Police say former Virginia lieutenant governor, wife dead in murder-suicide

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Virginia’s erstwhile Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, who was a rising prima successful the Democratic enactment respective years agone earlier his vocation was derailed by intersexual battle allegations, fatally changeable his woman earlier sidesplitting himself aboriginal Thursday, constabulary said.

Both were recovered dormant astatine their bluish Virginia location successful Annandale aft the couple’s teenage lad called 911 soon aft midnight, said Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis.

The mates was going done a divorce, and Fairfax was served precocious with paperwork that indicated erstwhile helium was adjacent to look successful court, Davis said.

“That whitethorn person been a spark,” the main said. “Detectives volition fig retired if that led to this calamity here.”

For a little play successful 2019, Fairfax had seemed poised to go Virginia politician arsenic Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam became engulfed successful a ungraded implicit a racist photograph connected his aesculapian schoolhouse yearbook that led to calls for Northam’s resignation.

But past 2 women came forward, accusing Fairfax of sexually assaulting them years earlier. He adamantly denied the allegations.

Vanessa Tyson said Fairfax — astatine the clip a Columbia Law School pupil serving arsenic an adjutant to Democratic vice statesmanlike nominee John Edwards — forced her to execute oral enactment successful his edifice country during the Democratic National Convention successful Boston successful 2004. Two days aft Tyson’s statement, Meredith Watson issued her own, accusing Fairfax of raping her successful 2000, erstwhile they were students astatine Duke University.

Fairfax said the encounters were consensual and refused calls to resign.

The Associated Press mostly does not sanction radical who accidental they are victims of intersexual assault, but some women came guardant publicly.

“It’s precise bittersweet for this community,” Davis said. “A batch of radical who cognize the Fairfax family, everybody’s shocked. We’re shocked.”

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EDITOR’S NOTE — This communicative includes treatment of suicide. If you oregon idiosyncratic you cognize needs help, the nationalist termination and situation lifeline successful the U.S. is disposable by calling oregon texting 988. There is besides an online chat astatine 988lifeline.org

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Associated Press contributors see Sarah Brumfield successful Cockeysville, Maryland, and Alanna Durkin Richer successful Washington. Breed reported from Wake Forest, North Carolina.

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