American politician kills wife, then commits suicide PHOTO

Accusations derailed his career

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

However, 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 attempted to run for governor in 2021, but was largely shunned by Virginia Democrats and was defeated in the Democratic primary.

Serena Fairfax said in court documents that she and her husband had been separated for nearly two years. However, they continued living in the same house with their two teenage children, both of whom were at home when the deaths occurred, Chief Davis said.

In an order dated March 30, a judge instructed Justin Fairfax to move out by the end of April, writing that “it is clear that tensions in the Fairfax household have been extremely high for a long time.”

The judge also noted in court documents that Justin Fairfax’s “mental and emotional health” had deteriorated following 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 he took about a month to recover from the first setback, he never recovered from the second.

Serena Fairfax testified during the divorce proceedings that her husband drank daily and that his living space was cluttered with empty wine bottles and piles of dirty laundry. Court records also showed that he purchased a firearm in 2022 using money intended for his children’s horseback riding lessons.

Documents show that Justin Fairfax experienced financial difficulties following the sexual assault allegations, which led to his resignation from a prestigious law firm. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) placed a lien against the couple for more than $91,000 in unpaid taxes, which was resolved in 2021.

He claimed his wife attacked him

Chief Davis said Justin Fairfax had recently been served court paperwork informing him of his next required court appearance. He also said police visited the family home in January after Fairfax claimed his wife had attacked him — but cameras installed around the house showed that the “alleged attack never occurred.”

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

A profile on her family dental practice website described her as an avid reader who loved traveling, practicing yoga, trail running with her Vizsla dogs, and “spending time with her wonderful family.”

“This is very sad for this community,” Chief Davis said. “Many people who knew the Fairfax family are all shocked. We are shocked as well.”

The deaths have shocked political leaders across the state.

“We are praying for the family of Serena and Justin Fairfax — especially their two children — as we all process this shocking and horrific news,” Virginia Democratic Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine said in a joint statement.

Fairfax was co-chair of Warner’s 2014 reelection campaign.

Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat, posted on X that she was deeply saddened and praying for the families.

“This tragedy reminds us that domestic violence can happen in any family and in any place,” she wrote.