FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. — Authorities say former Virginia Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax killed his wife before turning the gun on himself in what investigators are calling a murder-suicide at the couple’s northern Virginia residence.
The tragic incident unfolded early Thursday morning in Annandale when the couple’s teenage child found both parents dead and contacted emergency services just after midnight, according to Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis.
Investigators revealed the pair had been navigating divorce proceedings, with Fairfax recently receiving legal documents specifying his next required court appearance, Davis explained.
“That may have been a spark,” the chief said. “Detectives will figure out if that led to this tragedy here.”
Fairfax’s political trajectory took a dramatic turn in 2019 when he briefly appeared positioned to assume Virginia’s governorship after Democratic Governor Ralph Northam faced intense pressure to step down over a racist photograph controversy from his medical school days.
However, Fairfax’s own prospects collapsed when two women publicly accused him of sexual assault from incidents years prior. He consistently rejected these claims.
Vanessa Tyson alleged that Fairfax, then a Columbia Law School student working as an aide to Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards, compelled her to perform oral sex in his hotel room during the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston. Following Tyson’s public statement by two days, Meredith Watson made her own accusation, claiming Fairfax raped her in 2000 while both attended Duke University.
While The Associated Press typically protects the identities of alleged sexual assault victims, both women chose to speak publicly. Fairfax maintained the encounters were consensual and rejected demands for his resignation.
“It’s very sad for this community,” Davis said. “A lot of people who know the Fairfax family, everybody’s shocked. We’re shocked.”
If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline is available by calling or texting 988. Online chat is also available at 988lifeline.org.
