Man blames girlfriend for manipulating him into driving to Dallas to kill her husband

DALLAS - Nearly three years after an American Airlines manager was murdered outside his Oak Cliff home, the accused killer is standing trial.

Opening testimony described the shooting as a plot between the victim's wife and her out-of-state boyfriend. His attorneys call her the mastermind, manipulating him with lies about being a victim of abuse.

The jury heard testimony on Tuesday for about 10 people after opening statements. 

The prosecution is trying to prove the suspect, Darrin Lopez. plotted with Jennifer Faith to drive from Tennessee to kill her husband back in 2020. 

Dallas police say the death of Jamie Faith was a murder-for-hire plotted by his wife, Jennifer, and her boyfriend, Darrin Lopez.

It happened in October 2020 as Jamie and Jennifer were walking their dog near their Oak Cliff home.

"Before James Faith can get down, not even a block, he’s in front of their next-door neighbor’s house. He is ambushed by Darrin Lopez. Completely ambushed. He is shot seven times and left dead on that street," said prosecutor Brandi Mitchell. 

During opening statements, assistant district attorney Brandi Mitchell told the jury that Lopez intentionally drove from Tennessee to kill Jamie.

"He makes a show then of doing some duct tape on Jennifer Faith’s hands to look like some robbery. Then, he takes off back to Tennessee, and their communication starts back up again," Mitchell said. 

Jennifer is now serving life in prison for obstruction of justice and interstate commerce in the commission of murder for hire. 

Lopez’s defense attorney, Juan Sanchez described Faith as the manipulator in the plot.

"Mr. Lopez, a decorated war hero who had suffered a traumatic brain injury and PTSD. It’s documented by the military," Sanchez said. "From the very beginning, she talks to Darrin and deceives him to believe Jamie was abusing her sexually and physically. That he is subjecting her to gang rapes."

Emery Wilson lived down the street from the Faith couple. He says they were the first in the Oak Cliff neighborhood to introduce themselves.

Wilson said the couple would walk their dog together at around the same time in the morning. On the morning of the murder, he was working from home and heard gunshots and screams.

Wilson says he ran towards a body in the street.

"I see someone enter the sidewalk with a gun, turned and looked at me with a blue surgical mask and a hoodie," he recalled. 

Wilson told investigators he stayed with Faith to try and console her. 

Chris Walton is the lead investigator on the case for Dallas police. He said when they got video of the suspect’s vehicle, they went to FOX 4's Trackdown with Shaun Rabb.

The vehicle had a distinct "t" sticker on the back of it. It was traced to Lopez at a Tennessee address. 

Police: Man drove from Tennessee to Dallas to kill ex-girlfriend’s husband

Detective Walton said ATF did a flyover to confirm. 

"We received photos of the property and the truck with the t on it," Walton said.

An ATF agent testified the murder weapon was found inside Lopez’s home with blood on it.

Investigators say leading up to the murder and after, messages between Jennifer Faith and Darrin Lopez were deleted. But Sanchez once again tried to paint the orchestration all by Jennifer Faith. 

"She was telling him you might want to remove that t from your car?" Sanchez asked.

"That’s correct," Walton said.

"At her direction?" Sanchez said.

"That’s correct," Walton said.

Multiple analysts testified about how messages were deleted. They also talked about how the data showed after the murder, messages became more sexual in nature between Faith and Lopez.Man