Judge Called Out Former Lt. Governor's 'Very Concerning' Behavior Days Before He Killed His Wife
A local judge expressed concern for former Virginia Democratic Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax regarding his state of mind just days before he killed his wife and himself in an apparent murder-suicide.
Police discovered Justin, 47, and his wife, Cerina, 49, both dead, on Thursday, with a preliminary investigation finding that Justin shot his wife before turning the gun on himself.
The former elected official allegedly killed his estranged wife just days before an April 21 hearing for their divorce case, and just two weeks before an April 30 deadline for him to move out of the house, WTOP-TV reported.
Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge Timothy J. McEvoy, who oversaw the divorce case, noted Justin’s recent mental decline, writing that his “isolation, drinking, and lack of participation in family life are manifestations of what seems to be a sense of fatalism and hopelessness.”
In addition, McEvoy wrote that there was no evidence of Justin seeking professional help for his issues, “and this is very concerning to the Court.”
He went on to say that emotions and tensions within the home were “extremely high for an extended period of time,” adding that their living situation was making things harder.
McEvoy did not, however, order any psychological counseling. He also granted Justin joint legal custody of his children, but gave primary physical custody to his wife.
In addition, court documents revealed that Justin purchased a handgun back in 2022, and had it with him during “some kind of adverse psychological event” that year.
The 2022 events were outlined in a March 30 Fairfax County Circuit Court order related to the custody of their two teenagers.
Court documents said that Justin bought a handgun with funds that were supposed to be used for his children’s riding lessons.
At one point, he left home with the firearm and was eventually found by relatives “after frantic searching.”
His family was “unable to calm him down over the course of several hours,” and Justin’s brother was reportedly forced to call in a mental health professional to assist.
Justin served as lieutenant governor of Virginia from 2018 to 2022. Back in 2019, two women accused him of sexually assaulting them.
“Vanessa Tyson and Meredith Watson leveled their accusations against Fairfax in February. Tyson says Fairfax forced her to perform oral sex in 2004,” Fox News reported. “Watson says Fairfax raped her in 2000 when both were students at Duke University.”
He was never criminally charged, but the allegations ended his political career.
Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis told reporters on Thursday that Justin was apparently served legal paperwork “associated with an upcoming court proceeding,” which could have prompted the shooting.
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