A Dallas girl pretended to be a sexual abuse sufferer after which a grieving widow.
And now she’ll serve life in jail for faking each roles and as an alternative orchestrating and trying to cowl up her husband’s homicide.
Jennifer Religion was hit with a life federal jail sentence on Tuesday for falsely claiming that she was sexually abused by her husband Jamie Religion to get her lover to kill him. She then fundraised off his homicide, the US Lawyer’s Workplace for the Northern District of Texas stated.
Her public persona following the October 2020 slaying differed from her nefarious motives behind the scenes that a federal choose referred to as “pure evil” in the course of the sentencing, prosecutors stated.
Religion, 49, even went so far as to arrange pretend e-mail accounts pretending to be her husband, an American Airways government, and a pal of hers to trick gunman Darrin Ruben Lopez into believing she was bodily abused. She additionally downloaded inventory pictures of accidents from the web and emailed them to Lopez to additional persuade him the abuse was actual, in keeping with prosecutors.
She admitted as a part of her plea settlement there was by no means any abuse.
“Ms. Religion placed on fairly a efficiency within the wake of her husband’s homicide. She poured out her sob story to reporters and regulation enforcement, then headed house to orchestrate her coverup,” stated US Lawyer Chad Meacham. “However crocodile tears didn’t cease the feds. We have been dedicated to getting justice for Jamie, and with the Decide’s imposition of a life sentence this afternoon, we’re one step nearer.”
Religion coordinated with Lopez, an Military vet and Tennessee resident, to orchestrate the slaying of Jamie Religion. Lopez, who has but to face trial, is accused of taking pictures Jamie Religion seven instances exterior his house whereas he and Jennifer Religion walked their canine, prosecutors stated. The taking pictures was about seven months into the tryst.
Religion was caught on audio screaming in the course of the assault and caught on video crying hysterically afterwards, which prosecutors confirmed on the sentencing.
“I circled and I simply noticed this particular person shoot and shoot. I couldn’t imagine – I didn’t know him. Like, why?” a sobbing Religion informed a Dallas police detective after the taking pictures that was videotaped. “Quite a lot of pictures, 5, six, possibly, I really feel like. And he simply stored going, and I’m like, cease it!
“After which I noticed the particular person flip and like, simply, darkish eyes, coming towards me. And so I began – I yelled no, and I began to run. And he tackled me to the bottom. He was making an attempt to assault me the entire time I used to be screaming.”
However earlier than the homicide, she despatched Lopez, who she referred to as her “one and solely love,” items and cash, the feds stated. The 2 had dated in highschool and school.
And after the taking pictures, she despatched him two bank cards that she paid off utilizing cash from a GoFundMe fundraiser referred to as “Assist Jennifer Religion” launched within the wake of her husband’s dying.
After police grew to become conscious of a “T” decal on Lopez’s pickup truck he used to drive away after the alleged taking pictures, Religion went on a tv station to assist investigators positioned the decaled truck.
However after the interview, she texted Lopez to take away the sticker.
“I awoke in a little bit of a panic… One thing is consuming away at me telling me it's essential take the sticker out of the again window of the truck,” she texted him, in keeping with the feds. “I don’t usually overreact like this… actually assume it's essential get that sticker off ASAP, like immediately.”
A month after the taking pictures dying, Religion tried to gobble up $629,000 in dying advantages from her husband’s life insurance coverage firm with guarantees to Lopez of shopping for a house in Tennessee with him, prosecutors stated.
When she was contacted to come back in for questioning by investigators in early January 2021, Religion admitted she coordinated her cowl story with Lopez.
“Don’t textual content me Monday. I'm going to manufacturing facility reset my telephone on Sunday evening after deleting texts,” she wrote.
“Okay sounds good,” Lopez responded. “Large hug.”
On prime of the life sentence, Religion, who pleaded responsible to interstate murder-for-hire, additionally must pay her late husband’s household $6,500 to cowl his funeral prices and one other $250,000 in fines.
“No period of time in federal jail will ever be capable to carry Mr. Religion again, nevertheless this sentencing reveals the gravity of Ms. Religion’s prison acts,” stated ATF Dallas Particular Agent in Cost Jeffrey Boshek.
“Her spineless try to sway regulation enforcement and public opinion will eternally be etched into the hearts of these affected by her monstrous crime.”
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