GUILTY TX - James Faith, AA tech director, fatally shot walking his dog, Dallas, 9 Oct 2020 *ARRESTS/wife*

[Seattle1]

Jurors sent a question to the Court, requesting additional info about DL's medical records since his discharge from the service, medications, and whether he'd been taking his meds as prescribed.
Court replied with something to the effect that the jurors had to rely on their recollection of the testimony they heard in court.

Personally, I don't recall the TBI expert discussing how DL was treated for his disabling condition and his subsequent depression following his discharge. I don't recall DL testifying about his medical treatment either. JMO

 

[ChuckAz]

My guess is that came from a his attorney's arguments in sentencing. I recall the attorney saying something to the effect that in the Army they're on a regimen, and when someone is discharged due to a disability it's up to them to make sure they are taking their meds and going to their appointments, because their commanding officer isn't going to be there to tell them to do it. It seemed odd, but I think he was trying to engender sympathy.

 

[Gardenista]

Wonder what happens if they can't reach a consensus. I think that happened in the David Temple trial and they had to get a whole new jury.

 

[Gardenista]

Just googled it and it took 3 juries to get Temple sentenced

Ex-coach David Temple gets life in prison for killing pregnant wife in 1999

Temple had been convicted twice of killing Belinda Temple in 1999 but in the last trial, jurors couldn't agree on his sentence.

www.khou.com

 

[Gardenista]

Another note from the jury wanting to know what happens if they can't come to a decision.

 

[Gardenista]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1685068032215810048

 

[ChuckAz]

Sentenced to 62 years and $10,000 fine. Given credit for the time he's been incarcerated since arrest.

 

[Seattle1]

Lopez was just sentenced to 62 years and $10K fine.

 

[Seattle1]

Just googled it and it took 3 juries to get Temple sentenced

Ex-coach David Temple gets life in prison for killing pregnant wife in 1999

Temple had been convicted twice of killing Belinda Temple in 1999 but in the last trial, jurors couldn't agree on his sentence.

www.khou.com

Megan Fieramusca didn't get close to 62 for the ultimate betrayal of murdering her best friend and trying to steal her newborn!

ETA: And Megan is eligible for parole after serving only 26 years!

 

[Megnut]

It's going to take some time to process this. He is both a victim and a victim-maker IMO.... Hard to reconcile his extraordinary service to our country and the sacrifice....TBI is real and she exploited it.

But he did take a life.... took a father away from a daughter.... for all the decades and milestones in her life.

Lopez is still alive. Family can visit, exchange letters and photos....

You take a life, outside of protocol and training, you surrender your freedoms....

I hope he finds a way to do good and have a meaningful life, behind bars.

Still, I don't know how I feel about this decision. Unexpected, that's for sure.

JMO

 

[Gardenista]

I found him very unlikable on the stand so I wondered if they would throw the book at him.

 

[epie]

I just hope that the rest of his family and friends can find peace now that he has been sentenced. Just wish that his father could have witnessed that justice was done and both of his son's murderer's are behind bars. At some point in Darrin's 600 mile drive and over night stay at the neighbors house the delusion of "I have PTSD I have an excuse for my behavior" goes out the window. I'm glad he he will be serving what amounts to a life sentence. Thank you to @Niner and everyone who kept up on informing us on this case. If not for you guys I would have had a hard time finding info on the trial start date. Thank you

 

[worm]

I just hope that the rest of his family and friends can find peace now that he has been sentenced. Just wish that his father could have witnessed that justice was done and both of his son's murderer's are behind bars. At some point in Darrin's 600 mile drive and over night stay at the neighbors house the delusion of "I have PTSD I have an excuse for my behavior" goes out the window. I'm glad he he will be serving what amounts to a life sentence. Thank you to @Niner and everyone who kept up on informing us on this case. If not for you guys I would have had a hard time finding info on the trial start date. Thank you

I think of how many times during that drive that he had a chance to turn around and the hours that he could have decided to leave that gun in the truck. I just don’t have feelings for either of them.

 

[Seattle1]

By going to trial, DL in essence received a life sentence. (He's 49 + 62 = 111).
Now that's sending a message! Begs the question -- who in their right mind would go to trial?

I don't think anybody including the defense doubted anything other than a guilty verdict, as it should be, but I'm not understanding why the defense didn't seek a plea agreement where per the sentencing guidelines, even a 55-year sentence by pleading guilty would have him serving the maximum of 26 yrs before being eligible for parole release. (He's 49 + 26 = 75 yrs old).

I dunno, Mitchell wanted this trial so badly-- perhaps the District Attorney didn't initiate any offer to settle DL's guilt without a trial.

A hollow victory for the Faith family. My thoughts and prayers are with them.

 

[Seattle1]

TX v. Darrin Ruben Lopez: Daily Trial Updates

UPDATE: A jury sentenced Darrin Ruben Lopez to 62 years in prison after finding him guilty of murdering his girlfriend's husband.

www.courttv.com

At her sentencing, Jennifer admitted to manipulating Lopez, who “suffered a traumatic brain injury while serving in the U.S. Army in Iraq, leaving him disabled.” She said she sent Lopez money and gifts, and used “stock images depicting injuries from the internet” to convince the defendant she was being abused by James.

Lopez and Jennifer had been dating for seven months when James was killed, according to federal prosecutors. In an arrest affidavit, Jennifer described their relationship as “a full blown emotional affair.”

In addition to 62 years in prison, the jury recommended Lopez be fined $10,000.


DAILY TRIAL UPDATES

DAY 4 – 7/28/23

• The jury hears closing arguments
  • WATCH: Boyfriend Hitman Murder Trial: Prosecution Closing Argument
  • WATCH: Boyfriend Hitman Murder Trial: Defense Closing Argument
  • WATCH: Boyfriend Hitman Murder Trial: Prosecution Rebuttal
• WATCH: Boyfriend Hitman Murder Trial: Watch the Verdict
• WATCH: Boyfriend Hitman Murder Trial: Penalty Phase in Hands of Jury
• WATCH: Boyfriend Hitman Murder Trial: Penalty Phase Verdict

DAY 3 – 7/27/23

• Prosecutors rested their case-in-chief Thursday morning.
• Darrin Rubin Lopez testified in his own defense, saying that he was “outraged to learn that Jennifer sent him fake emails and texts pretending to be her husband and friend.”
  • WATCH: Darrin Lopez Takes Stand in Boyfriend Hitman Murder Trial
  • Rubin said that he decided late on Oct. 8, 2020, to drive to Dallas and “take out the threat” to Jennifer Faith.
  • Rubin said that he was aware he would be caught after the murder.
• Jurors heard from defense expert witnesses — a mobile device expert and a forensic and neuropsychologist.
• Jennifer Faith’s high school ex-boyfriend testified that she once asked him to testify about an incident in which she asked him to harass another former boyfriend.
• WATCH: Boyfriend Hitman Murder Trial: Day 3

DAY 2 – 7/26/23

• Bullets from Lopez’s Smith and Wesson gun matched the bullet fragments retrieved from Jamie Faith’s body.
• The fake email accounts used to communicate with Darrin Lopez were created on April 9, 2020.
  • WATCH: Boyfriend Hitman Murder Trial: Jury Sees Graphic Messages
• Jennifer Faith stopped emailing Darrin Lopez and closed the fake email accounts she created using her husband’s name, Jamie Faith, and her coworker, Rob Schmitt, on September 4, 2020.
• Jennifer Faith, in the past, tried to convince a former boyfriend to assault her current boyfriend.
• After Jamie Faith’s murder, Darrin Lopez and Jennifer Faith communicated in December 2020 about removing the “T” sticker from the back of his pickup truck.

DAY 1 – 7/25/23

• Jamie Faith was shot seven times and suffered injuries to his head, chest, and groin, which the defense said the shot to his groin was due to Lopez allegedly believing that Jennifer Faith was being sexually abused by her husband.
  • WATCH: Boyfriend Hitman Murder Trial: Prosecution Opening Statement
  • WATCH: Boyfriend Hitman Murder Trial: Defense Opening Statement
• Jurors heard audio from a neighbor’s Ring Doorbell of the shots that killed Jamie Faith and his wife, Jennifer, screaming hysterically after the murder.
  • WATCH: Boyfriend Hitman Murder Trial: Neighbor Testifies to Doorbell Video
• Between June 24, 2020, and January 11, 2021, there were 2,344 phone calls, 268,844 text messages, and 10,808 multi-media messages between Jennifer Faith and Darrin Lopez.
• Bullet casings found at the scene microscopically match those from a .45 caliber Smith and Wesson used in the murder of Jamie Faith.
• ATF Agents located a Smith and Wesson gun with the victim’s blood on the barrow inside Darrin Lopez’s Tennessee home.
• Jennifer Faith wrote to Darrin Lopez while in jail on October 19, 2021, after she pleaded guilty in Federal Court, claiming she sent Lopez emails from a fictitious account.
  • WATCH: Boyfriend Hitman Murder Trial: Day 1 Recap

 

[Seattle1]

Man found guilty of killing Dallas girlfriend’s husband; sentenced to 62 years in prison

It took jurors less than an hour to reach a guilty verdict against a Tennessee man who admitted to driving to Dallas to kill his high school sweetheart’s husband. The jury then sentenced him to 62 years in prison.

www.fox4news.com

7/28/23

"Ladies and gentlemen, if you're going to choose to kill a man, if you're going to end his life, if you're going to choose the time and the place where you end his life like Darrin did, then you better have a damn good reason," Prosecutor Brandi Mitchell said during closing arguments.

Lopez’s legal team speculated that the 62 number might have been a compromise between those who wanted a life sentence and perhaps believed Lopez knew more than he claimed and those who wanted a more lenient sentence.

"At first, we had some hopes because they were hung that it was going to be a lower sentence. But obviously they were hung but on the higher level," said defense attorney Juan Sanchez. "It’s tough on us when we put our hearts into these cases. We believe in our clients and then a result like this happens."

The defense team plans to appeal.

Prosecutors did not talk with reporters after the sentencing.

 

[Niner]

Now @Seattle1 - maybe a bit too soon to ask - but wanted to let you know - in my notes I have to ask you about his Federal case (#3:21-mj-00059-BT) with Federal firearm crime-transporting a firearm in interstate commerce with intent to commit a felony offense. Probably nothing yet, eh?

 

[Dieselmomm]

Now @Seattle1 - maybe a bit too soon to ask - but wanted to let you know - in my notes I have to ask you about his Federal case (#3:21-mj-00059-BT) with Federal firearm crime-transporting a firearm in interstate commerce with intent to commit a felony offense. Probably nothing yet, eh?

Did they drop the Federal case or were they waiting on the murder trial to finish first?

 

[Niner]

Did they drop the Federal case or were they waiting on the murder trial to finish first?

I had in my notes they would wait until his murder trial was over to do these charges. So I do not know IF they were dropped or not. I have to wait for @Seattle1 to let me know, as I can not access the Federal court site....

 

[Seattle1]

I had in my notes they would wait until his murder trial was over to do these charges. So I do not know IF they were dropped or not. I have to wait for @Seattle1 to let me know, as I can not access the Federal court site....

If not for the US Attorney's statement of Jan 2021... I'd otherwise say this would not go forward:

“This defendant allegedly gunned down an innocent man in broad daylight,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Prerak Shah. “I hope this case makes one thing crystal clear: If you carry a gun across state lines in order to commit violence, you will be subject to federal prosecution.”

IMO, this will likely be settled by a plea agreement once DL's defense team realizes their appeal on the murder case won't go anywhere.

As of today, the last docket entry on the federal gun charge was March 2021 when there was a Court Request for Recusal.

Alleged Murderer Charged With Federal Firearms Offense

The man charged by the state with the October 9, 2020 murder of James Faith has now been charged with federal firearm crimes.

www.justice.gov