A Texas mom will spend the rest of her life in federal prison after admitting to her guilt of orchestrating a murder-for-hire plot where she not only targetted her husband but also fooled her high school sweetheart into committing the crime.
Jennifer Faith, 50, was crying as Judge Jane Boyle handed down her sentencing of life imprisonment without parole on Tuesday, June 21, 2022, for the death of Jamie Faith in 2020. The woman also involved and lied to her lover, Darrin Ruben Lopez, a disabled war veteran, who was the triggerman.
Boyle did not hold back when she read Jennifer's sentence and told the mother that what she did to her husband was pure evil and a disgusting betrayal, per the Department of Justice.
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A Convincing Grieving Widow
Jaime was killed on the morning of the couple's 15th wedding anniversary while walking the family dog. Jennifer appeared on the local news to appeal for any leads to the killer. She also talked to the police as a convincing grieving widow.
The couple met in 2005 on a blind date in Phoenix. Jennifer was a single mother raising Amber, then eight years old, while Jamie did not have plans to get tied down. But friends told CBS News that their attraction toward each other was instant. They could not even believe Jamie embraced the fact that he was an instant dad to Amber.
When Amber turned 18 years old, Jamie legally adopted her. In 2017, the family moved to Dallas, where neighbors regarded the Faiths as a fun-loving couple who regularly invited other families and their kids for a pool party at their home.
Jamie's violent death was a shock, but Jennifer received immense support from both their Dallas and Phoenix communities, as fundraisers were established for the grieving widow via GoFundMe. But those who knew the couple were even more devastated when investigations slowly pieced the puzzle of the murder.
Discovering the Truth
It was standard procedure for the police to investigate the wife. Three months after the murder, they discovered cellphone records between Jennifer and Lopez that implicated them in the crime.
Lopez was convinced that Jamie was physically and sexually abusing his wife. So, he made it his mission to save her one day. Investigators believed that Jennifer "weaponized" her high school sweetheart because she went as far as to pose as Jamie or his friends in several emails to taunt Lopez.
These communications allowed the prosecutors to build a case against Jennifer, who was charged with the murder plot in September 2021. She pleaded guilty in February 2022. She also admitted in court that she was aware of Lopez's traumatic brain injury as an army veteran and exploited this so she could manipulate him, per People.
On the other hand, Lopez is still incarcerated in Dallas and awaiting his trial for the murder. He did not know about Jennifer's lies until she was arrested.
At her sentencing hearing, prosecutors introduced into evidence a video of Ms. Faith describing the killing to a @DallasPD homicide detective the morning of her husband’s death. pic.twitter.com/C8lO6p8VsQ
— US Attorney N. Texas (@NDTXnews) June 21, 2022
After Jennifer's arrest, Amber decided to move out of Texas and took the family dog. However, she still talks to her mother in prison at least thrice weekly. According to the police, it's not a surprise because Jennifer is the only mother figure in her life. Still, friends of the family are hoping that Amber will do something special to honor the memory of her stepfather.
