Justin Fairfax Showed 'Signs of His Anger' for Decades, Alleged Victim's Lawyer Says

The violent end of former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax's life is reigniting scrutiny over the sexual assault allegations that rocked his career ... with one of his accuser’s attorneys speaking out after the apparent murder-suicide.

Nancy Erika Smith, who represented Meredith Watson -- the woman who came forward in 2019 accusing Fairfax of raping her when they were both students at Duke University around 2000 -- said her thoughts are with the couple’s children, who were reportedly home during the incident.

“First, this is horrific for their children who were home at the time of this event,” Smith said in a statement to the NY Post, before turning sharply critical.

“There were decades of signs of his anger and mistreatment of women and he used the court system to intimidate his victims and news outlets. Society must be more responsive when women report these crimes,” said Smith.

Authorities say Fairfax shot and killed his wife, Cerina, inside their home early Thursday before turning the gun on himself. Police say the couple had been going through a contentious divorce.

Watson’s allegation surfaced nearly 20 years after the alleged assault ... emerging publicly in February 2019, just days after another woman accused Fairfax -- a moment that helped ignite a political firestorm in Virginia. Watson alleged the encounter was a premeditated rape -- and her legal team said she had told others about it at the time, even though she never filed a police report.

No criminal charges were ever brought against Fairfax, who consistently denied the allegation and said the encounter was consensual. He aggressively pushed back ... assembling a high-powered legal team and threatening defamation action against media outlets that reported on the claims ... even going as far as suing New York Public Radio for defamation per se in 2022. A motion to dismiss was successful ... and he subsequently lost an appeal.

The scandal derailed Fairfax’s political trajectory and triggered calls for his resignation ... though he ultimately remained in office through the end of his term.