Jennifer Faith

Summary

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Snapped: Women Who Murder – "Jennifer Faith" (March 8, 2026)

Podcast by Oxygen

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Main Theme / Episode Overview

This episode of Snapped: Women Who Murder investigates the shocking murder of Jamie Faith in Dallas, Texas, unraveling the complex web surrounding his wife, Jennifer Faith. Through interviews with detectives, legal experts, friends, and forensic analysts, the story reveals a tale of marital deception, online manipulation, and murder-for-hire. It details the investigation that revealed Jennifer’s orchestrated plot involving a former high school boyfriend, exposing motives of greed, manipulation, and emotional exploitation, culminating in Jennifer and her accomplice Darren Lopez being brought to justice.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Crime & Initial Investigation

• The Murder:

  • Jamie Faith is shot multiple times (three in the head, three in the chest, once in the groin) in front of his wife, Jennifer, while walking their dog in a Dallas suburb on October 9, 2020.
  • Investigators note the execution-style and "overkill" nature, suggesting a personal motive.
    • “Detectives felt like that might be somebody trying to send a message.” (Investigator; 00:38)
  • Jennifer describes a masked assailant who also attempts to duct tape her and takes Jamie’s wedding ring, initially framing it as a possible robbery-gone-wrong.

• Crime Scene & Immediate Aftermath:

  • Neighbors witness the chaos and fear erupts in the close-knit community.
  • Surveillance footage fails to capture the suspect clearly, but does document audio of the shots and the getaway in a pickup truck with a distinctive “T” decal.
    • “It had a T emblem on the back window. We believed it to be a Texas Ranger sticker…” (Detective; 11:36)
  • Jennifer fails to provide useful suspect details, prompting suspicions.

2. Backgrounds of Key Individuals

• Jamie Faith:

  • Described as intelligent, funny, and deeply supportive of his family (06:13–09:03).
  • Built a promising career in IT and aviation management, moving to Dallas for his job at American Airlines.

• Jennifer Faith:

  • Has a history of failed relationships but ultimately found stability with Jamie, who also became a father figure to her daughter Amber.
  • Presented as a loving wife and mother to friends and neighbors.

3. The Unraveling of Jennifer’s Story

• The Search for Motive & Suspects:

  • Investigators initially pursue the angle of disgruntled employees due to layoffs Jamie managed during the pandemic.
    • “He did say that he had to make some tough decisions at work. He had to let some people go.” (Friend; 15:24)
  • Forensic findings (the volume of shots, location of wounds) increasingly suggest something deeply personal.

• Public Appeal:

  • Jennifer makes an emotional plea on local media, maintaining her innocence and grief.
    • “It’s been horrible, devastating. I need that foreclosure. I need to make some sense out of this.” (Jennifer; 16:54–17:05)

4. Discovery of the Online Affair

• Phone Records & Texts:
  • Forensic extraction reveals Jennifer had an emotional (and later, romantic) online affair with Darren Lopez, her high school sweetheart.
    • “She describes him as a guy she knew back in high school that reconnected with her… first name is Darren.” (Jennifer; 17:28)
  • Investigators discover Darren lives 650 miles away in Tennessee and owns a black Nissan Titan with the same rear windshield “T” decal as the getaway vehicle (22:29).

5. Darren Lopez: From High School Sweetheart to Suspect

• Military Background & Vulnerability:

  • Darren is a decorated US Army veteran struggling with PTSD and depression after multiple combat deployments and a brain injury (20:08–21:04).
  • His vulnerability makes him susceptible to Jennifer’s manipulation.

• Evidence Mounts:

  • Geolocation data places Darren in Dallas the night before the murder. Surveillance confirms he removed the "T" decal from his truck post-murder on Jennifer's suggestion (24:16, 25:07, 33:02).
  • A search of Darren’s property reveals:
    • Jennifer’s credit cards in his possession.
    • The blue mask matching the shooter’s description.
    • The .45 caliber murder weapon with Jamie’s blood (26:35–27:17, 31:17).

6. The Manipulation and Murder Plot

• Jennifer’s Control & Cover-up:

  • Jennifer urges Darren to remove incriminating evidence and coaches him to fabricate a story if questioned (33:39).
  • She creates fake emails, impersonating Jamie to fabricate a narrative of abuse, escalating to claims of sexual assault, to further manipulate Darren:
    • “She used those email accounts…purporting to be Jamie Faith. It is generally Jamie Faith saying to leave his wife alone, to stay out of their relationship... it turns to that he is sexually abusing her… it gets more and more violent as these emails go through.” (Legal Expert & Jennifer; 37:28–38:16)

• Financial Motive:

  • Investigators find Jennifer attempted to collect on Jamie’s $600,000 life insurance and used GoFundMe donations for personal spending, including gifts and money sent to Darren (35:11, 35:44).

7. Confession and Sentencing

• Turning Point:

  • When confronted with proof of Jennifer’s deception, Darren confesses, expressing shock at being manipulated and remorse for killing an innocent man. He describes the act like a military mission (39:04–39:44).
  • “He came to the realization that he killed an innocent man.” (Narrator; 39:23)
  • The brutality of Jamie’s murder, particularly the shot to the groin, is understood as a result of Darren believing Jennifer’s lies about sexual abuse (40:28).

• Plea & Sentencing:

  • Facing overwhelming evidence, Jennifer takes a plea deal and is sentenced to life in prison (June 21, 2022). Darren receives 62 years for murder (42:02).

8. Lingering Questions & Reflections

• Investigators and Jamie’s friends are left to wonder about Jennifer’s true motivations and capacity for cruelty.
  • “Why did Jennifer snap? That question will always remain with me until Jennifer tells why she snapped.” (Detective; 42:27)
  • “How does somebody wake up in the morning knowing that that’s the morning that you have decided that somebody that you are supposed to have loved for their life to end?” (Friend; 42:39)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Message Sent by the Killer:
  • “They shot her husband three times in the head, three times in the chest area, and one time in the groin.” (Detective; 00:33)
• On Jennifer’s Manipulation:
  • “Darren, due to his psychological problems and his PTSD, was more susceptible than the average person to be duped and to believe these fabricated stories of abuse. So it began to paint a picture of truly an evil person who was playing on Mr. Lopez’s heartstrings.” (Legal Expert; 38:36)
• On the Investigation’s Emotional Toll:
  • “How could you talk to somebody that killed your husband?” (Detective; 01:41, 25:25)
• On Misusing Community Support:
  • “Jennifer used the GoFundMe money to pay off any balances that she had on the two credit cards that she sent to Darren Lopez.” (Narrator; 35:44)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:16–05:48: Scene of the crime, first witness accounts, and Jennifer’s initial version.
• 07:20–10:13: Jamie and Jennifer’s relationship history and move to Dallas.
• 11:17–12:43: Neighbors and surveillance give first investigative leads.
• 13:07–18:01: Clues emerge during the investigation; reveal of Jennifer’s secret affair.
• 20:22–24:16: Darren Lopez’s background, PTSD, and move to suspect.
• 25:41–27:17: Arrest and discovery of incriminating evidence.
• 31:17–34:05: Ballistics, blood evidence, deep dive into digital forensic findings.
• 37:19–39:04: Unmasking Jennifer’s manipulation, false emails, and fabricated abuse.
• 40:28–41:01: Darren’s confession and recounting of the murder.
• 42:02–42:39: Sentencing and final reflections.

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Conclusion

The episode paints a chilling portrait of Jennifer Faith—not as a random victim but as a calculating manipulator, weaving a web of deceit that led directly to her husband’s murder. Through forensic breakthroughs and dogged detective work, the complex dynamics of manipulation, love, greed, and psychological vulnerability are exposed. Both Jennifer and Darren are held accountable, but the episode closes with sobering questions about motive and the depths of human deception.

Transcript

[Narrator/Host]

With VRBoCare, help is always ready before, during and after your stay. We've planned for the plot twists, so support is always available because a great trip starts with peace of mind.

[Lead Investigator/Detective]

In the suburbs of Dallas, a husband and wife become victims of an ambush.

[Jennifer Faith (Wife/Victim's Spouse)]

She hears gunshots.

[Lead Investigator/Detective]

And then I saw dark eyes and color toward me.

[Detective/Interviewer]

They shot her husband three times in the head, three times in the chest area, and one time in the groin.

[Supporting Investigator/Forensic Expert]

Detectives felt like that might be somebody trying to send a message.

[Lead Investigator/Detective]

The suspects include a company full of disgruntled employees.

[Supporting Investigator/Forensic Expert]

It was during the pandemic and a lot of people had to be laid off.

[Friend/Colleague of Jamie Faith]

I would hope that nobody would have taken that personal.

[Lead Investigator/Detective]

But after a murder for hire plot comes to light, investigators uncover a chilling story of lies, manipulation and greed.

[Legal Expert/Prosecutor or Analyst]

She was giving him money. She was allowing him to use her credit cards. He was more susceptible to being duped. He truly believed that she was a victim of this abuse. We were able to retrieve the cell phone and what it reveals are tens of thousands of text messages and emails. But began to paint a picture of truly an evil person.

[Detective/Interviewer]

How could you talk to somebody that killed your husband?

[Lead Investigator/Detective]

I didn't know he killed my husband. I still don't know that he killed my husband. The Oak Cliff area of Dallas, Texas is a close knit community with a burgeoning art scene.

[Supporting Investigator/Forensic Expert]

It's a very old part of Dallas. There's a lot of old historical homes built in the late 1800s. In the mornings in Oak Cliff, you'll see big families walking to school together and kids on their bikes.

[Lead Investigator/Detective]

But on the morning of October 9, 2020, the neighborhood bears witness to a shocking act of violence.

[Jennifer Faith (Wife/Victim's Spouse)]

Around 7:30am 911 calls started coming in to the Dallas police department regarding shooting. They heard several gunshots and a woman screaming at the top of her lungs.

[Supporting Investigator/Forensic Expert]

When the first patrol officer ARR he saw a hysterical crying woman, a body laying in the street covered in blood.

[Detective/Interviewer]

The female victim is a few feet from the male victim. With duct tape around her hands.

[Lead Investigator/Detective]

First responders try to administer aid, but the man's wounds are too severe. He's pronounced dead at the scene.

[Detective/Interviewer]

They began asking questions and learned that the female victim, her name was Jennifer Faith.

[Supporting Investigator/Forensic Expert]

She identified the victim as her husband, James Faith.

[Jennifer Faith (Wife/Victim's Spouse)]

Jennifer Faith tells the officers that she had gone on a walk with her husband with the dog. They go a few steps and then she hears gunshots. She turns around and she sees the assailant.

[Friend/Colleague of Jamie Faith]

She let go of the dog. The dog ran down the street. She said it looked like he was going to shoot her, but maybe the gun jammed.

[Supporting Investigator/Forensic Expert]

He pushed her to the ground, attempted to duct tape her arms together. He reached over and took a ring off James finger.

[Narrator/Host]

You got neighbors coming out. Dogs are barking. There's all this chaos going on.

[Jennifer Faith (Wife/Victim's Spouse)]

Jennifer Faith's neighborhood. They were all in a panic and terrified because it seemed like this, you know, masked gunman had come and commit this random murder in their neighborhood.

[Detective/Interviewer]

When I first arrived, I observed Mr. Faith. He was lying in the street. Paramedics had covered him up to protect the scene from public view. He had multiple gunshot wounds to his body.

[Supporting Investigator/Forensic Expert]

They started collecting evidence, and they found eight shells from a.45 caliber weapon.

[Lead Investigator/Detective]

Unfortunately, Jennifer cannot provide a detailed description.

[Jennifer Faith (Wife/Victim's Spouse)]

Jennifer Faith does tell the detective that the suspect who approached them had on a blue mask, average height, but nothing particularly identifiable.

[Lead Investigator/Detective]

Unable to learn more about. About the attacker from Jennifer, detectives turned to nearby neighbors.

[Jennifer Faith (Wife/Victim's Spouse)]

The neighbors were also on edge. So they wanted to have a police presence in and around that neighborhood.

[Supporting Investigator/Forensic Expert]

They didn't know what was happening. Everyone was very confused, very scared, very concerned for the woman who had just been through this horribly traumatic event.

[Lead Investigator/Detective]

James Faith Jr. Was born in Madison, Wisconsin, in 1971.

[Friend/Colleague of Jamie Faith]

If I had to describe Jamie to somebody, I would say he's a genuinely nice and caring individual. He's got a witty and kind of a dry sense of humor. Very intelligent.

[Supporting Investigator/Forensic Expert]

In 1995, he graduated from the University of Wisconsin in Whitewater with a bachelor's in computer science.

[Lead Investigator/Detective]

After college, Jamie landed a job as a web engineer for an import and export firm in Phoenix, Arizona. A few years later, he accepted a job with US Airways as a senior manager.

[Friend/Colleague of Jamie Faith]

Jamie was really good at what he did. That's a huge reason why he was promoted and moved up within the organization.

[Supporting Investigator/Forensic Expert]

He was pretty much a bachelor who was committed to his career.

[Friend/Colleague of Jamie Faith]

Jamie's always been the person that said, I'm never gonna get married. He just. He didn't want to have the responsibility of being married or having a kid.

[Lead Investigator/Detective]

But in 2005, Jamie's friends set him up with a young woman named Jennifer.

[Friend/Colleague of Jamie Faith]

Jennifer and Jamie met on a blind date. They were introduced to each other through mutual friends. They were both very intelligent people. I think that they had a lot in common there.

[Supporting Investigator/Forensic Expert]

In 1997, Jennifer was married. She was going to school. She received her master's in speech pathology in 1997, and that same year, she gave birth to her daughter Amber. Jennifer moved in 1998 to Tucson, Arizona, where she and her first husband part ways.

[Friend/Colleague of Jamie Faith]

Amber's biological father wanted to be involved. And I've seen him give effort to see Amber.

[Lead Investigator/Detective]

Jennifer remarried in 1999. But when that relationship also ended in divorce, she decided to focus on her career and raising her two year old daughter.

[Supporting Investigator/Forensic Expert]

She spent the years between 2012 and 2018 working as a director of rehabilitation services at a inpatient hospital. During that time, James met Jennifer.

[Lead Investigator/Detective]

The couple quickly moved in together and Jamie embraced his new role as a father to Amber.

[Friend/Colleague of Jamie Faith]

Jamie was really, really good as a stepfather. He treated Amber as if she were his own. He did everything for her.

[Supporting Investigator/Forensic Expert]

He gave her emotional, financial, physical support. They were a very tight knit, close family.

[Lead Investigator/Detective]

After seven years together, a trip to Las Vegas brought on a moment of romantic spontaneity.

[Friend/Colleague of Jamie Faith]

I remember somebody telling them, hey, we're in Vegas, you guys should get married. They kind of just looked at each other. Then Jamie says, okay, yeah, like let's do it. They got married that night.

[Lead Investigator/Detective]

There were a few more changes in store as well. When Jennifer's daughter turned 18, she asked Jamie to legally adopt her the following year, in 2017, he was offered a promotion with the airline.

[Friend/Colleague of Jamie Faith]

His new job obviously gave him more responsibilities, more employees that he had to manage. And most of them were in Dallas. He was spending five days a week there and two days a week here when he was living in Phoenix. So I think he was kind of getting tired of traveling as much. It just made sense for him to make that move.

[Lead Investigator/Detective]

For the faiths, adjustment to life in Dallas seemed effortless.

[Supporting Investigator/Forensic Expert]

They moved into a very cute home. Everyone that had been in that household said that it was just a house that was warm and inviting and people could feel the love.

[Friend/Colleague of Jamie Faith]

It was a safe household. All the things that a lot of parents do for their kids, he has done for Amber, Jennifer and Jamie. They both seem, you know, happy, excited.

[Lead Investigator/Detective]

After three years in their new home. The neighborhood is in shock after a gunman killed Jamie in broad daylight.

[Jennifer Faith (Wife/Victim's Spouse)]

It may have been the robbery gone wrong. He took Jamie Faith's wedding ring. It was 7:30 in the morning. They were in T shirts and shorts and walking their dog. And to do it in such a vicious manner. None of that added up to just a robbery.

[Lead Investigator/Detective]

Some of the neighbors caught a glimpse of the shooter. One even managed to record him fleeing the scene in a pickup truck.

[Narrator/Host]

There was no license plate that we could view. And the one thing that stood out about this vehicle was that it had the white decal on the rear windshield.

[Detective/Interviewer]

It had a T emblem on the back window. We believed it to be a Texas Ranger sticker. Being from Texas detectives were on the

[Jennifer Faith (Wife/Victim's Spouse)]

lookout for a black Nissan Titan. They did have people driving around and looking. Oak Cliff is right next to a major freeway, I30. That was going to be difficult.

[Lead Investigator/Detective]

Coming up, home security cameras provide a disturbing glimpse of the murder. And a lie unveils a possible suspect.

[Jennifer Faith (Wife/Victim's Spouse)]

He does come across a text describing an emotional affair.

[Detective/Interviewer]

I was shocked. Now I've learned that you lied to me.

[Lead Investigator/Detective]

Dallas police are investigating the death of 49 year old Jamie Faith, who was gunned down by an unknown assailant outside his home.

[Detective/Interviewer]

We were able to recover eight, four or five caliber casings. We had no information on the license plate of the truck at the time. We were still trying to figure out who would do such a thing to go to shoot the victim several times right in front of his wife.

[Lead Investigator/Detective]

As detectives process the crime scene, they make a new discovery.

[Supporting Investigator/Forensic Expert]

The face had a ring camera on their door. The camera saw them leaving the home, but then they're quickly off camera.

[Lead Investigator/Detective]

Although the shooting wasn't caught on tape, a neighbor's camera partially captured the terrifying moment.

[Narrator/Host]

We reviewed the video. It actually captured the audio of the shooting.

[Lead Investigator/Detective]

With little to go on, investigators turn back to Jennifer, hoping she can provide more details.

[Detective/Interviewer]

I want to interview Mrs. Faith at Dallas police headquarters where I can have a one on one encounter with her. We were both wearing masks because it was Covid, but she was crying, very emotional. I continued to ask her what happened.

[Lead Investigator/Detective]

And he just kept going. And then I saw the person turn and like just dark eyes and coming

[Jennifer Faith (Wife/Victim's Spouse)]

toward me,

[Lead Investigator/Detective]

hitting my face and kept trying to turn me over and he hit my side and back and hitting. And then all of a sudden I saw a flash of the. It was silver, the gun was silver.

[Detective/Interviewer]

I asked her who could have done something like this if he had any kind of incidents with anyone in the past.

[Jennifer Faith (Wife/Victim's Spouse)]

We've never had disagreements with anybody.

[Lead Investigator/Detective]

But Jennifer says Jamie might have had enemies among his former employees.

[Supporting Investigator/Forensic Expert]

She brought up the fact that he was a supervisor at his job at American Airlines and it was during the pandemic and a lot of people had to be laid off at that time.

[Friend/Colleague of Jamie Faith]

He did say that he had to make some tough decisions at work. He had to let some people go. I would hope that nobody would have taken that personal, but given the time that we were living in right during COVID almost anything was possible as far as people's mental health.

[Detective/Interviewer]

She was able to give me consent to do a full extraction on her cell phone. She was very cooperative.

[Lead Investigator/Detective]

While they wait on the data, investigators begin looking into the Possibility of a disgruntled employee.

[Detective/Interviewer]

I went up to his job, the American Airlines Corporation. They told me that Jamie had laid off approximately 18 to 20 individuals. So I did a subpoena for employee records.

[Lead Investigator/Detective]

As they sort through the potential suspects, the autopsy report comes in and reveals a possible reason why Jamie was shot.

[Detective/Interviewer]

He was shot three times in the head, three times in the chest area, and also one time in the groin. So a total of seven shots that he sustained.

[Supporting Investigator/Forensic Expert]

Detectives felt like that might be somebody trying to send a message. The number of shots and especially that shot to the groin indicated something more personal.

[Lead Investigator/Detective]

Through the media, Jennifer makes an impassioned plea to the public for help.

[Jennifer Faith (Wife/Victim's Spouse)]

It's been horrible, devastating. Iter between complete, completely heartbroken and completely devastated every day.

[Legal Expert/Prosecutor or Analyst]

It's been awful.

[Jennifer Faith (Wife/Victim's Spouse)]

Oh my God, if you know what happened, I need that foreclosure. I need to make some sense out of this.

[Lead Investigator/Detective]

Investigators receive an analysis of Jennifer's phone revealing her marriage to Jamie wasn't as perfect as she claimed.

[Jennifer Faith (Wife/Victim's Spouse)]

One of the other detectives was methodically going through the phone and he does come across a text between Jennifer Faith and a friend of hers named Tina Spring where Jennifer Faith around April of 2020 is describing an emotional affair. The texts go back and forth between she and Tina and she describes him as a guy she knew back in high school that reconnected with her. Is retired from the military, now lives in Tennessee and the first name is Darren.

[Lead Investigator/Detective]

In her texts, Jennifer confessed she'd started talking to Darren in March of 2020 and they continued speaking for months. Although they'd never met in person. She said their relationship had become romantic. But the online affair was short lived.

[Detective/Interviewer]

She informed Tina that she was going to have to cut ties with with Darin because of Jamie. I believe Jamie had found out and it was one of those situations where he was uncomfortable or sad about the situation.

[Lead Investigator/Detective]

Jennifer deleted the messages with Darren from her phone. But detectives know that doesn't necessarily mean he went away.

[Detective/Interviewer]

I was shocked. Jennifer had already explained to me that their relationship was good, that there was no one else. And nowhere did she ever mention Darren's name. Now I've learned that you've lied to me. My head at this time now. I wanted to continue to read through those threads to find out everything that I could about Darren. We were able to check different databases where we were able to find out who Darren was. And I learned a lot about him. I learned about his relationship, I learned about his home. Through one of our database checks, we learned he did have a black Diesel Untitan truck.

[Lead Investigator/Detective]

After learning about Jennifer Faith's affair, investigators use her phone contacts to find the man in question. He turns out to be 48 year old Darren Ruben Lopez.

[Supporting Investigator/Forensic Expert]

Darren Lopez was Jennifer's high school boyfriend. There's pictures of them being at prom together. They were very serious about each other. They thought they were gonna marry each other.

[Lead Investigator/Detective]

After graduating in 1990, Jennifer and Darren went their separate ways. Jennifer attended college while Darren joined the US army, going on to serve in the Special Forces.

[Legal Expert/Prosecutor or Analyst]

Darren Lopez was a decorated US army soldier. Darren had six combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. He was a Purple Heart recipient. He was also a bronze star recipient.

[Lead Investigator/Detective]

While serving In Iraq in 2005, Darren was caught in a roadside bombing. 19 members of his unit were killed, but Darren survived with a traumatic brain injury.

[Jennifer Faith (Wife/Victim's Spouse)]

He was diagnosed with PTSD. He was discharged with 100% medical disability.

[Legal Expert/Prosecutor or Analyst]

We knew that Darren was divorced, that his ex wife lived out of state, but that Darren had two teenage daughters that resided with him. So when Darren comes back, he's depressed, disabled, hopeless, helpless somewhat.

[Narrator/Host]

One day he got the energy and the urge to reach out to find Jennifer and see what she was doing in life.

[Jennifer Faith (Wife/Victim's Spouse)]

Darren Lopez locates Jennifer faith online via LinkedIn. And they very quickly then exchange email addresses and start communicating via email.

[Lead Investigator/Detective]

Investigators find Darren's current address in Cumberland Furnace, Tennessee, 650 miles away from Jennifer and Jamie's home.

[Detective/Interviewer]

We then contacted one of the local agencies who did a drive by of his residence.

[Lead Investigator/Detective]

Detectives need to know if Darren's truck has the same T decal as the vehicle witnessed at the crime scene.

[Narrator/Host]

The Property was about 20 to 30 acres and it was so far away from the roadway that you really couldn't get a view of around the house. So at that point I reached out to the ATF and they were able to get aerial surveillance of Darren Lopez's property.

[Legal Expert/Prosecutor or Analyst]

In the aerial surveillance, we found a black Nissan Titan pickup truck. And we could see the T sticker on the back rear glass. Initially, because the crime occurred in Dallas, Texas, we believe that that might have been a sticker depicting the Texas Rangers baseball team. It turns out that in fact it was a Tennessee Volunteers sticker. So we now know that that in fact is Darren Lopez's vehicle and that is the same vehicle that is depicted leaving the scene of the homicide here in Dallas.

[Lead Investigator/Detective]

It's enough for Dallas police to obtain a warrant for Darren's phone records.

[Jennifer Faith (Wife/Victim's Spouse)]

That kind of information doesn't give the actual content so of their messages, but it does show the number of messages that they were sending back and forth. It was an overwhelming amount of communication between the two of them. They were going back and forth, I think, on average, 500 times a day. What was obtained from Darren Lopez's phone did not exist on Jennifer faith's phone. So it clearly suggested that she had deleted certain things.

[Lead Investigator/Detective]

It's confirmation of a relationship, but not proof of murder.

[Detective/Interviewer]

So now the biggest thing is to place him in Dallas.

[Narrator/Host]

We began writing search warrants with google, Trying to find his geolocation of his cell phone. Once we were able to get the information back, we were able to plot and put on a map.

[Jennifer Faith (Wife/Victim's Spouse)]

On October 8th, he does leave Cumberland Furnace, Tennessee, and Dr. Straight through, except for gas station stops, to dallas, Texas, which puts him in Dallas, Texas, about 2:30 in the morning. He's back in cumberland furnace, Tennessee, late in the day on October 9.

[Lead Investigator/Detective]

The timeline gives Darren plenty of opportunity to shoot Jamie that morning and return home. Investigators immediately place Darren under surveillance.

[Legal Expert/Prosecutor or Analyst]

We were able to covertly place cameras in and around Darren's residence On one particular day. That camera did depict Darren leaving his property.

[Lead Investigator/Detective]

Detectives realize Darren has removed the Tennessee volunteers decal from his pickup truck.

[Legal Expert/Prosecutor or Analyst]

We were a little concerned that Darren might be tipped off. And so at that point in time, we knew that we need to get Mr. Lopez in custody as quickly as possible.

[Lead Investigator/Detective]

On January 11, 2021, they make their move.

[Narrator/Host]

There was a high risk for a violent encounter. You know, he was very familiar with weapons Based on his military career. And so the last thing we wanted to do was to go onto his property.

[Legal Expert/Prosecutor or Analyst]

The special response team had observed a vehicle leave Darren Lopez's property occupied by two individuals. Mr. Lopez was the passenger in a silver sedan that was being driven by his daughter.

[Narrator/Host]

They actually engaged his vehicle, weapons drawn, and they gave very clear verbal orders, you know, step away from the vehicle with your hands up. And he complied with everything. We conducted a search of the silver sedan, and we located a backpack. There was two credit cards found in the backpack and Jennifer faith's name. Further search of the backpack, we found a blue mask which matched the shooter. At our crime scene,

[Lead Investigator/Detective]

Investigators find even more incriminating evidence in Darren's home.

[Legal Expert/Prosecutor or Analyst]

One of the agents that was searching an upstairs room in Darren's house Located a tan rucksack. Inside that rucksack, she located a.45 caliber semiautomatic pistol, which was the same caliber of weapon that was used to murder Mr. Faith. On the upper slide, we noticed a very small smear of what appeared to be blood. So this was a crucial find. At that point in time, the primary objective is to get that firearm to the DNA lab so that we can conduct forensic testing.

[Lead Investigator/Detective]

Coming up. Darren denies everything.

[Narrator/Host]

I never thought we crossed, like, you know, a threshold where it was inappropriate.

[Lead Investigator/Detective]

But recovered messages from his phone reveal a potential motive.

[Supporting Investigator/Forensic Expert]

They established that she was buying gifts for him.

[Detective/Interviewer]

If you were so in love with Darren, it's about the guy.

[Lead Investigator/Detective]

I wasn't. I was in love with my husband. Three months after the murder of Jamie Faith, investigators have a suspect in custody, former Green Beret Darren Lopez.

[Narrator/Host]

He spent a lot of time talking to me about Jennifer and how important she was to him. Darren believed very strongly that Jennifer was his soulmate. We grew up together, high school friends. And we contacted each other almost a year ago.

[Legal Expert/Prosecutor or Analyst]

I looked her up, and I got

[Narrator/Host]

her email address and stuff like that and just sent her a quick hi. And she was like, oh, wow. And so we started reconnecting. Yeah, she can vent to me, and I can let her vent right off the bat. She told me she was married. Okay. So, I mean, we never reached, you know, that. I never thought we crossed, like, you know, a threshold where it was inappropriate. And, like I said, I'd never been down there, so it's like I've never had any physical contact.

[Lead Investigator/Detective]

Although Darren is an open book about his love for Jennifer, he denies any involvement in her husband's death.

[Narrator/Host]

He gave me an alibi that he was out hunting with some of his military buddies. So I began pressing him and calling him out of some inconsistencies in his story. The vehicle had a T on the back of. Doesn't have one on it today. But it did have one on it. Yeah. At the time of the offense.

[Detective/Interviewer]

Okay.

[Narrator/Host]

What happened to the team? It started just tearing off. He asked for an attorney. You're gonna get booked into the jail here. It gets arraigned in front of a judge in Dallas,

[Lead Investigator/Detective]

Hoping to determine whether Darren was acting alone. Dallas police conduct another interview with Jennifer the same day.

[Detective/Interviewer]

I appreciate you willing to come down here. Have you ever heard of a name Darren?

[Jennifer Faith (Wife/Victim's Spouse)]

Darren Lopez? Yeah. He's one of my best friends. We dated in high school. But he doesn't know Jamie.

[Detective/Interviewer]

Tell me a little bit about Darren.

[Jennifer Faith (Wife/Victim's Spouse)]

Okay, let's see. I. I lost contact with him in 93. We broke up.

[Detective/Interviewer]

I know that there's more for you and Darren's relationship.

[Supporting Investigator/Forensic Expert]

I don't know what more.

[Jennifer Faith (Wife/Victim's Spouse)]

You're talking about.

[Detective/Interviewer]

The same guy that killed your husband. Jennifer is the same guy that you communicated with every day. He had over 24,000 text messages, calls.

[Jennifer Faith (Wife/Victim's Spouse)]

24,000.

[Lead Investigator/Detective]

I don't work. He's retired.

[Jennifer Faith (Wife/Victim's Spouse)]

We talk throughout the day.

[Detective/Interviewer]

I know that Darryl killed your husband. How could you talk to somebody that killed your husband?

[Lead Investigator/Detective]

I didn't know he killed my husband. I still don't know that he killed my husband. I wouldn't. I wouldn't do that. Why would I do that?

[Detective/Interviewer]

And that's the question I have for you. If you were so in love with Darren, just dump the guy.

[Lead Investigator/Detective]

I wasn't.

[Detective/Interviewer]

Just tell him, hey, it's over.

[Jennifer Faith (Wife/Victim's Spouse)]

I was in love with my husband. I'm telling you the truth.

[Detective/Interviewer]

She asked for an attorney and that interview was terminated.

[Lead Investigator/Detective]

Since there's insufficient evidence to prove Jennifer was involved, they're forced to let her go. The case against Darren, however, continues to grow stronger.

[Narrator/Host]

We conducted a test comparing the ballistics from this firearm to evidence found at the scene. And it matched. We also took swabs of the blood that were found on the weapon. Those swabs were sent to our forensic lab and compared to blood samples from Jamie. And it also was a match.

[Jennifer Faith (Wife/Victim's Spouse)]

It became very clear that this was in fact the murder weapon.

[Lead Investigator/Detective]

The question is whether Darren acted alone or if he was manipulated by Jennifer.

[Legal Expert/Prosecutor or Analyst]

During our evidence collection, we were able to retrieve Darren Lopez's cell phone. What it reveals are tens of thousands of text messages and emails between Darren Lopez and Jennifer Faith.

[Lead Investigator/Detective]

The recovered messages reveal a much closer relationship than the one Jennifer described.

[Legal Expert/Prosecutor or Analyst]

They started talking and texting incessantly, but importantly. First day he was saying, I love you. She responded, wanting to rekindle a relationship. His world had been special Ops, Green Berets.

[Jennifer Faith (Wife/Victim's Spouse)]

Now it was Jennifer. Within a few days, they're talking about a five year plan to be together.

[Lead Investigator/Detective]

There's no record of the two discussing a plan to murder Jamie, but there are several texts indicating Jennifer helped cover it up.

[Narrator/Host]

She said she had a very bad feeling, so she asked him to take the bumper sticker off and she pressed him very hard to get him to take it off. We knew that the decal was removed, but now it was significant because it wasn't Darren that took it off. It was Jennifer that urged him to. Jennifer was given direction and Darren was following orders just like he did in the military. And Jennifer was the one taking charge, taking control of the situation.

[Lead Investigator/Detective]

Another incriminating exchange took place just before Darren's arrest.

[Legal Expert/Prosecutor or Analyst]

She instructs him that if he's ever questioned by police to advise them that he's going through a divorce, he is in financial straits, and that they are just Old friends from high school and that she's helping him out.

[Jennifer Faith (Wife/Victim's Spouse)]

It was clear that Jennifer Faith wanted to make sure that they had the same story.

[Lead Investigator/Detective]

Detectives believe it's also likely Jennifer's texts about the breakup were merely a smokescreen.

[Jennifer Faith (Wife/Victim's Spouse)]

Jennifer Faith started laying the foundation to cover for Darren. When she texts Tina, you know that she had ended the emotional affair with Darren Lopez, which we know isn't true.

[Narrator/Host]

In February of 2021, we were able to charge Jennifer with obstruction and tampering with evidence.

[Lead Investigator/Detective]

Investigators execute a search warrant for Jennifer's computer and financial information. They find a life insurance policy for Jamie in the amount of $600,000 she's

[Jennifer Faith (Wife/Victim's Spouse)]

trying to collect financially from the death of Jamie Fay. She has found out from the life insurance agency that they were not at this point going to release the money to her because there was a criminal investigation going on and she had not been completely ruled out as a suspect.

[Lead Investigator/Detective]

Even though she couldn't collect. Bank records show Jennifer was spending an alarming amount of money.

[Supporting Investigator/Forensic Expert]

They had found two credit cards with Jennifer Faith's name on them, and she had given those cards to Darren. They also established that she was buying gifts for Darren. She sent him a television. She was sending money and looking into her bank account. Detectives were able to start determining where this money was coming from.

[Narrator/Host]

Shortly after Jamie was murdered, neighbors on his street raised about $60,000 in funds and a GoFundMe account for Jennifer and her family. Jennifer used the GoFundMe money to pay off any balances that she had on the two credit cards that she sent to Darren Lopez.

[Lead Investigator/Detective]

Based on this evidence, the charges against Jennifer are increased.

[Supporting Investigator/Forensic Expert]

She was already arrested for obstruction, so they upped the charge to murder for hire.

[Legal Expert/Prosecutor or Analyst]

The fact that she was giving Darren money, the fact that she was allowing Darren to use her credit cards, that there was obviously a element of remuneration here in what we believe was her attempts to convince him to kill her husband.

[Lead Investigator/Detective]

After a three month investigation, Jennifer Faith and Darren Lopez have both been charged with the murder of Jamie Faith. It appears Jennifer's motive was money, but Darren's went much deeper.

[Legal Expert/Prosecutor or Analyst]

During the forensic examination, we really began to see her attempt to manipulate Darren Lopez.

[Supporting Investigator/Forensic Expert]

Jennifer had created false email accounts, one being in the name of James Faith.

[Legal Expert/Prosecutor or Analyst]

The forensic examiners could tell us and show us exactly when and where those fictitious email accounts were created by Jennifer on her computer.

[Jennifer Faith (Wife/Victim's Spouse)]

They were able to determine that they had been created at her IP address.

[Legal Expert/Prosecutor or Analyst]

Jennifer used those email accounts to communicate with Darren, purporting to be Jamie Faith.

[Jennifer Faith (Wife/Victim's Spouse)]

It is generally Jamie Faith saying to leave his wife alone, to stay out of their relationship. And then it turns out to become that he is abusing Jennifer Faith. Then it turns to that he is sexually abusing her. Then it turns to he is gang raping her. And it gets more and more violent as these emails go through.

[Narrator/Host]

There were photos of injuries that Jennifer had shared with Darren. There were burns to her arm. There were cuts on her neck. And we found out those photos were from a car accident earlier, about eight years prior to her sending those emails.

[Legal Expert/Prosecutor or Analyst]

Darren, due to his psychological problems and his ptsd, was more susceptible than the average person to be duped and to believe these fabricated stories of abuse. So it began to paint a picture of truly an evil person who was playing on Mr. Lopez's heartstrings.

[Lead Investigator/Detective]

When investigators share the truth of Jennifer's manipulation with Darren, he confesses of his own volition.

[Legal Expert/Prosecutor or Analyst]

I think it's fair to say that he was shocked. He truly believed that she was a victim of this physical and of this sexual abuse.

[Narrator/Host]

He came to the realization that he killed an innocent man.

[Legal Expert/Prosecutor or Analyst]

He described the crime, you know, very matter of factly, much as if he were describing a military mission. Given his background, that's not unusual.

[Supporting Investigator/Forensic Expert]

So Darren spends the night in that backyard just waiting. The same thing that he learned to do when he was in combat. At 7:30am When Jennifer and James and their dog exited their home, he came out from the yard, ran up to Jennifer and James, and he shot James in the head, the torso, chest, and in the groin.

[Jennifer Faith (Wife/Victim's Spouse)]

Darren admitted that he had shot Jamie Faith in the groin, sort of as retaliation, if you will, for the alleged sexual abuse.

[Supporting Investigator/Forensic Expert]

Then he pushed Jennifer to the ground. He had the duct tape that he sort of half heartedly tried to tie her up with.

[Narrator/Host]

He said that after he shot him, he took Jamie's wedding band to make it look like it was a robbery that went wrong.

[Supporting Investigator/Forensic Expert]

He jumped into his black car and fled the way that he had planned in advance. And somewhere in the middle of Arkansas, he took that ring and tossed it into the river.

[Legal Expert/Prosecutor or Analyst]

Remarkably, they had not been physically in each other's presence this whole period of time, not until the moment of the murder. She had to have known that should she have gone to trial, most assuredly, Mr. Lopez would have been called as a witness to refute any testimony that she would have been given.

[Supporting Investigator/Forensic Expert]

Jennifer Faith was facing the death penalty, and so the defense was presented with the option of a plea where she would confess in exchange for a lighter sentence.

[Lead Investigator/Detective]

Jennifer accepts the state's plea deal. And on June 21, 2022, she is sentenced to life imprisonment. The following year, Darren is found guilty of murder and receives a 62 year sentence. But for investigators, some mysteries still linger.

[Detective/Interviewer]

Why did Jennifer snap? That question will always remain with me until Jennifer tells why she snapped.

[Friend/Colleague of Jamie Faith]

How does somebody wake up in the morning knowing that that's the morning that you have decided that somebody that you are supposed to have loved for their life to end? I want him to be depicted as a person that he was and not not the narrative that Jennifer tried to create. But she'll have plenty of time to think about how she could handle things differently. She's gonna have plenty of time to reflect.

[Lead Investigator/Detective]

A Dog's love letter to his Squeaky

[Jennifer Faith (Wife/Victim's Spouse)]

Avocado Dearest Squeaky Avocado, my heart yearns to chew thee. Alas, I've devoured a small action figure

[Legal Expert/Prosecutor or Analyst]

and have taken ill, unable to partake in our jubilant squeakings. Worry not, as I am on the

[Jennifer Faith (Wife/Victim's Spouse)]

mend and Lemonade pet insurance covered 90% of the veterinarian's cost. I recommend all the cats and dogs of the land. Get a'@lemonade.com pet soon my tummy will

[Legal Expert/Prosecutor or Analyst]

be unburdened and we shall frolic once more.

[Jennifer Faith (Wife/Victim's Spouse)]

Yours, Jerry.