‘There were ‘decades of signs’ that Fairfax was violent toward women’ — Shocking new revelations after Justin Fairfax’s fatal actions, including rape accusations, now coming to light.” The tragic end of former Virginia Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax is more than just a horrifying crime. After fatally shooting his wife and then himself, shocking new revelations are surfacing. According to the attorney for a woman who accused Fairfax of rape, there were “decades of signs” that he had a history of violence toward women. As the investigation uncovers more disturbing details, the haunting question emerges: What else was hidden in Fairfax’s past, and how far did the violence truly go? What’s lurking behind the public facade?

The attorney for a woman who accused Justin Fairfax of raping her is speaking out after the former lieutenant governor of Virginia fatally shot his wife and then himself.

Nancy Erika Smith, attorney for Meredith Watson, said there were “decades of signs” that Fairfax was violent toward women — but that appropriate actions had not been taken to protect the women around him.

“First, this is horrific for their children who were home at the time of this event,” Smith said in a statement to PEOPLE. “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.”

Fairfax was the lieutenant governor of Virginia in 2019 and seemed on track to become the state’s second Black governor when Gov. Ralph Northam faced a scandal related to an old photo purportedly depicting him in blackface.

But Fairfax was soon facing his own calls to resign when two women, including Watson, accused him of sexual assault.

Watson claimed that Fairfax had raped her in 2000 when they were both students at Duke University. In a 2019 interview with CBS News, Watson said that she was friends with Fairfax at the time and had gone to his room to hang out, at which point he locked the door behind him. Despite several attempts to get up and leave, Watson said she was blocked from doing so and that Fairfax “forcibly sexually assaulted and raped” her.

Another woman, Vanessa Tyson, accused him of forcing her to perform oral sex on him at the 2004 Democratic National Convention.

Fairfax denied the claims, calling them part of a “vicious and coordinated smear campaign.” He also sued CBS for defamation, a case that was ultimately dismissed in federal court.

Fairfax and Northam both resisted widespread calls for their resignations and finished their terms. Fairfax ran for governor in 2021, finishing a distant fourth in the Democratic primary, and then returned to private law practice.

On April 16, Fairfax shot and killed his wife, dentist Cerina Fairfax, at their Annandale, Va., home and then turned the gun on himself. Their two children were home at the time, and their son Cameron called 911 to report the deaths.

Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said the couple was going through a “messy” divorce. In legal filings, Cerina Fairfax accused her husband of being an alcoholic and said he was failing to pay child support or the mortgage on their home — all while spending lavish sums on “extravagant trips for third parties” and incurring considerable debt.

Fairfax was due to appear before a judge on Tuesday, April 21, just five days after the murder-suicide.