DALLAS (WHDH) — A woman who claimed to be “desperate for answers” regarding her husband’s murder has been charged with obstructing the investigation after authorities say text messages revealed she was in an intimate relationship with the alleged killer and had urged him to destroy evidence.
Jennifer Lynne Faith, 48, was arrested at her residence in Oak Cliff, Texas Wednesday on a charge of destruction of an object with the intent to obstruct a federal investigation, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Prerak Shah announced.
She is slated to make her initial court appearance Friday.
“Sometimes things just aren’t what they seem. Special Agents and Detectives knew Mrs. Faith was hiding something and were able to expose her darkest secrets. She was indeed entangled with the man we believe to have murdered her husband,” stated ATF Special Agent in Charge of the Dallas Field Division Jeffrey C. Boshek II. “Her cowardly attempts to utilize the media to conceal her involvement did not hamper relentless investigators. She will now face the consequences for her misdeeds.”
A search of Faith’s phone revealed she was having what she described as a “full-blown emotional affair” with Darrin Ruben Lopez, 48, who allegedly murdered her husband, James, on Oct. 9, 2020, according to a criminal complaint.
Lopez is accused of driving from his home in Tennessee to the Faiths’ home in Dallas, where he laid in wait until the couple left to walk their dog, then shot James Faith seven times before fleeing the scene, the complaint read.
Ballistic tests reportedly proved that a .45 caliber handgun found inside Lopez’s home on Jan. 11, 2021 was the weapon used to kill James Faith.
Lopez was arrested and charged by the state with murder and by federal officials with transporting a firearm in interstate commerce.
In an interview with law enforcement in January, Jennifer Lynne Faith allegedly admitted that she communicated with Lopez on a daily basis via cellphone but denied an intimate relationship.
An analysis of Lopez’s cellphone seized on the day of his arrest revealed that he was intimately involved with Jennifer Lynne Faith, authorities said.
Jennifer Lynne Faith used her cellphone to update Lopez on her efforts to collect James Faith’s life insurance policy and to coach Lopez on how to respond to potential police questioning, all while publicly projecting herself as a grieving widow on TV, authorities added.
She also allegedly instructed him to remove a sticker decal off his truck that witnesses reported seeing on the day of the murder and told him that she planned to wipe the contents on her cellphone prior to meeting with investigators.
“Don’t text me Monday. I am going to factory reset my phone on Sunday night after deleting texts,” Jennifer Lynne Faith’s text to Lopez reportedly read.
“If asked about you, you are an old friend going through a divorce. We talk every night because I am helping/giving support with the girls since you have sole custody. If it ever comes to it, I’ll answer the same way. Just so you and I have the same explanations. Just thinking in case they [law enforcement] pulled phone records and asked,” she allegedly added.
After meeting with investigators on Jan. 11, they searched Jennifer Lynne Faith’s cellphone and determined she deleted most of her text messages, authorities said, adding that they were able to recover the messages despite the factory reset.
If convicted, Jennifer Lynne Faith faces up to 20 years in federal prison on the obstruction count.
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