Wife of American Airlines executive killed near their Dallas home arrested for obstruction

The wife of an American Airlines executive has been arrested after her husband was shot in Texas last year while the pair were out for a walk.

Authorities in Dallas announced her arrest on Wednesday in connection with the murder, according to local reports, after finding the wife had exchanged 14,000 text messages with the alleged killer.

Jennifer Faith, 48, was arrested on a federal charge of obstruction of justice, becoming the second person arrested in connection to the murder after her boyfriend Darrin Ruben Lopez was arrested a month prior.

Police say that Lopez drove from his home in Tennessee to Dallas to carry out the murder of James Faith – an IT director for the airline – on October 9, 2020, just 15 feet outside the couple’s home in the Oakcliff area.

Jennifer Faith is alleged to have told police that she was unable to identify the shooter because he was wearing a face mask and approached from behind. 

But investigators found that she and Lopez were involved in a ‘full-blown emotional affair’, as she told a friend, and that a search warrant found the pair exchanged hundreds of text messages a day, according to Fox News.

Jennifer Faith  (left)- the wife of American Airlines executive James Faith (right) – been arrested after her husband was shot last year while the pair were out for a walk

In the 14,000 texts Jenifer Faith and Lopez exchanged in the month of October alone – the month which included the murder – they allegedly discussed how they could be together in five years. 

The texts suddenly stopped on the day of the shooting, before resuming a day later.

Even after the shooting, investigators said Jennifer Faith continued to text Lopez, despite telling a friend that she had stopped the affair because it ‘hurt’ her husband.

On Wednesday, Jennifer Faith was booked into the Dallas County Jail, according to Dallas News, where Lopez is also being held with a bail set at $1 million.

Her attorney didn’t comment on Wednesday’s arrest, but had previously said that she is innocent of any crime.

‘Jennifer was devastated by the murder of her husband. She has cooperated with the police the past three months and met with them on numerous occasions and answered all their questions,’ he told Toby Shook WFAA-TV in Dallas. 

Speaking in December, Faith described her husband’s killing to WFAA, saying she had no idea who was behind the shooting.

Police say that Darrin Lopez drove from his home in Tennessee to Dallas to carry out the murder of James Faith on October 9, 2020, and now believe that Lopez and Jennifer Faith were conducting an affair, exchanging over 14,000 text messages in the month James was killed

Police say that Darrin Lopez drove from his home in Tennessee to Dallas to carry out the murder of James Faith on October 9, 2020, and now believe that Lopez and Jennifer Faith were conducting an affair, exchanging over 14,000 text messages in the month James was killed

‘We walked out the door and we made it to the house right behind you and I heard running behind me and I turned around and shooting just started,’ Faith said.

‘The guy kept shooting and shooting. A neighbor said they saw him attempt to shoot me and the gun was empty. I was running up this driveway and he tackled me, started beating on me, and taped my hands together.’  

She also told FOX 4 that it was hard not knowing why her husband was killed, pleading for the killer to turn himself in.

‘It’s been horrible, devastating. I teeter between being heartbroken and completely devastated. Every day has been awful,’ she said at the time, before Lopez’s arrest. 

At the time of speaking, police had made no arrests, but had released a description of the suspect’s truck which was later found to be Lopez’s. 

‘Somebody has got to know whose truck this is,’ Faith said. ‘It’s a black Nissan Titan extended cab. It had a Texas Rangers sticker in the back window. So it was very distinctive from that point.’  

Pictured: Jennifer Faith is booked into a Dallas jail after a warrant found she was having an affair with Lopez. She first told police that she did not know who the killer was

Pictured: Jennifer Faith is booked into a Dallas jail after a warrant found she was having an affair with Lopez. She first told police that she did not know who the killer was

Jennifer Faith, pictured speaking outside their home to WFAA after her husband's death, originally said she had no idea who the killer was, and cried when appealing to the killer to come forward on television

Jennifer Faith, pictured speaking outside their home to WFAA after her husband’s death, originally said she had no idea who the killer was, and cried when appealing to the killer to come forward on television

According to an affidavit seen by WFAA, Lopez is believed to be Jennifer Faith’s high school and college boyfriend, and that the pair had started an affair together.

The Faiths had been married for 15 years, with James and Jennifer having just celebrated their wedding anniversary, but they had been apart for around two months at the time of James’ death.

While they were walking their dog at around 7.30 a.m. in the Oakcliff area of Dallas, a masked suspect approached the couple and shot James Faith.

Police say he was found lying on the ground with multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene. 

A GoFundMe page which was set up to support Jennifer Faith (pictured) and that raised over $60,000 has since been closed down

A GoFundMe page which was set up to support Jennifer Faith (pictured) and that raised over $60,000 has since been closed down

Pictured: The married couple's house, outside which James Faith was gunned down on October 9, 2020. Police believe he was killed by his wife's boyfriend

Pictured: The married couple’s house, outside which James Faith was gunned down on October 9, 2020. Police believe he was killed by his wife’s boyfriend

Jennifer claimed that the suspect tied her hands with duct tape and hit her while she was on the ground. She then said he tried taking her jewellery but was unsuccessful.

The man had black eyes, she said, but she could not identify him because he was wearing a hooded jacket and a blue face mask, the affidavit said.

A GoFundMe page which was set up to support Jennifer Faith and that raised over $60,000 has since been closed down.

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk