▁had ▁been ▁murder ed ▁by ▁his ▁wife ▁Liv illa ▁and ▁her ▁lo ver , ▁Se jan us . ▁The ▁story ▁should ▁be ▁read ▁with ▁ca ution . ▁Lev ick ▁says ▁that ▁Se jan us ▁must ▁have ▁murder ed ▁Dr us us ▁in ▁self - def ense ▁because ▁only ▁T iber ius ▁stood ▁between ▁the ▁Pra et or ian ▁Pref ect ▁and ▁the ▁end ▁of ▁his ▁career ▁at ▁the ▁hands ▁of ▁Dr us us . ▁Furthermore , ▁he ▁says ▁it ▁is ▁even ▁less ▁likely ▁that ▁Liv illa ▁would ▁have ▁been ▁comp licit ▁in ▁the ▁destruction ▁of ▁her ▁family , ▁the ▁key ▁to ▁her ▁children ' s ▁future . ▁Lev ick ▁dismiss es ▁the ▁accus ation ▁of ▁Ap ic ata ▁as ▁the ▁reven ge ▁of ▁a ▁woman ▁whose ▁husband ▁left ▁her ▁for ▁another . ▁ ▁Su cc ession ▁The ▁death s ▁of ▁his ▁c ous ins ▁elev ated ▁Gem ell us ▁and ▁his ▁older ▁cousin ▁G ai us ▁Ca esar ▁( Cal ig ula ). ▁As ▁there ▁was ▁no ▁formal ▁mechanism ▁for ▁succession , ▁the ▁only ▁legal ▁way ▁he ▁could ▁promote ▁an ▁he ir ▁who ▁was ▁too ▁young ▁to ▁share ▁the ▁political ▁powers ▁of ▁em peror ▁was ▁to ▁be que ath ▁his ▁estate ▁upon ▁which ▁much ▁of ▁the ▁Roman ▁state ▁had ▁come ▁to ▁depend . ▁According ▁to ▁Su eton ius , ▁T iber ius ▁had ▁susp ic ions ▁of ▁G ai us ▁but ▁he ▁det ested ▁Gem ell us ▁as ▁he ▁believed ▁him ▁to ▁be ▁the ▁result ▁of ▁an ▁ad ul ter ous ▁affair ▁by