A dog walk turns fatal in the suburbs of Texas (Part 1/2) | Forensic Files

[Music] our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents if you feel at any
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and for a more detailed list of content warnings please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our
website in late 2019 Bank examiner Emory Wilson was settling into his new home on
South Waverly Drive in Dallas Texas when he was approached by a middle-aged man and woman they introduced themselves as
married couple Jamie and Jennifer Faith the faiths live five doors down and had arrived to give Emory a gift to warmly
welcome him to their neighborhood as Emory came to learn this friendly and courteous Act was typical
of the faiths the two were known for genuinely caring about others and always doing the right thing they even handed
out the pin code to their gate so that neighbors could use their swimming pool or hot tub whenever they
liked just like everyone else who met them Emory Wilson came to like the faiths both were highly successful in
their respective careers with jimie a director of technology for American Airlines and Jennifer a distinguished
speech therapist they were also loving and supportive parents to their college aged
daughter Amory sometimes encountered the faiths when they crossed paths while outwalk walking their respective
dogs this happened more often in 2020 when the co 19 pandemic hit and Emory started working remotely from home he
was there on the morning of Friday October 9 2020 when all of a sudden his quiet Suburban surroundings were
disrupted by multiple rapid fire bangs followed by blood curdling screams [Applause]
oh [Applause] [Applause] [Music] immediately recognizing the bangs as gunshots Emory Wilson dropped to the
floor and moved away from the windows the sound was out of place in the otherwise peaceful and family
oriented neighborhood Emory could hear a woman screaming in abject Terror until she managed to form the words help me
help me realizing someone was still in danger Amory rushed outside a large Bernese mountain dog was
running freely in the road with its lead trailing behind Emory recognized it as Jamie and Jennifer Faith's beloved dog
Maggie Emory peered out from behind a wall in the direction of the screaming and called out what
happened he couldn't see anything so he cautiously moved across his lawn to the sidewalk from there he could see a pair
of legs spraw out on the street near the Faith's residence other curious neighbors had
emerged from their homes Emory yelled at them call the police Emory raced towards the body to
render assistance only to be stopped in his tracks just two houses down suddenly a male figure stepped onto
the sidewalk a few feet ahead the man turned and looked at Emory he had the hood of his jacket pulled down over his
forehead and a blue fabric face mask covered the lower half of his face Emory briefly locked eyes with the
man before noticing that he was clutching a silver handgun at his right side panicked amemory sprinted back to
his house to collect his own firearm he reemerged for a confrontation but the gunman was
gone Emory realized that the body spra out on the street was that of 49-year-old Jamie Faith he lay unmoving
near the sidewalk in a growing pool of blood clearly deceased Emory found Jim's 48-year-old
wife Jennifer Sheltering behind a fence in a neighbor's driveway she was hysterical and clearly
terrified repeating no one came no one came Emory reassured her that police were on their way saying
soothingly we're here officers arrived within minutes to find South Waverly Drive in a state of
chaos with the Jamie Faith's lifeless body at the center his wife Jennifer was visibly distraught and in a State of
Shock while she struggled to to convey what had happened officers ascertained that the faiths had left their home at
around 7:30 a.m. to take their dog Maggie on her daily walk they' barely left the driveway when
someone ran up behind them and began shooting without saying a word jimie was hit several times before
falling to the ground the offender then stood over jimie and fired more rounds into his
body before turning his attention to Jennifer as she attempted to flee according to Jennifer one witness
had seen the shooter aim his gun at her and pulled the trigger only to realize it was out of
bullets the shooter then sprinted after Jennifer tackled her to the ground and Unleashed a violent
attack between punches he managed to duct tape Jennifer's hands together and attempted to pull off her wedding
ring by this point Jennifer's screams had alar at her neighbors prompting the gunman to flee
empty-handed because the duct tape was cut into two small lengths Jennifer was able to free herself rather easily and
to take shelter other than some minor bumps bruises and scrapes she was mostly unheard her wedding ring remained stuck
halfway down her finger Jam's wedding ring was missing while several people had observed the attacker from a distance
only Jennifer and her neighbor Emory Wilson had seen him up close their descriptions were limited as
his face had been mostly covered up but both Jennifer and Emory said the offender was a dark-eyed male of medium
build wearing a dark colored hoodie and baggy blue jeans Jennifer believed he was a black
man though Emory couldn't be certain and didn't want to speculate multiple 45 caliber bullet casings lded
the street around Jamie Faith's body when the gun was fired It produced unique imprints on the casings that
couldn't be linked to a firearm used in any other known crimes the pieces of duct tape used to
restrain Jennifer were curled up on the driveway near Jim's Body a matching roll
of duct tape was found on the rooftop of the adjacent house indicating the as salent had tossed it there
no worthwhile forensics were uncovered on any of these items a quick thinking local had used
their cell phone to capture a photograph of the suspect's vehicle as it fled the
scene it was a black 2004 Nissen Titan pickup truck although its license plate wasn't
visible in the blurry image a white sticker of the letter T was spotted in the corner of the rear
windshield it appeared to be the emblem of the Texas Rangers baseball team hinting that the vehicle's owner was
local to the state Witnesses who saw the vehicle flee were struck by how slow it moved as
though the driver wasn't in a hurry security camera footage obtained from residences and businesses
throughout the area allowed detectives to track the pickup truck in the direct aftermath of the
shooting after leaving South Waverly Drive the vehicle was filmed driving normally through traffic before entering
the Interstate 35 Highway which stretches northward through multiple US states it vanished from there its
license plate still unclear of all the houses along South Waverly Drive that had working exterior
cameras none had captured the shooting or the as salant only the sounds of gunfire and to Jennifer's
screaming the faiths had several motion sensor cameras on their property including one at their front
door this camera captured Jennifer just seconds before the confrontation as she exited the house holding Maggie by the
leash with Jamie trailing close behind the couple had a second camera positioned towards the street but it
wasn't working at the time they did however have a functioning camera that captured part of the neighboring
property's backyard nobody lived in the house yet 5 hours before the shooting at around 2:30
a.m. the Faith's camera recorded a figure moving around the rear of the empty property the footage was dark and
blurry but the figure appeared to be a man wearing jeans a dark top and a blue mask he crept along the side of the
house towards the street before disappearing from View when shown the footage Jennifer Faith
didn't recognize the figure but she'd heard rumors about a local man who was known to wander around at night whenever
he fought with his wife investigators were nevertheless suspicious if the figure was Jamie
Faith's killer it meant he was loitering at the crime scene hours before the shooting given that the faiths were
confronted as they began their morning walk it seemed as though they were targeted by someone who was familiar
with their daily routine this Behavior didn't correlate with an opportunistic robbery gone wrong
it felt remarkably calculated like an ambush an autopsy revealed that Jamie had been shot a total of seven times he
was fed by three initial shots to the chest then struck Thrice more point blank in the head notably the seventh
and final shot was aimed at Jim's groin the chest wounds were enough to incapacitate Jamie and the first head
shot killed him instantly which led investigators to question why the killer continued shoo
him this level of Overkill was uncharacteristic of a bungled robbery each shot was deliberate and
accurate clearly performed by someone who had experience using firearms the shot to Jam's groin was highly
unusual intentional wounds to genitalia typically indicated the attack had sexual
connotations this coupled with the fact that Jennifer had come away from the deadly encounter relatively unscathed
suggested that her husband was the sole Target investigators began digging through Jam Faith's life looking for
anyone who would want to harm him by all accounts jime was a well-liked and peaceful person who lived
a normal life he enjoyed playing video games Billiards and bowling and was a big fan of the Green Bay Packers
football team those closest to Jamie described him as smart resourceful quirky and
always happy with a penchant for button-up Hawaiian shirts and a love for all things wine food and travel jimie
was considered a quintessential easygoing guy he spent his spare time mentoring at a university where news of
his death left his students shattered like everyone else they couldn't imagine why anyone would want
to hurt Jamie let alone kill him jimie and Jennifer's marriage was equally praised as a Young Man Jaimie told his
friends that he was going to remain a lifelong bachelor as he had no interest in marriage or starting a
family that all changed when Mutual BR set him up on a blind date with the Jennifer in
2005 described as two peas in a pod their attraction was instant and the pair quickly fell in
love they slaughtered seamlessly into each other's Social Circles with the Jennifer boasting that it was meant to
be in stark contrast to his original life plans Jamie became a proud provider devoted husband and a loving father
figure in in the 15 years of his relationship with the Jennifer not one person could recall an instance when the
pair were in Conflict their home was always full of love and joy with the pair hosting
Weekly game nights with friends and often traveling into state to visit extended
family jimie and Jennifer were only ever unashamedly affectionate towards each other the type of couple to wear
matching outfits when traveling on cruises together everyone agreed the faiths had the kind of relationship
that made them jealous according to Jennifer in the leadup to Jaime's death he didn't appear
to be afraid or express any concern for his safety although she was aware of a recent incident at work that had caused
him some distress Jaimie enjoyed his job at American Airlines and was well liked by
his co-workers that made it all the more difficult when he was tasked with laying
off 20 of his colleagues due to the covid-19 pandemic Jaimie struggled to choose
which of his team members should go as he wanted all of them to stay the process brought him to tears
but he ultimately went ahead and made the cut investigators spoke to jimie superiors none of them were aware of any
disgruntled former employees but they handed over the names of those who were recently let
go investigators questioned each individual but found no indication that any of them blamed to jimie for losing
their jobs nor did they hold a grudge against him with no suspects emerging from
Jaime's home or work life investigators expanded their search and came across a promising
lead prior to meeting jimie Jennifer had been married twice before both marriages
were dysfunctional and short-lived but it was the first marriage that raised a significant red
flag when Jennifer unexpectedly became pregnant in 1996 her husband decided he didn't want a family and abruptly left
her before their daughter was born by the time Jennifer met jimie her daughter was 8 years
old Jaimie wholeheartedly embraced the role of stepfather and legally adopted Jennifer daughter when she turned
18 while her biological father had remained a stranger throughout her life investigators wondered if he harbored
animosity towards Jaimie for moving in on his family the day before Jamie was killed
he and Jennifer had celebrated the 15th anniversary of the day they first met the killer stole Jaime's wedding ring
and attempted to take Jennifer's too the Rings were worth around $3,000 not enough to justify murder as
far as investigators were concerned therefore they wondered if the timing wasn't a
coincidence perhaps taking the Rings was meant to be a symbolic [Music] act with nothing to prove this Theory
all other possibilities had to be considered the area around South Waverly Drive was being gentrified with
successful career re orientated couples like the faith seen as harbingers of this
change investigators wondered whether the attack aimed to ward off further gentrification alternatively what if
jimie had angered a stranger in a road rage incident or something similar and they'd followed him home to confront
him there was also speculation that the killer had intended to abduct Jennifer but was forced to abandon his plan when
neighbors came to her rest resue whatever the truth there was a degree of certainty that the case would
resolve itself once the suspect's vehicle was identified yet weeks passed without a
breakthrough despite a $5,000 reward on offer for information determined to find her
husband's killer Jennifer Faith started a group text message thread with upwards
of 15 of her closest and trusted friends and family this allowed her to keep messages
in one place so that everyone received the latest updates in Jim's case she kept them informed about how
her and her daughter were coping while also divulging key information about the investigation that the public wasn't
privy to the group discussed the possibility that jimie could have been targeted by a
serial killer who had been shooting people at random around Dallas by November 2020 the gunman had
carried out multiple attacks over a 2-month period claiming four known victims and injuring many
others he operated from a black Chevy Tahoe a somewhat similar vehicle to the one used by Jim's
killer Jennifer presented the theory to the police but they were unwilling to explore a potential link supporters in
her group chat criticized detectives for not doing their jobs and for letting Jaime's case fall through the cracks
[Music] Jennifer encouraged the group to remain on the lookout for black pickup trucks
and report them to police she expressed frustration that in an era where cameras were everywhere
none had clearly captured the license plate of her husband's killer as the weeks wore on the mystery
persisted and the group chat gradually fell quiet the general sentiment was that no
one was going to be held accountable for Jaime's murder an emotional Jennifer Faith
fronted the media to appeal for help she voiced her fear that the case was going
cold and pleaded with Texans to be on the lookout for the black pickup with the Texas Rangers
sticker the problem was black pickups were common throughout the state and the Texas Rangers Fan base stretched far and
wide furthermore Jaime's death was just one of 200 homicides reported in Dallas in
2020 and police resources were spread incredibly thin while Jennifer acknowledged this
she was dismayed by how little information police were giving her regarding the progress of her husband's
case Jennifer begged at the community if you know what happened I need that forclosure I need to make some
sense out of this as for the offender she said I just hope that at some point this
person can recognize the gravity of what they've done and what they've taken from
myself and my daughter and feel some sort of guilt enough to come forward we just really need some
answers with the killer on the loose the local community lived in fear that he would strike
again residents of South Waverly Drive were reluctant to venture outside and those who did were constantly looking
over their shoulder Jennifer admitted to her loved ones that she was struggling to
sleep sometimes she broke down in inconsolable sobbing fits other times she was an emotional Blank Slate saying
she didn't feel anything at all one of the hardest things for Jennifer was that she still had to walk
her dog Maggie which was something she only ever did with the Jamie she confided in others that she was
terrified of going out alone in case Jim's killer was waiting to finish the job neighbors pushed their own
apprehension aside to walk with the Jennifer in a group they were on edge the entire time
constantly scanning the road in all directions for the black pickup truck the rest of the community also
rallied together with over 50 families participating in a meal trip to provide Jennifer and her daughter with food each
day jimie had been the breadwinner of the family at the time of his death as Jennifer had taken a break from work
during the pandemic recognizing the financial struggles she faced a friend of Jennifer's gave her a $5,000 check to
help pay for daily expenses another supporter organized an online fundraiser for Jaime's funeral
which raised over $60,000 in less than a week Jennifer expressed her gratitude by
organizing two Memorial services for jimie one locally and another in Arizona where they'd first
met it was also where jimie had spent over 20 years of his life until a job promotion led him to relocate his family
to Texas the two Services allowed Jennifer to grieve with friends old and new while
eulogizing the loss of the man she called the backbone of her her family when Thanksgiving passed in
November Jennifer spoke of how gut-wrenching it was to look at the empty dining chair where jimie typically
sat she told a reporter for Fox 4 all I know is jimie was my best friend and the best husband and father anyone
could ask for it's been horrible I teeda between completely heartbroken and completely devastated every day
homicide detectives checked in on Jennifer often and sometimes joined her in prayer but they also had something
uncomfortable to address hours after Jamie was killed they had asked Jennifer if she would
consent to having her cell phone examined they explained this was just a formality to ensure they conducted a
fair investigation across the board and clarified that Jennifer wasn't being considered a suspect
Jennifer was initially hesitant to hand over her phone but she ultimately agreed
to do so on it investigators found text messages sent between Jennifer and a close friend of hers named Tina
sprang the pair kept one another updated about what was going on in their lives nothing of which was particularly
noteworthy that was until investigators scrolled back in the women's text history to Monday April ail 20 2020 6
months before jimie was gunned down that day Jennifer sent Tina a string of texts that
began so I have no idea when I am going to be able to talk to you over the phone
but I am pretty much having a full-blown emotional [Music] affair Jennifer Faith revealed to her
friend Tina that the person she was having an emotional affair with was a man named Darren
Lopez the two had dated in high school 30 years prior and amicably broke up during their first year of college when
Darren was deployed overseas with the military he went on to join the Special Forces but had since retired and was
living in Tennessee he'd reached out to Jennifer online a month earlier and although they
hadn't yet met up in person texted all day every day and spoke on the phone too Jennifer admitted to Tina that the
whole situation was crazy and stupid she said that jimie knew about the affair and he was scared and
sad she Justified her actions by divulging that she and jimie hadn't been intimate in 4 years despite her efforts
to initiate she felt like they loved each other but weren't in love with each other
there was no passion between them anymore and the only romantic thing Jamie did was give her
hugs Jennifer admitted I don't feel wanted by him at all other than to be his partner despite these issues Jennifer
said that Jaimie was a good man and father and she'd been prepared to stay with him for the rest of her life as
they made a great parenting team it was only when Darren reappeared on the scene that she started
questioning things Jennifer confessed to Tina the emotions and the connection I feel like I am being torn in
two Tina gave her credit for being upfront with Jamie and not going behind his back Jennifer revealed that Darren
had devised a 5-year plan that would enable them to start a new life together while she wasn't going to make
any moves or do anything rash anytime soon she admitted but I'm not going to stop
talking to Darren either when Jennifer was first interviewed by detectives after Jaime's
Murder She had alluded to there being some intimacy problems in her marriage but maintained it was otherwise perfect
she made no mention of her relationship with Darren and no one else in her life seemed to be aware of it
either when police checked to Jennifer's cell phone there were no calls or texts
from Darren they wondered if she had deleted the evidence of her infidelity in anticipation of her phone being searched
while forgetting about the interaction she'd had with Tina sprang back in April there was also the possibility
that she didn't mention the emotional affair because it had fizzled out entirely 2 months before J's murder Tina
had texted Jennifer you still talking to that guy Jennifer responded I put the brakes on with
him while she admitted she still had strong emotions for Darren and it had been a hard decision she said Jaimie was
so Hur and internalizing everything and she couldn't do it to him although Jennifer didn't have any
communication history with Darren on her phone she did have his name number email
and residential address in her list of contacts Darren Lopez lived in the unincorporated
community of Cumberland Furnace in Northern Tennessee 650 Mi east of Jennifer's home a police check revealed that
48-year-old Darren had no history with law enforcement however registered under his
name was a black 2004 Nissen Titan pickup truck police in Texas reached out to to
their Tennessee counterparts who agreed to drive by Darren Lopez's property on the lookout for the pickup
truck Darren lived on a 20 acre ranch on an isolated rural stretch defined by Forest and
farmland his house wasn't visible from the street so a police helicopter was dispatched to conduct aerial
surveillance the view from overhead revealed that the property featured various out buildings including a barn
and several sheds a couple of horses were gathered around a modest Farmhouse where a black pickup
truck was parked a white sticker of the letter T visible on its rear windshield detectives realized they'd
been mistaken they had assumed Jamie Faith's killer was a Texan after misidentifying
the t- sticker on his car for the emblem of the Texas Rangers baseball team it was in fact a similarly designed
logo for the University of Tennessee investigators Unearthed what they could about Darren Lopez and
learned that he and Jennifer had indeed attended High School in Arizona together
before going to the same College Darren joined the military within a year and went on to become a
medic in the Special Forces where he was specially trained to keep a critically injured casualty alive on his own for 7
Days Darren had been deployed overseas multiple times including two active War zones in the Middle
East he was known for being compassionate towards the locals in these areas checking in on them and
offering his help while tending to their wounds and playing with their children in 2005 Darren was in Iraq
traveling in a hanvey when it was blown up by a roadside improvised explosive device the blast knocked to Darren
unconscious when he came to he searched the vehicle's remains for survivors he pulled out a fellow soldier
who had stopped a breathing and provided Aid that saved the man's life they along with two other soldiers
were the only survivors 19 others were killed aside from the concussion one of Darren's eard drums was blown out but
that appeared to be the worst of his injuries as a medic Darren was fundamental to his 12-man Squad and
without him they would all be pulled from Duty he spent just 5 days recovering before being sent back into
[Music] operation it took another 5 years before Darren Lopez was diagnosed with a
traumatic brain injury as a direct result of the hanvey blast along with post-traumatic stress
disorder he was deployed once more before higher ups ruled him out of combat entirely after 26 years of service he
was discharged as a decorated and respected Soldier having earned a purple heart and two bronze star medals for his
heroic achievements by 2020 Darren had separated from his wife of 23 years with whom he had five daughters two of which
were stepchildren he was living off disability and Social Security payments as he was unable to adjust to civilian
employment even though there was nothing to indicate Darren was a danger to society detectives were aware that he
was trained to kill Jennifer Faith had told her friend Tina sprang she had to put the breakes
on her emotional affair with Darren to recommit to jimie this led investigators to consider
whether Darren could have been fueled by rejection jealousy or revenge and had decided to murder her
husband maybe he hoped that by getting Jaimie out of the picture he could have Jennifer all to
himself while it was a solid Theory investigators had no proof they decided to keep their
suspicions under WPS as they gathered further Evidence although Darren didn't appear
to be a threat he was placed under 24-hour covert surveillance cameras were hidden in the
trees around his home while Undercover officers tailed him in unmarked Vehicles whenever he left the
property officers mentioned nothing about Darren to Jenifer Faith now that they knew she was keeping secrets she
couldn't be trusted Jennifer's cell phone had since been returned to her and she was asked
to voluntarily resubmit it for further analysis she was once again reluctant but eventually handed delivered it to
the police station investigators hoped a data extraction would reveal Communications
she might have had with Darren Lopez as it could recover deleted call logs texts
videos photos files and emails if nothing else it would confirm whether content had been deleted even if
it couldn't be fully restored but the data extraction revealed absolutely nothing this meant the device had been
wiped clean with a factory reset a process that restored the phone to the same condition as when it was first
purchased in the meantime investigators had noticed that the t- sticker on the back of Darren Lopez's truck had
disappeared Darren had also added a different white decal to the left side of the tailgate as if attempting to
change his truck's appearance still he didn't meet up with the Jennifer or do anything to
incriminate himself self in Jamie Faith's murder he just carried on his life as normal it occurred to investigators that
if Darren had no reason to believe he was being viewed with suspicion then he had no reason to conceal
evidence it was therefore possible that his cell phone still contained the extensive history of communication with
the Jennifer Faith they were looking for there was no legal way to search the device directly without a leing Darren
at which point he could swiftly perform a factory resear so investigators took a
different approach in January 2021 4 months after Jamie Faith's murder they obtained
records from Darren's cellular service provider which showed a history of all incoming and outgoing calls and texts on
his device while the provider had no way of uncovering what was said in these interactions they could ascertain who
initiated contact when where and for how long astoundingly in the 10 months between March 2020 and January 2021
Darren Lopez's cell phone had been in contact with the Jennifer Faith cell phone over
280,000 times the pair typically sent each other upwards of 500 texts a day in October
the month that jimie was killed Darren and Jennifer who contacted each other more than 13,000
times the longest they went without interacting was 10 hours except for in one instance from 1:07 p.m. on Thursday
October 8th 2020 and 5:18 p.m. on Friday October 9 2020 there was no contact between the two phones for 28
hours this just so happened to be the time period in which Jamie Faith was [Music]
murdered this information coupled with records pulled from cell towers GPS data Wi-Fi access points and Bluetooth
beacons enabled investigators to piece together a timeline of evance on the afternoon of Thursday
October 8th 2020 the day before jimie was killed Darren's cell was tracked to his Tennessee
home by 1: p.m. he and Jennifer had messaged each other 133 times at 107 Darren received a text from
Jennifer marking their final interaction 20 minutes later Darren's device was on the
move it pinged off of various cell towers leaving breadcrumbs for investigators to
follow around this same time Darren's phone was used to search online for directions to the Faith's residence
which was a 10-hour driveway Darren's Soul moved South until 1:51 p.m. when it stopped at a gas
station CCTV footage captured Darren Lopez as he pumped a gas into his black pickup truck the white t sticker visible
on its rear windshield he then entered the gas station wearing a blue face mask over
his nose and mouth a sale receipt confirmed that Darren had purchased the fuel a DVD and
some snacks using cash preventing the record of this sale from appearing in his bank
account the CCTV footage was a major find because it established that Darren was traveling alone in his truck with
his cell phone eliminating the possibility that someone else was using his vehicle or phone that
day at 2:19 p.m. Darren was tracked to driving West until he crossed the border into the state of
Arkansas he traveled along Interstate 40 which leads to inter state3 and into Texas from 6:00 p.m. Darren's device was
no longer traceable it seemed he knew that he could be traced via his phone and had
the foresight to turn it off before reaching Texas in a bizarre move that left investigators L perplexed Darren turned
his device back on at 1:47 a.m. it immediately pinpointed his location as Dallas
Texas again he used the internet to search for directions to the Faith's residence on South Waverly
Drive he drove past their house at 2:18 a.m. before becoming untraceable again the shadowy figure loitering at
the vacant property next door to the faiths was captured on security footage 10 minutes
later their outfit and the shape of their body matched to Darren Lopez to a te right down to the blue
mask when Jamie Faith was killed 5 hours later at 7:30 a.m. Witnesses described the as salant as fitting Darren's
description for the next 9 hours Darren's cell phone remained untraceable then at 5 p.m. he turned the
device on and was geolocated at the same gas station back in Tennessee where he once again paid for his purchases with
cash he also texted Jennifer faith for the first time in 28 hours the pair messaged back and forth
approximately 50 times until Darren arrived home shortly after 6 p.m. where they continued texting and also spoke on
the phone twice before the day was through from that point on Darren and Jennifer continued to contact each other
hundreds of times a day it was evident that Jennifer had cleared her phone of these interactions before submitting it
to the police what the pair discussed during their lengthy Affair remained a mystery
but investigators felt it was time to make their move and find out police knew that arresting Darren Lopez
was fraught with risk his background with special forces meant he was an elite trained killer if the arrest was
handled poorly police feared Darren might feel like he had nothing left to lose and to do something
drastic he might have used his knowledge of warfare to booby trap his home or prepare for a
Siege the decision was therefore made to Target Darren while he was away from his
home this would also prevent him from destroying any evidence or arming himself with any weapons that might be
stashed on the premises on Thursday January 7 2021 4 months after Jaime's murder
investigators followed Darren as he was out driving with one of his daughters after they pulled into a
parking spot police made their approach against expectations Darren exited the vehicle calmly and offered no
resistance when placed in handcuffs he was quiet and appeared nervous upon learning of the multi-state
police operation that had been carried out under his nose in a subsequent police interview
Darren denied having been to Dallas though he did admit to knowing Jennifer Faith he became Misty eyed as he recall
memories of their youth together saying they'd reconnected online almost a year prior
according to Darren his relationship with the Jennifer was just friendly she was using her expertise as a therapist
to help him get through a difficult divorce Darren believed that Jennifer had been happily married and he
maintained that he hadn't crossed any inappropriate lines when Darren was queried about the
Tea sticker that had been removed from his truck he abruptly shut down and demanded an attorney
meanwhile police were undertaking a search of Darren's Ranch in Tennessee on his front porch was a large
narrow cardboard box featuring the logo of shipping company FedEx it was addressed from Jennifer to
Darren the box was empty but officers soon found what it had contained in Darren's living room a brand new 55 in
flat screen television the filthy state of Darren's house was unlike anything the officers had ever
seen they described it as deplorable and took it as a major sign that Darren was
mentally unwell and struggling to cope officers had to dig through piles of clothes trash old food and clutter in
search for evidence they came across more packages from Jennifer as well as some letters
she wrote to Darren in one she referred to him as her soulmate in another she called him her One and Only
Love an array of ammunition was found all over the house in boxes and Loosely scattered about on the floor near
Darren's bed was a tan colored military style Satchel inside was a DVD and some snacks
that Darren had purchased at the gas station while on route to Dallas in October 2020
there was also a rolled up t-shirt officers unraveled the shirt to find that it contained a loaded Smith
and Wesson 45 caliber silver handgun its Barrel was smeared with a discolored substance the unregistered gun was
traced to a foreign Firearms dealer in Belgium when tested it produced imprints on the bullet casings that matched those
recovered from the scene of Jamie Faith's shooting furthermore the discolored substance on the barrel was confirmed to
be Jam's blood the discovery of the murder weapon was surprising given that Darren had
several months to get rid of the gun or at least clean it up investigators wondered if he had held on to it as a
trophy at the same time that Darren Lopez was placed under arrest police conducted an another interview with the
Jennifer Faith they wanted to get all the information they could from her before
she found out Darren was in custody in case she stopped cooperating entirely Jennifer maintained the same
story she'd been telling from the outset about the unknown dark-eyed gunman then for the first time a
detective asked her have you ever heard the name Darren Jennifer became noticeably
tense she explained that Darren was her former High School boyfriend when asked why she had never
mentioned him Jennifer paused for a moment before saying that she hadn't seen Darren since
1993 she was then presented with the phone data proving she and Darren had sent hundreds of thousands of texts in
the past year with the detective telling her I know there's more to you and a Darren's relationship
Jennifer replied staunchly I don't know what you're talking about the detective pressed on taking
Jennifer back to Friday October 9 2020 personally in my heart I believe you know what happened that day he
said I'm going to tell you like this Jennifer I know that Darren killed your husband Jennifer flat out rejected the
accusation she admitted that she and Darren had recently been in contact and were caught up in Old emotions but she
said she'd put an end to anything romantic in August 2020 since then Jennifer said they were
just friends and claimed she was helping Darren navigate through tough times the interviewing detective
said the same guy that killed your husband is the same guy that you're communicating with every day how could
you talk to somebody that killed your husband Jennifer appeared to be shocked I wouldn't do that why would I
do that she replied I didn't know he killed my husband I still don't know that he
killed my husband the fact that Jennifer had led the police to so many dead ends made
them suspect that she was lying to protect Darren what they couldn't feel figure out was why she didn't just leave
Jamie if she no longer wanted to be with him why did he have to die when presented with this question
Jennifer stopped talking and asked for an attorney Jennifer's assertions highlighted a major issue in the
unraveling case despite everything that had been uncovered so far investigators still
hadn't found any evidence of Jennifer for scheming with Darren to remove Jaimie from the pitcher or encouraging
him to kill just because the two had remained in contact after Jaimie was killed it
didn't prove Jennifer was involved in the crime the question therefore remained as
to what role if any she played in her husband's murder investigators hoped that the
answers would be found in Darren's cell phone which they had swiftly confiscated
upon arrest despite leaving him with no time to interact with the device it appeared
to have already been wiped clean of any of his Communications with the Jennifer it was assumed that Darren had
performed a factory reset but a daughter extraction was conducted regardless it turned out that Darren
wasn't particularly techsavvy while he had managed to permanently delete most of his text message history
with the genifer he had failed to completely erase all the data despite Darren and Jennifer's
claims of a platonic friendship the recovered texts revealed that their relationship was indeed
intimate Darren texted Jennifer things like I am so in love with you to which she responded I truly can't be without
you at this point Jennifer suggested that she move in with Darren which he thought was a
great idea the pair also engaged in many explicit sexual conversations both before and after Jaime's
murder some were extreme centering around topics like dominance submission bondage voyerism and even
rape the most compelling messages were in relation to the ongoing investigation into Jim's murder after Jennifer made a
public appeal to find the suspect's vehicle she texted Darren so I woke up in a little bit of a
panic something is eating away at me telling me you need to take the sticker out of the back window of the
truck it might just be me overthinking or something but I'll feel a ton better if you take it off and clean the window
really well Darren assured Jennifer that he would take care of it but by the next
day she was increasingly anxious I know you're going to think I'm crazy she messaged to Darren but it's really
nagging at me I have a bad feeling and I really think you need to get that sticker off
ASAP like today he later messaged her sticker done Jennifer replied Oh yay I feel so much
better in other messages Jennifer told Darren that if the police ever asked about her he should say they were old
friends they were only speaking daily because Jennifer was giving him advice as he went through a difficult
divorce she told Darren to say that as far as he knew her marriage to jimie was a happy
one she also added Darren to the private group text message thread that she used
to keep her close friends and family updated on her husband's case at one stage she complained to
Darren about having to do a press interview as J bereaved Widow saying the reporter sucked but I did
fine he insisted on having me look at a stupid photo book of Jamie at the end bath on multiple occasions Jennifer told
Darren she was clearing her phone by doing a factory reset and she instructed him to do the
same when Darren thought he had done so Jennifer replied big smile over here at that at one point Jennifer and Darren
discussed the Jim's life insurance policy which was worth over $600,000 Jenifer was the sole
beneficiary while Jaimie also had a further $400,000 in a retirement account a month after Jaime's murder
Jennifer had attempted to collect some of the money but she was denied she vented about it in a text to Darren
saying they aren't processing the claim yet because the detectives told them I couldn't be ruled out as a suspect so I
called them and basically said what the [ __ ] the pair discussed using the money
to apply for a residence in Jennifer's name in Tennessee Jennifer was also the sole
beneficiary of the $60,000 in donations collected via the online fundraiser for Jaime's funeral
services she began withdrawing from these funds almost immediately within 4 days she had taken
out over $30,000 and within weeks there was nothing left the two Memorial services for Jamie
had only cost to Jennifer $6,000 which she hadn't even paid credit reports reflected that by
2020 Darren Lopez was having severe financial problems he was at least 120 days P due on mortgage payments totaling
over $338,000 and foreclosure had been initiated in October failure to pay his water bills resulted in the water to his
house being shut off online records showed that Jennifer had transferred large amounts of money
to Darren after Jaime's Murder She had also bought him the new television airline tickets
and had granted him access to her credit cards texting please don't hesitate to use them for whatever you
need Jennifer used the money fundraised on her behalf to help pay back over $100,000 that she and Darren had spent
on the credit cards she told Darren that if detectives ever asked why Jennifer was giving him
money he should say that she was supporting him through his financial hardship I'll answer the same way she texted him
just so you and I have the same explanations Darren responded I like it with this evidence coming to light
investigators suspected that Jennifer had hired Darren to kill her husband given Darren's Elite military training
Not only was he the ideal Hitman he also had the financial and romantic motives to do
so but with with no admissions from either party and no concrete evidence to prove it it remained pure
speculation what was abundantly clear was that Jennifer Faith's private Persona was very different from The
Grieving widow she portrayed in public in reality she was careful and cunning she asserted that she had no
idea who killed her husband while keeping the man she was having an emotional affair with secret from
investigators she lied to her friend about ending things with Darren when she was still messaging him
excessively she provided false information and a deadend leads to misdirect the police and
public she coached Darren on how to respond to police questions and instigated the destruction of crucial
evidence investigators viewed Jennifer's conduct and corrupt actions as a culated
attempt to obstruct the criminal investigation as a result she was charged with obstruction of justice to
which she pleaded not guilty given that authorities still didn't have anything to prove Jennifer
was complicit in her husband's Murder She was released pending further investigations with suspicions cast
squarely on her detectives were curious to see her next move they knew that there was still more
to uncover but felt confident they were about to close the case the situation appeared to be a
sorted love triangle with fatal consequences which was nothing that they hadn't seen
before in the meantime Darren Lopez was charged with the murder of jimie Faith as well as transporting a firearm in
interstate commerce case detectives were lorded for their dedicated and meticulous police
work with the chief of the Dallas Police Department saying I am pleased to see that there were no Stones left unturned
during the course of this investigation and that our collaborative efforts have brought those involved to
Justice Darren Lopez pleaded not guilty and was remanded in custody to await his
trial meanwhile Jennifer Faith asked a third party to forward a message onto Darren in jail
aware that all their Communications would be monitored Jennifer just wanted Darren to know that she was with him and
would always be with him no matter what had happened it was an intriguing comment
that seemed to support jenifer's claims that she didn't know the full extent of Darren's
actions yet she remained unfaced and fully committed to him even though he was charged with the Jim's
murder Jennifer told her messenger please tell Darren ASAP I will always be his Darren responded to Jennifer via the
messenger saying please stay strong for us he referred to himself as her Knight a noble and chalous Warrior charged with
protecting her as Darren's trial loomed his ex-wife began taking care of several financial
matters on his behalf in order to do this Darren gave her access to his email account as she navigated his inbox she
came across something [Music] shocking to be continued next week [Music] [Music]
for

Case 293: Jamie Faith (Part 1)

[Part 1 of 2] Married couple Jamie and Jennifer Faith lived a comfortable and happy life together in Oak Cliff, Texas. That all changed on the morning of Friday, October 9 2020, when a masked assailant confronted the couple as they took their dog on her daily walk.

Jamie was gunned down, and Jennifer barely escaped with her life. Jamie Faith was well-liked in all areas of his life, so investigators were left wondering who would want this much-loved family man dead.

Watch part 2 here - https://youtu.be/d27VbWzdPis

CREDITS

Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Milly Raso Creative direction – Milly Raso Production and music – Mike Migas Music – Andrew D.B. Joslyn

SOCIAL LINKS

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RESOURCES

For all credits and sources, please visit https://casefilepodcast.com/case-293-jamie-faith-part-1

Brief Summary

Jamie Faith is murdered in Dallas; investigation reveals his wife's affair with Darren Lopez, leading to suspicions of conspiracy.

Key points

The Faiths' Tragic Encounter. On October 9, 2020, Jamie Faith was shot dead during a morning walk with his wife.
Jennifer's Plea for Justice. Jennifer Faith publicly appeals for help in finding her husband's killer, fearing the case is going cold.
Jennifer's Emotional Affair. Jennifer reveals her emotional affair with Darren to her friend Tina, complicating her marriage.
Darren's Background Revealed. Investigators uncover Darren Lopez's military history and his connection to Jennifer.
The Discovery of the Murder Weapon. Police find the unregistered gun used in Jamie's murder at Darren's home, linking him to the crime.
Jennifer's Confession. Jennifer expresses disbelief about Darren's involvement in her husband's murder.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

It's been horrible, I teeter between completely heartbroken and completely devastated.

Jennifer Faith describing her emotional state after her husband's murder.

24:18WatchAug 17, 2024

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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