Naman Shrestha
CBS’ ’48 Hours: The Plot to Kill Jamie Faith’ and NBC’s ‘Dateline: Losing Faith’ chronicle the sudden and tragic murder of an American Airlines employee named Jamie Faith in October 2020, right outside his house in the Oak Cliff neighborhood of Dallas, Texas. As the detectives delved deep into the case, they found evidence that connected Jamie’s wife’s former boyfriend, Darrin Lopez, to the killing. With the investigation intensifying, more dark secrets emerged before the killer was brought to justice eventually. The documentaries contain insightful interviews with loved ones of the deceased and the officials linked to the case, providing a detailed account of the tragedy.
Darrin Lopez and Jennifer Faith Were High School Sweethearts Who Reconnected
Darrin Lopez first crossed paths with Jennifer Lynn in high school, and the two dated for a while before going their separate ways. The former went on to join the US Army and marry another woman. Right before the pandemic struck in 2020, he was a retired Special Forces Army veteran who had suffered a traumatic brain injury during his time on the battlefield. Residing in Cumberland Furnace, Tennessee, he was a father to three daughters and two stepdaughters, but had recently divorced his wife. Around that time, he reconnected with his high school sweetheart, Jennifer, who was married to Jamie Faith.
The two started talking throughout the day, exchanging about 500 texts each day. As days passed by, they also started discussing the possibility of being together in the near future. Several weeks later, Jennifer weaved a false narrative of Jamie being abusive towards her. In order to make Darrin believe her story, she even created a fake email account in the name of Jamie and sent Darrin several threatening emails, attaching downloaded stock images depicting injuries from the alleged abuse. He suggested that she inform the police about the situation, but she claimed that she didn’t want her daughter to see her father go to jail. Jennifer then reportedly created another fake email account pretending to be her friend, Rob, through which she talked about the alleged abuse with Darrin.
Darrin Lopez Agreed to Carry Out Jamie’s Murder For Jennifer
When Jennifer claimed that the only way to stop the abuse was to get rid of Jamie for good, Darrin reportedly devised a plan to kill him. Thus, on October 8, 2020, he took a long road trip from his house in Tennessee to the Faith residence in Texas. After waiting for several hours near the house, he shot Jamie, an American Airlines employee, multiple times the following morning and fled the scene in his black pickup truck, which had a “T” sticker on the back.
Upon questioning and investigating Jennifer, the authorities were led to Darrin and his house, where they spotted the same pickup truck that the surveillance footage had captured on the fateful morning. With enough evidence against him, the police arrested him on January 11, 2021, during a traffic stop in Dickson, Tennessee, and charged him with Jamie’s murder. As they searched his car and house, they found more pieces of evidence connecting him to the crime. For instance, they came across a .45 caliber handgun, which matched the shell casings found at the crime scene. Moreover, the detectives also found traces of the victim’s blood on his gun.
Darrin Lopez is Currently Incarcerated at a Texas Prison Facility
Darrin Lopez pleaded not guilty to the charges against him and decided to take his chances in court. He was held on a $1 million bond at the Dallas County jail. In July 2023, his trial for the murder of Jamie Faith commenced. The defense painted the defendant as a victim of a traumatic brain injury and PTSD, and the manipulation at the hands of Jennifer Faith, stating, “He was duped, and when someone is duped, it means someone didn’t know what they were reading wasn’t real. She created all the information.” On the other hand, the prosecution argued that he was an active participant in the crime. “We are talking about the taking of a human life being justified by a high standard. It has to be your only option. Ladies and gentlemen, Lopez had so many options he did not take,” the prosecution stated.
During the trial, one of Darrin’s daughters also testified that her father was devastated when she told him that Jaime was not the man Jennifer portrayed him to be. Later, the defendant also took the stand and told the jury that he was misled by Jennifer and thought he was on a rescue mission to save her from her husband. He said, “I shot his chest. He started to turn, and then I continued to put in his side. At the time, I was thinking I was a noble soldier that did my job. I did what I was trained to do. I protected people. I kept them from a monster.”
After a weeklong trial, the jury deliberated for less than an hour before reaching a verdict. Finally, on July 28, 2023, Darrin Lopez was convicted of murdering Jamie Faith outside his house in the Oak Cliff area of Dallas. A few hours later on that same day, the convict was sentenced to 62 years in prison and ordered to pay a $10,000 fine. A couple of months later, he appealed his conviction in September 2023, but in vain, as the appeals court denied his appeal. As of today, he is serving his sentence at H. H. Coffield Unit in Tennessee Colony, Texas, with his parole eligibility date scheduled for 2051.
Read More: Where is Jennifer Faith Now? Update on Jamie Faith’s Wife
