(NBC News) — On the season premiere of “Dateline,” Josh Mankiewicz reports on a notorious murder in Dallas, the fatal shooting of Jamie Faith outside his home.
The two-hour special features an exclusive interview with Darrin Lopez, the retired Army Special Forces Medic convicted of the 2020 murder. In the exclusive interview, Lopez speaks out about his relationship with Jamie’s wife, Jennifer Faith, which began when they dated in high school. When the pair reconnected decades later, Lopez says he was manipulated by her false allegations of Jamie’s abuse.
Here is a preview of Mankiewicz’s report:
SMASH DA TOPIC: This is one of the — like I say, the craziest stories — that’s going down in history.
Cyrus Cezar was the first reporter on the scene. To his million-plus followers on Facebook, he’s better known as “Smash Da Topic.”
JOSH MANKIEWICZ: How’d you find out about this story?
SMASH DA TOPIC: I was listening to the scanner. And when I was listening to the scanner, I heard the streets and I heard a shooting going on.
Right away, Smash found an eyewitness.
“I heard gunshots, five gunshots. Loud. Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!,” said Melinda Mendoza on Cezar’s Smash Da Topic TV crime scene livestream.
“We on the scene of a, a shooting homicide. Guy walking his dog with his wife, oh man, it’s just — it’s a cold world out here, man. Cold world,” said Cezar in his on-scene report.
SMASH DA TOPIC: Sounded like it could have been a robbery. But I’mma tell you something, but I did think like, “How would somebody know these people walking their dog every day?”
Dallas PD Homicide Detective Chris Walton was wondering the same thing. You can see him right there on Smash’s feed. The detective went straight to his best witness — the victim’s wife Jennifer Faith.
JOSH MANKIEWICZ: She tell you what happened while you were here?
CHRIS WALTON: Uh, while I was here when I made contact with her, uh, she informed me that, uh, there was an individual who came up behind them. He pointed the gun at her husband, Mr. Faith, and — and shot him several times.
JOSH MANKIEWICZ: Didn’t say anything?
CHRIS WALTON: No, sir. No.
JOSH MANKIEWICZ: Just — just opened fire.
CHRIS WALTON: That’s correct.
Watch “Dateline: Losing Faith” Friday at 9 p.m. on NBC4.
About ‘Dateline’
“Dateline NBC” is the longest-running series in NBC primetime history and is in its 32nd season. Dateline is anchored by Lester Holt and features correspondents Andrea Canning, Josh Mankiewicz, Keith Morrison and Dennis Murphy.
The stories range from compelling mysteries to powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. When major news breaks, they go to the scene, putting the pieces together to bring the viewer the full picture. And in every story they tell, they help the real people who lived the events share their journeys with the viewer.
