From Newsgroup: talk.politics.misc

ANNANDALE, Va. (AP) — Former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, a rising
star in the Democratic Party until sexual assault allegations ruined his political fortunes, killed his estranged wife and then himself weeks
before a judge’s deadline to move out of their family home, according to
police and court records.

Officers called to the home in the Washington, D.C., suburb of Annandale
early Thursday found the bodies of Fairfax, 47, and his wife, Dr. Cerina Fairfax, 49, Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said.

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Justin Fairfax fatally shot his wife, a successful dentist, in the
basement before going to an upstairs bedroom and killing himself, Davis
said. Their son called 911.

One of Justin Fairfax’s longtime friends told The Associated Press that
he became increasingly despondent after his wife filed for divorce last
year. The judge overseeing the divorce recently wrote that his
“isolation, drinking, and a lack of participation in family life are manifestations of what seems to be a sense of fatalism and
hopelessness.”

A turn in fortunes
Less than a decade ago, Justin Fairfax’s political career was taking
off. He won the race for lieutenant governor in 2017 and seemed poised
to become Virginia’s second Black governor two years later when
Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam faced widespread calls to resign over a
racist photo in his medical school yearbook. Fairfax would have become
governor if Northam had stepped down.

But two women came forward accusing Fairfax of sexually assaulting them
years earlier.

Fairfax said the encounters, which occurred before he was married, were consensual and refused calls to resign. He tried to run for governor in
2021, but was largely shunned by Virginia Democrats and defeated in the Democratic primary.

A career and marriage fall apart
Cerina Fairfax said in court filings that she and her husband separated
nearly two years ago. But they were still living in the same house with
their two teenage children, who were both home when the deaths occurred,
Davis said.

In a March 30 order, the judge told Justin Fairfax to move out by the
end of April, writing “it is clear tensions in the Fairfax home have
been extremely high for an extended period of time.”

The judge said in court documents that Justin Fairfax’s “mental and
emotional health” suffered after two setbacks: his unsuccessful 2013
campaign for the Democratic nomination for attorney general and the 2019
sexual assault scandal. After both, he drank heavily and withdrew from
his family, but while it took about a month to recover from the first
setback, he never bounced back from the second.

Cerina Fairfax testified during the divorce proceedings that her husband
drank daily, and that his living space was littered with empty wine
bottles and piles of dirty laundry. He bought a handgun in 2022 with
money intended for horseback riding lessons for their children, court
records showed.

Sophia A. Nelson, a Virginia author and journalist who described Justin
Fairfax as a close friend, said Thursday that he never moved past the
2019 scandal.

She told the AP that during a group text with her and another friend
Tuesday night, he expressed how the recent sexual assault allegations
against Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell of California had brought back for
him what he continued to insist was an unfair rush to judgment.

Nelson said she and other friends repeatedly asked Fairfax to seek help.
She urged him to move out but believes he wasn’t able to do so
financially.

“I was concerned, as were other close friends, fraternity brothers,
family members,” Nelson said. “There were talks of suicidal thoughts.”

Filings show that Justin Fairfax had financial challenges following the
sexual assault allegations, which prompted his resignation as a partner
at a prestigious law firm. The IRS filed a lien against the couple for
more than $91,000 in unpaid taxes that was resolved in 2021.

Nelson said Fairfax was “unemployable” after the scandal and tried to
rebuild his legal career, but with a few successes.

Davis, the police chief, said Justin Fairfax was recently served with
paperwork telling him when next to appear in court. He said officers
went to the family’s home in January after Justin Fairfax alleged that
his wife had assaulted him -- but cameras she had set up around the home
showed “the alleged assault never occurred.”

Cerina Fairfax had a thriving dental practice
The couple met as undergraduates at Duke University and married in 2006.
Cerina Fairfax also attended the Virginia Commonwealth University School
of Dentistry, which honored her in 2015 as an outstanding alumna.

A profile page on the website of her family dentistry practice described
her as an avid reader who liked to travel, practice yoga, go on trail
runs with her Vizsla-breed dogs, and “spend time with her wonderful
family.”

“It’s very sad for this community,” Davis said. “A lot of people who
know the Fairfax family, everybody’s shocked. We’re shocked.”

https://apnews.com/article/virginia-justin-fairfax-death-e10bd0f632785293 3e15c8d9af559cd3

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