN) which would have allowed him to avoid some criminal prosecution. However, the state has also passed a sexual assault statute which makes it illegal for a person in a supervisory role to participate in a sexual relationship with someone under their authority (via Brody Law Firm). Since Herron’s case fell under that umbrella, it was given even more legal power since consent was no longer a question, per the statute.

Herron Met His Wife Jenifer Faison In College

They Both Attended Berry College In Georgia.

One of the most compelling aspects of the documentary series was Jenifer Faison and her intimate knowledge of the case through her marriage to Herron. As explained in Betrayal, Herron actually first met Faison in college when they were both attending Berry College in Georgia. The couple eventually went their separate ways as Faison’s senior year approached, and Herron would eventually marry someone else and have two children. Faison’s career in TV would begin to take off, and the duo would once again reconnect many years later.

In the intervening years, Herron had divorced his first wife, and Faison discovered her former flame online, which led them to reunite after nearly two decades apart. Faison relocated to Herron’s native Georgia, and the couple were soon married in what was essentially a storybook tale of long-lost lovers. Faison and Herron opened a wine bar together as she continued to pursue her TV career, and he taught at Kell High while occasionally serving in the Air National Guard. Eventually, Faison’s fairy-tale marriage to Herron would be shattered by the truth.

Related

10 Best True Crime Documentaries That Aren’t About Murder

Watching true-crime documentaries has become hugely popular thanks to streaming services and here are the best that don’t include murder.

Herron Was A Serial Cheater While Married To Faison

The Complicated Web Of Lies

Some of the most fascinating true-crime shows have been about lesser-known cases, and Spencer Herron’s story in Betrayal is one such interesting small-town crime. What makes it so compelling, as is laid out in the documentary and podcast, is that there is a story within the story when it comes to Jenifer Faison and her untangling of the complicated web of lies that was woven by her husband. As she told firsthand in the show, she was initially ready to defend Herron against the charges until she discovered his double life when rummaging through his computer.

While doing some snooping of her own, Faison discovered that her husband had actually been having numerous affairs all throughout their time together. Besides his heinous crimes, Herron was also a serial cheater with dozens of women, and Faison was able to piece together a rough timeline of her husband’s infidelity thanks to the meticulous records he kept on his computer. Based on the information available to her, Faison was able to determine that Herron even cheated on her during the first week following their marriage and had carried on in that fashion ever since.

Herron Is The Subject Of Faison’s Podcast

Jennifer Faison’s Podcast Reveals Herron’s Double Life

Though the case made the news on its own, Jenifer Faison took the opportunity to tell the whole story by expanding her experience into a podcast. Before Spencer Herron’s crimes were told in Betrayal the series, Faison hosted a lengthy podcast series in which she kept listeners fascinated with her first-hand account of her husband’s evil double life.

The true-crime podcast with a unique format even featured one of Herron’s victims, and “Rachel” was able to come forward and tell her story as a warning for those who may fall prey to someone like Herron. While the series told a lot of the story, Betrayal: Weekly had three seasons, and Jenifer went into painstaking detail about not only her ordeal but that of other women. Season 2 followed a woman named Ashley Lytton and season 3 was about a woman named Stacey Rutherford.

Where Is Spencer Herron Now?

Herron Is Currently Living With Family

Spencer Herron’s crimes were exposed to the world thanks to Betrayal: The Perfect Husband, but the series offered very little in terms of updates regarding the convicted felon. After Herron pleaded guilty to his charges in 2019, he was sentenced first for five counts of sexual assault of a student and received a sentence of 20 years, with the first five to serve in confinement. He received an additional six years, with the first five years to be served in confinement, to run concurrently (via Blue Ridge Judicial Circuit).

However, as the documentary series explained, Herron was actually released from prison in 2022. The show explained that Herron was living with family as of the release of the episodes, and it is in that obscurity that he has remained. Of her ex-husband’s parole, Faison told People, “Honestly, now that the docuseries has come out, I’m sure he will want to stay away from me.”

Other Documentaries With Similar Harrowing Stories

Dear John, Capturing the Friedmans, & Perfect Wife

The story from Betrayal: The Perfect Husband is not unusual, as there are many documentary shows about both men and women who learn their significant others are dangerouspredators. Married with Secrets aired from 2016 to 2018 on Discovery, Private Violence aired on HBO about domestic violence, and abusive con artists were explored in everything from Dirty John, The Dirty Truth to Love Fraud.

Another premise with a much less severe crime came with the Hulu docuseries Perfect Wife. The Mysterious Disappearance of Sherri Papini. Other than the very similar name with the word “Perfect” before the spouse, this was a case of cheating without the pedophile charges. Here, Papini was a wife and mother who faked her kidnapping so she could spend time with the man she was cheating with. Since she lied to the FBI, she received 18 months in prison. It was similar to the fictional movie Gone Girl but with real-world consequences.

Some frightening documentaries follow the other half of this case, with the grooming and pedophilia that took place in Betrayal: The Perfect Husband. On NBC, the TV show To Catch a Predator was set up to help catch men who preyed on children, but its history remains mired in controversy. One of the most terrifying was Capturing the Friedmans, where Arnold and Jesse Friedman worked as party clowns and used this job to target and molest children. The Oscar-nominated documentary remains one of the most well-known of its type.

Betrayal: The Perfect Husband (2023)

Betrayal: The Perfect Husband (2023) is a documentary series that delves into the shocking double life of a seemingly perfect husband, exploring the emotional and psychological impacts on those deceived by his facade.

Cast

Cedric Gegel , Jaime Snyder , Sequoia Shayvonne , John Reshetar

Character(s)

Spencer Herron , Alicia , Student , Deputy Sheriff

Release Date

July 11, 2023

Seasons

1