Former Virginia Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax and his wife, Dr. Cerina Fairfax, were found dead Thursday morning in what Fairfax County police have ruled a domestic tragedy at their home in Annandale.
Authorities say 47-year-old Justin Fairfax shot his wife multiple times before turning the gun on himself. Both of the couple’s teenage children were inside the home at the time of the incident.
Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said officers responded to an emergency call from the couple’s son shortly after midnight. The teen initially reported that he believed his mother had been stabbed. Upon arrival, officers discovered both Justin and Cerina Fairfax dead from apparent gunshot wounds. Bullet casings were recovered near Cerina Fairfax’s body.
Chief Davis described the incident as stemming from an “ongoing domestic dispute surrounding what seems to be a complicated or messy divorce.” He told reporters the shooting appeared spontaneous.
“I think it all kind of happened at once. There wasn’t a pause… it all happened pretty spontaneously,” Chief Davis said.
Preliminary findings indicate that Justin Fairfax shot his wife several times in the basement of the home before going upstairs to the primary bedroom, where he took his own life. Both were pronounced dead at the scene.
Background
Justin Fairfax, a Democrat, served as Virginia’s lieutenant governor from 2018 to 2022. He was the second Black person elected to statewide office in Virginia. His political career was marked by two sexual assault allegations, which he consistently denied.
Dr. Cerina Fairfax was a dentist who operated a family practice. The couple had been married for 19 years and were in the midst of divorce proceedings at the time of the tragedy.
The couple’s two high-school-age children were home during the incident and are now receiving support from authorities and family members.
This story is still developing.
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