A former deputy governor of Virginia and his wife were found dead at their home on Thursday morning, in what authorities described as a murder-suicide.
Investigators say Justin Fairfax shot his wife multiple times before turning the gun on himself at their Annandale home. Both of the couple’s teenage children were at home when the incident occurred.
Fairfax, the second black person elected to statewide office in Virginia, served as lieutenant governor from 2018 to 2022. His tenure was overshadowed by two allegations of sexual assault, accusations he denied.
County police chief Kevin Davis said the murder-suicide appeared to stem from marital problems, though the investigation remained ongoing.
“This has been an ongoing domestic dispute surrounding what seems to be a complicated or messy divorce,” Davis said during a briefing on Thursday morning.
Fairfax County authorities responded to an emergency call from the former deputy governor’s son just after midnight local time (05:00 GMT), and the caller said he thought his mother had been stabbed.
Source: BBC
