Justin Fairfax, the former lieutenant governor of Virginia, was a “rising star” in the Democratic Party and seen as having the potential to make it all the way to the White House — until sexual assault allegations against him sank his career.
Fairfax, who killed his wife and then shot himself inside their home early Thursday in the throes of a “messy divorce,” was rising in politics as Barack Obama ascended to the presidency. The young black politician was expected to catapult in a similar career trajectory.
That was until two women came forward in 2019 — while he was serving as lieutenant governor — and accused him of sexual assault.
Vanessa Tyson, an associate professor at Scripps College and fellow at Stanford University, accused Fairfax of sexually assaulting her at a hotel at the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston, saying he forced her to perform oral sex.
Fairfax denied the accusation, saying his encounter with Tyson was consensual. He hired the same legal team that represented Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation process.
Then a second woman, Meredith Watson, came forward, claiming Fairfax raped her in a “premeditated and aggressive” attack in 2000 when they both were undergraduate students at Duke University.
Fairfax also denied that allegation, saying, “I have never forced myself on anyone ever.”
He also questioned the timing of the accusations and claimed they were part of a larger conspiracy to force him out of office at a...
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