Wife of Slain American Airlines Executive Admits Love Triangle ‘Murder for Hire’ Plot

The widow of a senior American Airlines executive has pleaded guilty to orchestrating her husband’s murder by convincing a man with whom she was having an affair to shoot him seven times at close range.

Jennifer Lynne Faith, 49, of Oak Cliff, Texas, pleaded guilty to a ‘murder for hire’ charge but as part of a plea agreement prosecutors will push for Faith to be sentenced to life imprisonment rather than face the death penalty. Prosecutors also agreed to drop a separate charge of obstruction of justice.

Jamie Faith, American Airlines’ Director of Technology, was murdered outside his home on October 9, 2020, by Darrin Ruben Lopez, who was having a “full-blown” affair with Ms Faith, prosecutors allege.

Lopez drove for more than 10-hours from his home in Tennessee and laid in wait outside the couple’s home near Dallas until they both left to walk their dog. Lopez then gunned Mr Faith down at close range, shooting him at least seven times.

Jamie suffered three devastating gunshot wounds to the head, three to the torso, and one gunshot wound to the groin.

Prosecutors claimed Lopez was persuaded to carry out the murder by Ms Faith after she concocted a story that made him falsely believe that she was being physically and sexually abused by her husband.

“Lies, deceit and ultimately the murder of a loving spouse. After attempting to manipulate family, friends and caring citizens, Mrs. Faith has now admitted to her heinous acts,” commented ATF Dallas Field Division Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey C. Boshek II on Monday.

During the Spring and Summer of 2020, Mrs Faith emailed her boyfriend multiple times pretending to be her husband and taunting Lopez with graphic details of “extreme physical and sexual abuse” that he had falsely dished out on his wife including choking and burning her.

Jennifer even attached photos of fake injuries to make her story more convincing but prosecutors have found “absolutely no evidence” of domestic or sexual violence.

Using a second email address, Mrs Faith took on the identity of a friend who emailed Lopez pleading with him to help free Jennifer from the abuse.

“I know I won’t feel better about her situation until she is out of the house away from him or she lets me put a bullet in Jamie’s head,” Lopez responded to one email in May 2020.

After the murder, Jennifer appeared on television weeping as she pleaded for help in helping to catch her husband’s murderer. Shortly after the murder, Jennifer withdrew $58,000 from a GoFundMe account that had been set up to support the family and spent some of the money on gifts for Lopez, including a large-screen television and airline tickets.