The Dallas woman whose husband was shot dead last year is now facing murder-for-hire charges in the case, as authorities say she encouraged her boyfriend to commit the murder by posing under fake email accounts.
Jennifer Lynne Faith, 49, was initially charged with obstruction of justice in the death of her husband, Jamie Faith, 49, who was killed Oct. 9, 2020, while he and Jennifer were walking their dog near their Oak Cliff home.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Texas announced that Jennifer Faith was indicted on a federal charge of interstate commission of murder-for-hire – a charge that carries a potential death penalty. Faith's boyfriend, Darrin Ruben Lopez, 49, who was arrested in January, faces a state murder charge in the case and a federal gun charge.
Jennifer Pleaded for Help in TV Interview
Two months after her husband's death, Jennifer pleaded in a TV interview for anyone with information to come forward. "My hope is that someday perhaps the person will realize the gravity of what they've done and what they have taken from myself and my daughter," she told a local news outlet at the time. "He was just the backbone of our family. It was just devastating." Watch the interview below:
Jennifer 'Faked' Abuse by Posing as Husband, Friend
According to an indictment filed in a Dallas court on Wednesday, Jennifer used fake email accounts to pose as her husband and friend while convincing Lopez that her husband was physically and sexually abusing her.
The indictment said that Jennifer created a Gmail account under her husband's name on April 9, 2020. With the account, she emailed Lopez, posing as her husband and "taunting Mr. Lopez with details of extreme physical and sexual abuse that never actually occurred," a news release from the U.S. attorney's office said.
She also attached fake photos of injuries and warned Lopez "to stay away from my family," according to the indictment. Jennifer later created a fake Gmail account under her friend's name and emailed Lopez with that account, too, making the same false claims that Jamie Faith was abusing her, the indictment said.
"I am asking if you are willing to get involved and help Jen get out of this situation," Jennifer wrote to Lopez, posing as her friend, according to the indictment. Jennifer, posing as her friend, later asked Lopez if he could help. On May 20, Lopez replied, according to the indictment: "I know I won't feel better about her situation until she is out of the house away from him or she lets me put a bullet in Jamie's head."
Posing as the friend, Jennifer later encouraged Lopez to "go for it with your idea" and that she would give him an alibi. Lopez then travelled to Dallas from Tennessee and waited for the Faiths to leave their home on their morning dog walk. When the Faiths walked outside, Lopez shot Jamie seven times and drove away from the scene.
"Ms. Faith's alleged murder-for-hire scheme was depraved and calculated," Acting U.S. Attorney Prerak Shah said in a news release. "She preyed on her boyfriend's protective instinct and his pocketbook in order to convince him to execute her husband. Jamie Faith's brutal murder was a tragedy. His death has been a double blow to his family and friends, who had just begun to absorb the news of his murder when they were confronted with evidence of his wife's alleged involvement."
Jennifer Paid Lopez with GoFundMe Funds
Following Jamie's killing, an associate of Jennifer created a GoFundMe account to help the family, but authorities allege Jennifer withdrew about $58,000 from the fund to "to pay for purchases made on two credit cards she gave to Mr. Lopez. She also used the credit cards to pay for expenses for Mr. Lopez and his family, purchase airline tickets for Mr. Lopez and his daughters, and pay FedEx to ship Mr. Lopez a large screen television," according to the U.S. Attorney's Office news release.
