Search Captions & Ask AI

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

August 17, 2024 / 01:01:38

This episode covers the murder of Jamie Faith, the investigation into his death, and the emotional affair of his wife, Jennifer Faith, with Darren Lopez. Key discussions include the details of the murder, the investigation's challenges, and the relationship dynamics between the Faiths and Lopez.

In October 2020, Jamie Faith was shot multiple times in front of his wife, Jennifer, during a morning walk in Dallas, Texas. Emory Wilson, a neighbor, witnessed the aftermath and called for help. Jennifer described the shooter as a dark-eyed male, and the investigation began to uncover details about Jamie's life and potential motives for the murder.

As investigators looked into Jamie's background, they found no clear suspects until they discovered Jennifer's emotional affair with Darren Lopez. Text messages revealed a close connection between them, raising suspicions about whether Darren could have been involved in Jamie's murder.

Evidence showed that Darren traveled from Tennessee to Texas around the time of the murder, and his pickup truck matched the description of the vehicle seen fleeing the scene. Investigators also uncovered a loaded handgun linked to the murder at Darren's home.

Ultimately, Darren was charged with Jamie's murder, while Jennifer faced charges for obstruction of justice. The episode ends with a cliffhanger, hinting at further revelations in the case.

TLDR

Jamie Faith is murdered, and his wife Jennifer's affair complicates the investigation, leading to Darren Lopez's arrest.

Episode

1:01:38
00:00:09
[Music] our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents if you feel at any
00:00:18
time you need support please contact your local crisis center for suggested phone numbers for confidential support
00:00:26
and for a more detailed list of content warnings please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our
00:00:40
website in late 2019 Bank examiner Emory Wilson was settling into his new home on
00:00:47
South Waverly Drive in Dallas Texas when he was approached by a middle-aged man and woman they introduced themselves as
00:00:55
married couple Jamie and Jennifer Faith the faiths live five doors down and had arrived to give Emory a gift to warmly
00:01:04
welcome him to their neighborhood as Emory came to learn this friendly and courteous Act was typical
00:01:11
of the faiths the two were known for genuinely caring about others and always doing the right thing they even handed
00:01:19
out the pin code to their gate so that neighbors could use their swimming pool or hot tub whenever they
00:01:26
liked just like everyone else who met them Emory Wilson came to like the faiths both were highly successful in
00:01:34
their respective careers with jimie a director of technology for American Airlines and Jennifer a distinguished
00:01:41
speech therapist they were also loving and supportive parents to their college aged
00:01:48
daughter Amory sometimes encountered the faiths when they crossed paths while outwalk walking their respective
00:01:55
dogs this happened more often in 2020 when the co 19 pandemic hit and Emory started working remotely from home he
00:02:05
was there on the morning of Friday October 9 2020 when all of a sudden his quiet Suburban surroundings were
00:02:12
disrupted by multiple rapid fire bangs followed by blood curdling screams [Applause]
00:02:30
oh [Applause] [Applause] [Music] immediately recognizing the bangs as gunshots Emory Wilson dropped to the
00:03:16
floor and moved away from the windows the sound was out of place in the otherwise peaceful and family
00:03:23
oriented neighborhood Emory could hear a woman screaming in abject Terror until she managed to form the words help me
00:03:32
help me realizing someone was still in danger Amory rushed outside a large Bernese mountain dog was
00:03:41
running freely in the road with its lead trailing behind Emory recognized it as Jamie and Jennifer Faith's beloved dog
00:03:50
Maggie Emory peered out from behind a wall in the direction of the screaming and called out what
00:03:57
happened he couldn't see anything so he cautiously moved across his lawn to the sidewalk from there he could see a pair
00:04:06
of legs spraw out on the street near the Faith's residence other curious neighbors had
00:04:13
emerged from their homes Emory yelled at them call the police Emory raced towards the body to
00:04:22
render assistance only to be stopped in his tracks just two houses down suddenly a male figure stepped onto
00:04:31
the sidewalk a few feet ahead the man turned and looked at Emory he had the hood of his jacket pulled down over his
00:04:39
forehead and a blue fabric face mask covered the lower half of his face Emory briefly locked eyes with the
00:04:47
man before noticing that he was clutching a silver handgun at his right side panicked amemory sprinted back to
00:04:55
his house to collect his own firearm he reemerged for a confrontation but the gunman was
00:05:03
gone Emory realized that the body spra out on the street was that of 49-year-old Jamie Faith he lay unmoving
00:05:13
near the sidewalk in a growing pool of blood clearly deceased Emory found Jim's 48-year-old
00:05:21
wife Jennifer Sheltering behind a fence in a neighbor's driveway she was hysterical and clearly
00:05:28
terrified repeating no one came no one came Emory reassured her that police were on their way saying
00:05:38
soothingly we're here officers arrived within minutes to find South Waverly Drive in a state of
00:05:48
chaos with the Jamie Faith's lifeless body at the center his wife Jennifer was visibly distraught and in a State of
00:05:57
Shock while she struggled to to convey what had happened officers ascertained that the faiths had left their home at
00:06:04
around 7:30 a.m. to take their dog Maggie on her daily walk they' barely left the driveway when
00:06:12
someone ran up behind them and began shooting without saying a word jimie was hit several times before
00:06:20
falling to the ground the offender then stood over jimie and fired more rounds into his
00:06:26
body before turning his attention to Jennifer as she attempted to flee according to Jennifer one witness
00:06:34
had seen the shooter aim his gun at her and pulled the trigger only to realize it was out of
00:06:41
bullets the shooter then sprinted after Jennifer tackled her to the ground and Unleashed a violent
00:06:48
attack between punches he managed to duct tape Jennifer's hands together and attempted to pull off her wedding
00:06:56
ring by this point Jennifer's screams had alar at her neighbors prompting the gunman to flee
00:07:03
empty-handed because the duct tape was cut into two small lengths Jennifer was able to free herself rather easily and
00:07:11
to take shelter other than some minor bumps bruises and scrapes she was mostly unheard her wedding ring remained stuck
00:07:20
halfway down her finger Jam's wedding ring was missing while several people had observed the attacker from a distance
00:07:31
only Jennifer and her neighbor Emory Wilson had seen him up close their descriptions were limited as
00:07:38
his face had been mostly covered up but both Jennifer and Emory said the offender was a dark-eyed male of medium
00:07:45
build wearing a dark colored hoodie and baggy blue jeans Jennifer believed he was a black
00:07:53
man though Emory couldn't be certain and didn't want to speculate multiple 45 caliber bullet casings lded
00:08:03
the street around Jamie Faith's body when the gun was fired It produced unique imprints on the casings that
00:08:11
couldn't be linked to a firearm used in any other known crimes the pieces of duct tape used to
00:08:18
restrain Jennifer were curled up on the driveway near Jim's Body a matching roll
00:08:23
of duct tape was found on the rooftop of the adjacent house indicating the as salent had tossed it there
00:08:30
no worthwhile forensics were uncovered on any of these items a quick thinking local had used
00:08:38
their cell phone to capture a photograph of the suspect's vehicle as it fled the
00:08:43
scene it was a black 2004 Nissen Titan pickup truck although its license plate wasn't
00:08:51
visible in the blurry image a white sticker of the letter T was spotted in the corner of the rear
00:08:58
windshield it appeared to be the emblem of the Texas Rangers baseball team hinting that the vehicle's owner was
00:09:05
local to the state Witnesses who saw the vehicle flee were struck by how slow it moved as
00:09:12
though the driver wasn't in a hurry security camera footage obtained from residences and businesses
00:09:20
throughout the area allowed detectives to track the pickup truck in the direct aftermath of the
00:09:26
shooting after leaving South Waverly Drive the vehicle was filmed driving normally through traffic before entering
00:09:33
the Interstate 35 Highway which stretches northward through multiple US states it vanished from there its
00:09:42
license plate still unclear of all the houses along South Waverly Drive that had working exterior
00:09:53
cameras none had captured the shooting or the as salant only the sounds of gunfire and to Jennifer's
00:10:00
screaming the faiths had several motion sensor cameras on their property including one at their front
00:10:07
door this camera captured Jennifer just seconds before the confrontation as she exited the house holding Maggie by the
00:10:15
leash with Jamie trailing close behind the couple had a second camera positioned towards the street but it
00:10:24
wasn't working at the time they did however have a functioning camera that captured part of the neighboring
00:10:31
property's backyard nobody lived in the house yet 5 hours before the shooting at around 2:30
00:10:39
a.m. the Faith's camera recorded a figure moving around the rear of the empty property the footage was dark and
00:10:46
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
00:10:55
house towards the street before disappearing from View when shown the footage Jennifer Faith
00:11:02
didn't recognize the figure but she'd heard rumors about a local man who was known to wander around at night whenever
00:11:10
he fought with his wife investigators were nevertheless suspicious if the figure was Jamie
00:11:18
Faith's killer it meant he was loitering at the crime scene hours before the shooting given that the faiths were
00:11:25
confronted as they began their morning walk it seemed as though they were targeted by someone who was familiar
00:11:31
with their daily routine this Behavior didn't correlate with an opportunistic robbery gone wrong
00:11:39
it felt remarkably calculated like an ambush an autopsy revealed that Jamie had been shot a total of seven times he
00:11:52
was fed by three initial shots to the chest then struck Thrice more point blank in the head notably the seventh
00:12:00
and final shot was aimed at Jim's groin the chest wounds were enough to incapacitate Jamie and the first head
00:12:09
shot killed him instantly which led investigators to question why the killer continued shoo
00:12:15
him this level of Overkill was uncharacteristic of a bungled robbery each shot was deliberate and
00:12:23
accurate clearly performed by someone who had experience using firearms the shot to Jam's groin was highly
00:12:32
unusual intentional wounds to genitalia typically indicated the attack had sexual
00:12:39
connotations this coupled with the fact that Jennifer had come away from the deadly encounter relatively unscathed
00:12:46
suggested that her husband was the sole Target investigators began digging through Jam Faith's life looking for
00:12:54
anyone who would want to harm him by all accounts jime was a well-liked and peaceful person who lived
00:13:02
a normal life he enjoyed playing video games Billiards and bowling and was a big fan of the Green Bay Packers
00:13:09
football team those closest to Jamie described him as smart resourceful quirky and
00:13:16
always happy with a penchant for button-up Hawaiian shirts and a love for all things wine food and travel jimie
00:13:24
was considered a quintessential easygoing guy he spent his spare time mentoring at a university where news of
00:13:32
his death left his students shattered like everyone else they couldn't imagine why anyone would want
00:13:39
to hurt Jamie let alone kill him jimie and Jennifer's marriage was equally praised as a Young Man Jaimie told his
00:13:49
friends that he was going to remain a lifelong bachelor as he had no interest in marriage or starting a
00:13:56
family that all changed when Mutual BR set him up on a blind date with the Jennifer in
00:14:03
2005 described as two peas in a pod their attraction was instant and the pair quickly fell in
00:14:10
love they slaughtered seamlessly into each other's Social Circles with the Jennifer boasting that it was meant to
00:14:18
be in stark contrast to his original life plans Jamie became a proud provider devoted husband and a loving father
00:14:27
figure in in the 15 years of his relationship with the Jennifer not one person could recall an instance when the
00:14:34
pair were in Conflict their home was always full of love and joy with the pair hosting
00:14:40
Weekly game nights with friends and often traveling into state to visit extended
00:14:47
family jimie and Jennifer were only ever unashamedly affectionate towards each other the type of couple to wear
00:14:54
matching outfits when traveling on cruises together everyone agreed the faiths had the kind of relationship
00:15:02
that made them jealous according to Jennifer in the leadup to Jaime's death he didn't appear
00:15:12
to be afraid or express any concern for his safety although she was aware of a recent incident at work that had caused
00:15:20
him some distress Jaimie enjoyed his job at American Airlines and was well liked by
00:15:27
his co-workers that made it all the more difficult when he was tasked with laying
00:15:32
off 20 of his colleagues due to the covid-19 pandemic Jaimie struggled to choose
00:15:38
which of his team members should go as he wanted all of them to stay the process brought him to tears
00:15:46
but he ultimately went ahead and made the cut investigators spoke to jimie superiors none of them were aware of any
00:15:56
disgruntled former employees but they handed over the names of those who were recently let
00:16:02
go investigators questioned each individual but found no indication that any of them blamed to jimie for losing
00:16:09
their jobs nor did they hold a grudge against him with no suspects emerging from
00:16:16
Jaime's home or work life investigators expanded their search and came across a promising
00:16:22
lead prior to meeting jimie Jennifer had been married twice before both marriages
00:16:29
were dysfunctional and short-lived but it was the first marriage that raised a significant red
00:16:36
flag when Jennifer unexpectedly became pregnant in 1996 her husband decided he didn't want a family and abruptly left
00:16:45
her before their daughter was born by the time Jennifer met jimie her daughter was 8 years
00:16:53
old Jaimie wholeheartedly embraced the role of stepfather and legally adopted Jennifer daughter when she turned
00:17:01
18 while her biological father had remained a stranger throughout her life investigators wondered if he harbored
00:17:08
animosity towards Jaimie for moving in on his family the day before Jamie was killed
00:17:15
he and Jennifer had celebrated the 15th anniversary of the day they first met the killer stole Jaime's wedding ring
00:17:23
and attempted to take Jennifer's too the Rings were worth around $3,000 not enough to justify murder as
00:17:32
far as investigators were concerned therefore they wondered if the timing wasn't a
00:17:39
coincidence perhaps taking the Rings was meant to be a symbolic [Music] act with nothing to prove this Theory
00:17:50
all other possibilities had to be considered the area around South Waverly Drive was being gentrified with
00:17:57
successful career re orientated couples like the faith seen as harbingers of this
00:18:03
change investigators wondered whether the attack aimed to ward off further gentrification alternatively what if
00:18:12
jimie had angered a stranger in a road rage incident or something similar and they'd followed him home to confront
00:18:19
him there was also speculation that the killer had intended to abduct Jennifer but was forced to abandon his plan when
00:18:27
neighbors came to her rest resue whatever the truth there was a degree of certainty that the case would
00:18:34
resolve itself once the suspect's vehicle was identified yet weeks passed without a
00:18:40
breakthrough despite a $5,000 reward on offer for information determined to find her
00:18:48
husband's killer Jennifer Faith started a group text message thread with upwards
00:18:53
of 15 of her closest and trusted friends and family this allowed her to keep messages
00:18:59
in one place so that everyone received the latest updates in Jim's case she kept them informed about how
00:19:07
her and her daughter were coping while also divulging key information about the investigation that the public wasn't
00:19:14
privy to the group discussed the possibility that jimie could have been targeted by a
00:19:20
serial killer who had been shooting people at random around Dallas by November 2020 the gunman had
00:19:28
carried out multiple attacks over a 2-month period claiming four known victims and injuring many
00:19:35
others he operated from a black Chevy Tahoe a somewhat similar vehicle to the one used by Jim's
00:19:43
killer Jennifer presented the theory to the police but they were unwilling to explore a potential link supporters in
00:19:51
her group chat criticized detectives for not doing their jobs and for letting Jaime's case fall through the cracks
00:19:58
[Music] Jennifer encouraged the group to remain on the lookout for black pickup trucks
00:20:05
and report them to police she expressed frustration that in an era where cameras were everywhere
00:20:12
none had clearly captured the license plate of her husband's killer as the weeks wore on the mystery
00:20:20
persisted and the group chat gradually fell quiet the general sentiment was that no
00:20:27
one was going to be held accountable for Jaime's murder an emotional Jennifer Faith
00:20:36
fronted the media to appeal for help she voiced her fear that the case was going
00:20:42
cold and pleaded with Texans to be on the lookout for the black pickup with the Texas Rangers
00:20:49
sticker the problem was black pickups were common throughout the state and the Texas Rangers Fan base stretched far and
00:20:57
wide furthermore Jaime's death was just one of 200 homicides reported in Dallas in
00:21:04
2020 and police resources were spread incredibly thin while Jennifer acknowledged this
00:21:12
she was dismayed by how little information police were giving her regarding the progress of her husband's
00:21:18
case Jennifer begged at the community if you know what happened I need that forclosure I need to make some
00:21:27
sense out of this as for the offender she said I just hope that at some point this
00:21:35
person can recognize the gravity of what they've done and what they've taken from
00:21:39
myself and my daughter and feel some sort of guilt enough to come forward we just really need some
00:21:49
answers with the killer on the loose the local community lived in fear that he would strike
00:21:55
again residents of South Waverly Drive were reluctant to venture outside and those who did were constantly looking
00:22:03
over their shoulder Jennifer admitted to her loved ones that she was struggling to
00:22:09
sleep sometimes she broke down in inconsolable sobbing fits other times she was an emotional Blank Slate saying
00:22:17
she didn't feel anything at all one of the hardest things for Jennifer was that she still had to walk
00:22:24
her dog Maggie which was something she only ever did with the Jamie she confided in others that she was
00:22:31
terrified of going out alone in case Jim's killer was waiting to finish the job neighbors pushed their own
00:22:39
apprehension aside to walk with the Jennifer in a group they were on edge the entire time
00:22:46
constantly scanning the road in all directions for the black pickup truck the rest of the community also
00:22:54
rallied together with over 50 families participating in a meal trip to provide Jennifer and her daughter with food each
00:23:02
day jimie had been the breadwinner of the family at the time of his death as Jennifer had taken a break from work
00:23:09
during the pandemic recognizing the financial struggles she faced a friend of Jennifer's gave her a $5,000 check to
00:23:18
help pay for daily expenses another supporter organized an online fundraiser for Jaime's funeral
00:23:25
which raised over $60,000 in less than a week Jennifer expressed her gratitude by
00:23:32
organizing two Memorial services for jimie one locally and another in Arizona where they'd first
00:23:40
met it was also where jimie had spent over 20 years of his life until a job promotion led him to relocate his family
00:23:47
to Texas the two Services allowed Jennifer to grieve with friends old and new while
00:23:54
eulogizing the loss of the man she called the backbone of her her family when Thanksgiving passed in
00:24:02
November Jennifer spoke of how gut-wrenching it was to look at the empty dining chair where jimie typically
00:24:09
sat she told a reporter for Fox 4 all I know is jimie was my best friend and the best husband and father anyone
00:24:18
could ask for it's been horrible I teeda between completely heartbroken and completely devastated every day
00:24:30
homicide detectives checked in on Jennifer often and sometimes joined her in prayer but they also had something
00:24:37
uncomfortable to address hours after Jamie was killed they had asked Jennifer if she would
00:24:44
consent to having her cell phone examined they explained this was just a formality to ensure they conducted a
00:24:51
fair investigation across the board and clarified that Jennifer wasn't being considered a suspect
00:25:00
Jennifer was initially hesitant to hand over her phone but she ultimately agreed
00:25:05
to do so on it investigators found text messages sent between Jennifer and a close friend of hers named Tina
00:25:14
sprang the pair kept one another updated about what was going on in their lives nothing of which was particularly
00:25:22
noteworthy that was until investigators scrolled back in the women's text history to Monday April ail 20 2020 6
00:25:30
months before jimie was gunned down that day Jennifer sent Tina a string of texts that
00:25:40
began so I have no idea when I am going to be able to talk to you over the phone
00:25:46
but I am pretty much having a full-blown emotional [Music] affair Jennifer Faith revealed to her
00:25:58
friend Tina that the person she was having an emotional affair with was a man named Darren
00:26:04
Lopez the two had dated in high school 30 years prior and amicably broke up during their first year of college when
00:26:12
Darren was deployed overseas with the military he went on to join the Special Forces but had since retired and was
00:26:20
living in Tennessee he'd reached out to Jennifer online a month earlier and although they
00:26:26
hadn't yet met up in person texted all day every day and spoke on the phone too Jennifer admitted to Tina that the
00:26:35
whole situation was crazy and stupid she said that jimie knew about the affair and he was scared and
00:26:44
sad she Justified her actions by divulging that she and jimie hadn't been intimate in 4 years despite her efforts
00:26:51
to initiate she felt like they loved each other but weren't in love with each other
00:26:59
there was no passion between them anymore and the only romantic thing Jamie did was give her
00:27:05
hugs Jennifer admitted I don't feel wanted by him at all other than to be his partner despite these issues Jennifer
00:27:15
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
00:27:22
they made a great parenting team it was only when Darren reappeared on the scene that she started
00:27:28
questioning things Jennifer confessed to Tina the emotions and the connection I feel like I am being torn in
00:27:39
two Tina gave her credit for being upfront with Jamie and not going behind his back Jennifer revealed that Darren
00:27:48
had devised a 5-year plan that would enable them to start a new life together while she wasn't going to make
00:27:55
any moves or do anything rash anytime soon she admitted but I'm not going to stop
00:28:02
talking to Darren either when Jennifer was first interviewed by detectives after Jaime's
00:28:09
Murder She had alluded to there being some intimacy problems in her marriage but maintained it was otherwise perfect
00:28:17
she made no mention of her relationship with Darren and no one else in her life seemed to be aware of it
00:28:24
either when police checked to Jennifer's cell phone there were no calls or texts
00:28:29
from Darren they wondered if she had deleted the evidence of her infidelity in anticipation of her phone being searched
00:28:37
while forgetting about the interaction she'd had with Tina sprang back in April there was also the possibility
00:28:45
that she didn't mention the emotional affair because it had fizzled out entirely 2 months before J's murder Tina
00:28:53
had texted Jennifer you still talking to that guy Jennifer responded I put the brakes on with
00:29:02
him while she admitted she still had strong emotions for Darren and it had been a hard decision she said Jaimie was
00:29:10
so Hur and internalizing everything and she couldn't do it to him although Jennifer didn't have any
00:29:19
communication history with Darren on her phone she did have his name number email
00:29:25
and residential address in her list of contacts Darren Lopez lived in the unincorporated
00:29:32
community of Cumberland Furnace in Northern Tennessee 650 Mi east of Jennifer's home a police check revealed that
00:29:41
48-year-old Darren had no history with law enforcement however registered under his
00:29:47
name was a black 2004 Nissen Titan pickup truck police in Texas reached out to to
00:29:58
their Tennessee counterparts who agreed to drive by Darren Lopez's property on the lookout for the pickup
00:30:04
truck Darren lived on a 20 acre ranch on an isolated rural stretch defined by Forest and
00:30:11
farmland his house wasn't visible from the street so a police helicopter was dispatched to conduct aerial
00:30:19
surveillance the view from overhead revealed that the property featured various out buildings including a barn
00:30:26
and several sheds a couple of horses were gathered around a modest Farmhouse where a black pickup
00:30:33
truck was parked a white sticker of the letter T visible on its rear windshield detectives realized they'd
00:30:42
been mistaken they had assumed Jamie Faith's killer was a Texan after misidentifying
00:30:49
the t- sticker on his car for the emblem of the Texas Rangers baseball team it was in fact a similarly designed
00:30:57
logo for the University of Tennessee investigators Unearthed what they could about Darren Lopez and
00:31:05
learned that he and Jennifer had indeed attended High School in Arizona together
00:31:10
before going to the same College Darren joined the military within a year and went on to become a
00:31:16
medic in the Special Forces where he was specially trained to keep a critically injured casualty alive on his own for 7
00:31:25
Days Darren had been deployed overseas multiple times including two active War zones in the Middle
00:31:32
East he was known for being compassionate towards the locals in these areas checking in on them and
00:31:38
offering his help while tending to their wounds and playing with their children in 2005 Darren was in Iraq
00:31:47
traveling in a hanvey when it was blown up by a roadside improvised explosive device the blast knocked to Darren
00:31:56
unconscious when he came to he searched the vehicle's remains for survivors he pulled out a fellow soldier
00:32:04
who had stopped a breathing and provided Aid that saved the man's life they along with two other soldiers
00:32:13
were the only survivors 19 others were killed aside from the concussion one of Darren's eard drums was blown out but
00:32:23
that appeared to be the worst of his injuries as a medic Darren was fundamental to his 12-man Squad and
00:32:31
without him they would all be pulled from Duty he spent just 5 days recovering before being sent back into
00:32:39
[Music] operation it took another 5 years before Darren Lopez was diagnosed with a
00:32:48
traumatic brain injury as a direct result of the hanvey blast along with post-traumatic stress
00:32:54
disorder he was deployed once more before higher ups ruled him out of combat entirely after 26 years of service he
00:33:04
was discharged as a decorated and respected Soldier having earned a purple heart and two bronze star medals for his
00:33:11
heroic achievements by 2020 Darren had separated from his wife of 23 years with whom he had five daughters two of which
00:33:22
were stepchildren he was living off disability and Social Security payments as he was unable to adjust to civilian
00:33:30
employment even though there was nothing to indicate Darren was a danger to society detectives were aware that he
00:33:37
was trained to kill Jennifer Faith had told her friend Tina sprang she had to put the breakes
00:33:44
on her emotional affair with Darren to recommit to jimie this led investigators to consider
00:33:51
whether Darren could have been fueled by rejection jealousy or revenge and had decided to murder her
00:33:58
husband maybe he hoped that by getting Jaimie out of the picture he could have Jennifer all to
00:34:06
himself while it was a solid Theory investigators had no proof they decided to keep their
00:34:13
suspicions under WPS as they gathered further Evidence although Darren didn't appear
00:34:19
to be a threat he was placed under 24-hour covert surveillance cameras were hidden in the
00:34:25
trees around his home while Undercover officers tailed him in unmarked Vehicles whenever he left the
00:34:31
property officers mentioned nothing about Darren to Jenifer Faith now that they knew she was keeping secrets she
00:34:40
couldn't be trusted Jennifer's cell phone had since been returned to her and she was asked
00:34:50
to voluntarily resubmit it for further analysis she was once again reluctant but eventually handed delivered it to
00:34:58
the police station investigators hoped a data extraction would reveal Communications
00:35:04
she might have had with Darren Lopez as it could recover deleted call logs texts
00:35:10
videos photos files and emails if nothing else it would confirm whether content had been deleted even if
00:35:18
it couldn't be fully restored but the data extraction revealed absolutely nothing this meant the device had been
00:35:27
wiped clean with a factory reset a process that restored the phone to the same condition as when it was first
00:35:35
purchased in the meantime investigators had noticed that the t- sticker on the back of Darren Lopez's truck had
00:35:43
disappeared Darren had also added a different white decal to the left side of the tailgate as if attempting to
00:35:50
change his truck's appearance still he didn't meet up with the Jennifer or do anything to
00:35:56
incriminate himself self in Jamie Faith's murder he just carried on his life as normal it occurred to investigators that
00:36:05
if Darren had no reason to believe he was being viewed with suspicion then he had no reason to conceal
00:36:12
evidence it was therefore possible that his cell phone still contained the extensive history of communication with
00:36:19
the Jennifer Faith they were looking for there was no legal way to search the device directly without a leing Darren
00:36:28
at which point he could swiftly perform a factory resear so investigators took a
00:36:34
different approach in January 2021 4 months after Jamie Faith's murder they obtained
00:36:41
records from Darren's cellular service provider which showed a history of all incoming and outgoing calls and texts on
00:36:48
his device while the provider had no way of uncovering what was said in these interactions they could ascertain who
00:36:56
initiated contact when where and for how long astoundingly in the 10 months between March 2020 and January 2021
00:37:09
Darren Lopez's cell phone had been in contact with the Jennifer Faith cell phone over
00:37:15
280,000 times the pair typically sent each other upwards of 500 texts a day in October
00:37:24
the month that jimie was killed Darren and Jennifer who contacted each other more than 13,000
00:37:31
times the longest they went without interacting was 10 hours except for in one instance from 1:07 p.m. on Thursday
00:37:41
October 8th 2020 and 5:18 p.m. on Friday October 9 2020 there was no contact between the two phones for 28
00:37:53
hours this just so happened to be the time period in which Jamie Faith was [Music]
00:38:01
murdered this information coupled with records pulled from cell towers GPS data Wi-Fi access points and Bluetooth
00:38:10
beacons enabled investigators to piece together a timeline of evance on the afternoon of Thursday
00:38:17
October 8th 2020 the day before jimie was killed Darren's cell was tracked to his Tennessee
00:38:25
home by 1: p.m. he and Jennifer had messaged each other 133 times at 107 Darren received a text from
00:38:36
Jennifer marking their final interaction 20 minutes later Darren's device was on the
00:38:44
move it pinged off of various cell towers leaving breadcrumbs for investigators to
00:38:51
follow around this same time Darren's phone was used to search online for directions to the Faith's residence
00:38:59
which was a 10-hour driveway Darren's Soul moved South until 1:51 p.m. when it stopped at a gas
00:39:09
station CCTV footage captured Darren Lopez as he pumped a gas into his black pickup truck the white t sticker visible
00:39:18
on its rear windshield he then entered the gas station wearing a blue face mask over
00:39:24
his nose and mouth a sale receipt confirmed that Darren had purchased the fuel a DVD and
00:39:31
some snacks using cash preventing the record of this sale from appearing in his bank
00:39:38
account the CCTV footage was a major find because it established that Darren was traveling alone in his truck with
00:39:46
his cell phone eliminating the possibility that someone else was using his vehicle or phone that
00:39:53
day at 2:19 p.m. Darren was tracked to driving West until he crossed the border into the state of
00:40:01
Arkansas he traveled along Interstate 40 which leads to inter state3 and into Texas from 6:00 p.m. Darren's device was
00:40:12
no longer traceable it seemed he knew that he could be traced via his phone and had
00:40:18
the foresight to turn it off before reaching Texas in a bizarre move that left investigators L perplexed Darren turned
00:40:29
his device back on at 1:47 a.m. it immediately pinpointed his location as Dallas
00:40:38
Texas again he used the internet to search for directions to the Faith's residence on South Waverly
00:40:45
Drive he drove past their house at 2:18 a.m. before becoming untraceable again the shadowy figure loitering at
00:40:55
the vacant property next door to the faiths was captured on security footage 10 minutes
00:41:01
later their outfit and the shape of their body matched to Darren Lopez to a te right down to the blue
00:41:10
mask when Jamie Faith was killed 5 hours later at 7:30 a.m. Witnesses described the as salant as fitting Darren's
00:41:20
description for the next 9 hours Darren's cell phone remained untraceable then at 5 p.m. he turned the
00:41:28
device on and was geolocated at the same gas station back in Tennessee where he once again paid for his purchases with
00:41:37
cash he also texted Jennifer faith for the first time in 28 hours the pair messaged back and forth
00:41:46
approximately 50 times until Darren arrived home shortly after 6 p.m. where they continued texting and also spoke on
00:41:55
the phone twice before the day was through from that point on Darren and Jennifer continued to contact each other
00:42:04
hundreds of times a day it was evident that Jennifer had cleared her phone of these interactions before submitting it
00:42:11
to the police what the pair discussed during their lengthy Affair remained a mystery
00:42:18
but investigators felt it was time to make their move and find out police knew that arresting Darren Lopez
00:42:30
was fraught with risk his background with special forces meant he was an elite trained killer if the arrest was
00:42:38
handled poorly police feared Darren might feel like he had nothing left to lose and to do something
00:42:45
drastic he might have used his knowledge of warfare to booby trap his home or prepare for a
00:42:51
Siege the decision was therefore made to Target Darren while he was away from his
00:42:56
home this would also prevent him from destroying any evidence or arming himself with any weapons that might be
00:43:03
stashed on the premises on Thursday January 7 2021 4 months after Jaime's murder
00:43:12
investigators followed Darren as he was out driving with one of his daughters after they pulled into a
00:43:19
parking spot police made their approach against expectations Darren exited the vehicle calmly and offered no
00:43:28
resistance when placed in handcuffs he was quiet and appeared nervous upon learning of the multi-state
00:43:36
police operation that had been carried out under his nose in a subsequent police interview
00:43:42
Darren denied having been to Dallas though he did admit to knowing Jennifer Faith he became Misty eyed as he recall
00:43:51
memories of their youth together saying they'd reconnected online almost a year prior
00:43:58
according to Darren his relationship with the Jennifer was just friendly she was using her expertise as a therapist
00:44:06
to help him get through a difficult divorce Darren believed that Jennifer had been happily married and he
00:44:13
maintained that he hadn't crossed any inappropriate lines when Darren was queried about the
00:44:20
Tea sticker that had been removed from his truck he abruptly shut down and demanded an attorney
00:44:29
meanwhile police were undertaking a search of Darren's Ranch in Tennessee on his front porch was a large
00:44:37
narrow cardboard box featuring the logo of shipping company FedEx it was addressed from Jennifer to
00:44:45
Darren the box was empty but officers soon found what it had contained in Darren's living room a brand new 55 in
00:44:54
flat screen television the filthy state of Darren's house was unlike anything the officers had ever
00:45:02
seen they described it as deplorable and took it as a major sign that Darren was
00:45:07
mentally unwell and struggling to cope officers had to dig through piles of clothes trash old food and clutter in
00:45:17
search for evidence they came across more packages from Jennifer as well as some letters
00:45:24
she wrote to Darren in one she referred to him as her soulmate in another she called him her One and Only
00:45:34
Love an array of ammunition was found all over the house in boxes and Loosely scattered about on the floor near
00:45:43
Darren's bed was a tan colored military style Satchel inside was a DVD and some snacks
00:45:50
that Darren had purchased at the gas station while on route to Dallas in October 2020
00:45:57
there was also a rolled up t-shirt officers unraveled the shirt to find that it contained a loaded Smith
00:46:06
and Wesson 45 caliber silver handgun its Barrel was smeared with a discolored substance the unregistered gun was
00:46:16
traced to a foreign Firearms dealer in Belgium when tested it produced imprints on the bullet casings that matched those
00:46:25
recovered from the scene of Jamie Faith's shooting furthermore the discolored substance on the barrel was confirmed to
00:46:33
be Jam's blood the discovery of the murder weapon was surprising given that Darren had
00:46:41
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
00:46:51
trophy at the same time that Darren Lopez was placed under arrest police conducted an another interview with the
00:46:58
Jennifer Faith they wanted to get all the information they could from her before
00:47:03
she found out Darren was in custody in case she stopped cooperating entirely Jennifer maintained the same
00:47:11
story she'd been telling from the outset about the unknown dark-eyed gunman then for the first time a
00:47:19
detective asked her have you ever heard the name Darren Jennifer became noticeably
00:47:28
tense she explained that Darren was her former High School boyfriend when asked why she had never
00:47:35
mentioned him Jennifer paused for a moment before saying that she hadn't seen Darren since
00:47:42
1993 she was then presented with the phone data proving she and Darren had sent hundreds of thousands of texts in
00:47:49
the past year with the detective telling her I know there's more to you and a Darren's relationship
00:47:58
Jennifer replied staunchly I don't know what you're talking about the detective pressed on taking
00:48:07
Jennifer back to Friday October 9 2020 personally in my heart I believe you know what happened that day he
00:48:17
said I'm going to tell you like this Jennifer I know that Darren killed your husband Jennifer flat out rejected the
00:48:27
accusation she admitted that she and Darren had recently been in contact and were caught up in Old emotions but she
00:48:35
said she'd put an end to anything romantic in August 2020 since then Jennifer said they were
00:48:43
just friends and claimed she was helping Darren navigate through tough times the interviewing detective
00:48:52
said the same guy that killed your husband is the same guy that you're communicating with every day how could
00:48:59
you talk to somebody that killed your husband Jennifer appeared to be shocked I wouldn't do that why would I
00:49:08
do that she replied I didn't know he killed my husband I still don't know that he
00:49:14
killed my husband the fact that Jennifer had led the police to so many dead ends made
00:49:22
them suspect that she was lying to protect Darren what they couldn't feel figure out was why she didn't just leave
00:49:28
Jamie if she no longer wanted to be with him why did he have to die when presented with this question
00:49:37
Jennifer stopped talking and asked for an attorney Jennifer's assertions highlighted a major issue in the
00:49:47
unraveling case despite everything that had been uncovered so far investigators still
00:49:54
hadn't found any evidence of Jennifer for scheming with Darren to remove Jaimie from the pitcher or encouraging
00:50:01
him to kill just because the two had remained in contact after Jaimie was killed it
00:50:07
didn't prove Jennifer was involved in the crime the question therefore remained as
00:50:13
to what role if any she played in her husband's murder investigators hoped that the
00:50:21
answers would be found in Darren's cell phone which they had swiftly confiscated
00:50:26
upon arrest despite leaving him with no time to interact with the device it appeared
00:50:33
to have already been wiped clean of any of his Communications with the Jennifer it was assumed that Darren had
00:50:40
performed a factory reset but a daughter extraction was conducted regardless it turned out that Darren
00:50:48
wasn't particularly techsavvy while he had managed to permanently delete most of his text message history
00:50:55
with the genifer he had failed to completely erase all the data despite Darren and Jennifer's
00:51:03
claims of a platonic friendship the recovered texts revealed that their relationship was indeed
00:51:10
intimate Darren texted Jennifer things like I am so in love with you to which she responded I truly can't be without
00:51:20
you at this point Jennifer suggested that she move in with Darren which he thought was a
00:51:27
great idea the pair also engaged in many explicit sexual conversations both before and after Jaime's
00:51:36
murder some were extreme centering around topics like dominance submission bondage voyerism and even
00:51:46
rape the most compelling messages were in relation to the ongoing investigation into Jim's murder after Jennifer made a
00:51:55
public appeal to find the suspect's vehicle she texted Darren so I woke up in a little bit of a
00:52:02
panic something is eating away at me telling me you need to take the sticker out of the back window of the
00:52:08
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
00:52:16
really well Darren assured Jennifer that he would take care of it but by the next
00:52:23
day she was increasingly anxious I know you're going to think I'm crazy she messaged to Darren but it's really
00:52:32
nagging at me I have a bad feeling and I really think you need to get that sticker off
00:52:38
ASAP like today he later messaged her sticker done Jennifer replied Oh yay I feel so much
00:52:50
better in other messages Jennifer told Darren that if the police ever asked about her he should say they were old
00:52:58
friends they were only speaking daily because Jennifer was giving him advice as he went through a difficult
00:53:05
divorce she told Darren to say that as far as he knew her marriage to jimie was a happy
00:53:11
one she also added Darren to the private group text message thread that she used
00:53:16
to keep her close friends and family updated on her husband's case at one stage she complained to
00:53:24
Darren about having to do a press interview as J bereaved Widow saying the reporter sucked but I did
00:53:32
fine he insisted on having me look at a stupid photo book of Jamie at the end bath on multiple occasions Jennifer told
00:53:44
Darren she was clearing her phone by doing a factory reset and she instructed him to do the
00:53:51
same when Darren thought he had done so Jennifer replied big smile over here at that at one point Jennifer and Darren
00:54:05
discussed the Jim's life insurance policy which was worth over $600,000 Jenifer was the sole
00:54:13
beneficiary while Jaimie also had a further $400,000 in a retirement account a month after Jaime's murder
00:54:22
Jennifer had attempted to collect some of the money but she was denied she vented about it in a text to Darren
00:54:30
saying they aren't processing the claim yet because the detectives told them I couldn't be ruled out as a suspect so I
00:54:37
called them and basically said what the [ __ ] the pair discussed using the money
00:54:44
to apply for a residence in Jennifer's name in Tennessee Jennifer was also the sole
00:54:51
beneficiary of the $60,000 in donations collected via the online fundraiser for Jaime's funeral
00:54:59
services she began withdrawing from these funds almost immediately within 4 days she had taken
00:55:06
out over $30,000 and within weeks there was nothing left the two Memorial services for Jamie
00:55:15
had only cost to Jennifer $6,000 which she hadn't even paid credit reports reflected that by
00:55:23
2020 Darren Lopez was having severe financial problems he was at least 120 days P due on mortgage payments totaling
00:55:33
over $338,000 and foreclosure had been initiated in October failure to pay his water bills resulted in the water to his
00:55:42
house being shut off online records showed that Jennifer had transferred large amounts of money
00:55:49
to Darren after Jaime's Murder She had also bought him the new television airline tickets
00:55:56
and had granted him access to her credit cards texting please don't hesitate to use them for whatever you
00:56:05
need Jennifer used the money fundraised on her behalf to help pay back over $100,000 that she and Darren had spent
00:56:14
on the credit cards she told Darren that if detectives ever asked why Jennifer was giving him
00:56:20
money he should say that she was supporting him through his financial hardship I'll answer the same way she texted him
00:56:29
just so you and I have the same explanations Darren responded I like it with this evidence coming to light
00:56:40
investigators suspected that Jennifer had hired Darren to kill her husband given Darren's Elite military training
00:56:48
Not only was he the ideal Hitman he also had the financial and romantic motives to do
00:56:54
so but with with no admissions from either party and no concrete evidence to prove it it remained pure
00:57:05
speculation what was abundantly clear was that Jennifer Faith's private Persona was very different from The
00:57:12
Grieving widow she portrayed in public in reality she was careful and cunning she asserted that she had no
00:57:21
idea who killed her husband while keeping the man she was having an emotional affair with secret from
00:57:28
investigators she lied to her friend about ending things with Darren when she was still messaging him
00:57:34
excessively she provided false information and a deadend leads to misdirect the police and
00:57:41
public she coached Darren on how to respond to police questions and instigated the destruction of crucial
00:57:50
evidence investigators viewed Jennifer's conduct and corrupt actions as a culated
00:57:56
attempt to obstruct the criminal investigation as a result she was charged with obstruction of justice to
00:58:04
which she pleaded not guilty given that authorities still didn't have anything to prove Jennifer
00:58:11
was complicit in her husband's Murder She was released pending further investigations with suspicions cast
00:58:19
squarely on her detectives were curious to see her next move they knew that there was still more
00:58:26
to uncover but felt confident they were about to close the case the situation appeared to be a
00:58:33
sorted love triangle with fatal consequences which was nothing that they hadn't seen
00:58:40
before in the meantime Darren Lopez was charged with the murder of jimie Faith as well as transporting a firearm in
00:58:48
interstate commerce case detectives were lorded for their dedicated and meticulous police
00:58:54
work with the chief of the Dallas Police Department saying I am pleased to see that there were no Stones left unturned
00:59:02
during the course of this investigation and that our collaborative efforts have brought those involved to
00:59:11
Justice Darren Lopez pleaded not guilty and was remanded in custody to await his
00:59:18
trial meanwhile Jennifer Faith asked a third party to forward a message onto Darren in jail
00:59:26
aware that all their Communications would be monitored Jennifer just wanted Darren to know that she was with him and
00:59:34
would always be with him no matter what had happened it was an intriguing comment
00:59:40
that seemed to support jenifer's claims that she didn't know the full extent of Darren's
00:59:46
actions yet she remained unfaced and fully committed to him even though he was charged with the Jim's
00:59:54
murder Jennifer told her messenger please tell Darren ASAP I will always be his Darren responded to Jennifer via the
01:00:06
messenger saying please stay strong for us he referred to himself as her Knight a noble and chalous Warrior charged with
01:00:17
protecting her as Darren's trial loomed his ex-wife began taking care of several financial
01:00:26
matters on his behalf in order to do this Darren gave her access to his email account as she navigated his inbox she
01:00:37
came across something [Music] shocking to be continued next week [Music] [Music]
01:01:25
for

Badges

This episode stands out for the following:

  • 90
    Most heartbreaking
  • 90
    Biggest twist
  • 85
    Most shocking
  • 80
    Most emotional

Episode Highlights

  • The Tragic Shooting of Jamie Faith
    In October 2020, Jamie Faith was shot multiple times in a shocking act of violence in his neighborhood. His wife, Jennifer, was left to grapple with the aftermath and the search for answers.
    “This level of Overkill was uncharacteristic of a bungled robbery.”
    @ 12m 18s
    August 17, 2024
  • Jennifer's Plea for Justice
    Jennifer Faith made a heartfelt appeal to the public for help in finding her husband's killer, expressing her fear that the case was going cold.
    “I need that forclosure. I need to make some sense out of this.”
    @ 21m 24s
    August 17, 2024
  • Jennifer's Emotional Affair
    Jennifer reveals her emotional affair with Darren, complicating her marriage to Jaime.
    “I don't feel wanted by him at all.”
    @ 27m 09s
    August 17, 2024
  • Darren's Military Background
    Darren Lopez, a decorated soldier, had a history of service and trauma.
    “Darren was an elite trained killer.”
    @ 42m 33s
    August 17, 2024
  • The Arrest of Darren Lopez
    Darren is arrested four months after Jaime's murder, raising concerns about his military training.
    “He might have used his knowledge of warfare to booby trap his home.”
    @ 42m 42s
    August 17, 2024
  • Jennifer's Confession
    Jennifer claimed she had no knowledge of her husband's murder, raising suspicions.
    “I didn't know he killed my husband.”
    @ 49m 12s
    August 17, 2024
  • Unwavering Loyalty
    Despite the charges against Darren, Jennifer expressed her commitment to him.
    “Please tell Darren ASAP I will always be his.”
    @ 01h 00m 03s
    August 17, 2024
  • Darren's Support
    Darren referred to himself as Jennifer's Knight, promising to protect her.
    “Please stay strong for us.”
    @ 01h 00m 11s
    August 17, 2024

Episode Quotes

  • I don't feel wanted by him at all.
    A dog walk turns fatal in the suburbs of Texas (Part 1/2)
  • The emotions and the connection I feel like I am being torn in two.
    A dog walk turns fatal in the suburbs of Texas (Part 1/2)
  • Darren was an elite trained killer.
    A dog walk turns fatal in the suburbs of Texas (Part 1/2)
  • He might have used his knowledge of warfare to booby trap his home.
    A dog walk turns fatal in the suburbs of Texas (Part 1/2)
  • I didn't know he killed my husband.
    A dog walk turns fatal in the suburbs of Texas (Part 1/2)
  • Please stay strong for us.
    A dog walk turns fatal in the suburbs of Texas (Part 1/2)

Key Moments

  • Emotional Turmoil22:09
  • Community Support22:57
  • Affair Revelation28:02
  • Military Background42:33
  • Arrest Concerns42:42
  • Shocking Revelation49:12
  • Unwavering Commitment1:00:03
  • Knight in Shining Armor1:00:11

Words per Minute Over Time

Vibes Breakdown