A LOVE triangle ended in death as a wife and her boyfriend were found guilty of killing her husband.
James ‘Jamie’ Faith appeared to be unexpectedly gunned down but it turns out, his homicide was planned by Jennifer Faith for quite some time.
Who was James Faith?
Born on May 11, 1971, James ‘Jamie’ Faith was a technology director and software engineer from Madison, Wisconsin.
Jamie’s loved ones remember him as an avid Green Bay Packers fan who “loved travel, food, and wine, but most of all he loved his family and friends.”
“He had a passion for mentoring others on their career paths and supporting his employees and co-workers in their journeys.”
Before his death, he was the Director of Technology at American Airlines.
What happened to James?
On October 9, 2020, Jamie died after he was shot seven times outside of his home in Oak Cliff, Texas.
It appeared he and his wife Jennifer Faith were attacked by an unknown assailant.
“I turned around and I just saw this person shoot and shoot,” Jennifer told the Dallas Police Department’s homicide division about the ordeal.
“I couldn’t believe – I didn’t know him. Like, why? A lot of shots, five, six, maybe, I feel like. And he just kept going, and I’m like…’stop it!’
“And then I saw the person turn and like, just, dark eyes, coming toward me.
“And so I started…I yelled no, and I started to run, and he tackled me to the ground.
“He was trying to attack me the whole time I was screaming.”
On January 11, 2021, Jennifer’s ex-boyfriend Darrin Lopez was arrested in relation to Jamie’s homicide.
The murder weapon was also recovered from Lopez’s home in Cumberland Furnace, Tennessee.
On February 24, 2021, Jennifer was arrested and charged as well.
The widow’s charges included obstruction of justice and interstate commerce in the commission of murder-for-hire.
It turns out, Jennifer and Darrin rekindled their relationship months before Jamie’s death.
Prosecutors determined Jennifer was the mastermind of the plot to kill Jamie when text messages and emails to Darrin were uncovered.
Throughout their correspondence, Jennifer emailed Darrin from a fake account and pretended to be Jamie to taunt him.
While pretending to be Jamie, Jennifer alleged she was physically abused by her ex-husband so she could effectively provoke Darrin.
On February 7, 2022, Jennifer pleaded guilty to interstate commerce in the commission of murder-for-hire of Jamie.
By agreeing to a plea deal, the obstruction of justice charge was dismissed and she potentially avoided the death penalty for the murder-for-hire charge.
On June 21 of the same year, she was sentenced to life in prison and ordered to pay $6,500 in restitution to Jamie’s family and an additional $250,000 fine.
On July 28, 2023, Darrin was found guilty and sentenced to 62 years in prison.
How can I watch Jamie’s Dateline NBC episode?
Jamie’s homicide investigation is revisited in a Dateline NBC episode titled Losing Faith.
On September 29, 2023, Losing Faith is scheduled to air at 9pm EST via the abovementioned network.
During the broadcast, show anchor Josh Mankiewicz gathers accounts from those who were involved with the case.
For those who miss Friday’s airing, there are a couple of streaming options available.
Audiences who miss the initial broadcast can check out the episode via Hulu or Peacock.
Jamie’s Dateline episode coincides with ABC 20/20’s coverage of the case as well.
That same Friday, 20/20 revisits the investigation during their episode titled Happily Never After, covered by David Muir and Deborah Roberts.