Former Virginia lieutenant governor Justin Fairfax has killed his wife and himself in a murder-suicide, police say.
Fairfax County Police said they were called to an address on the 8100 block of Guinevere Drive in Annandale on Wednesday night, where the bodies of a man and a woman were found.
In a press conference, police said that preliminary investigations suggest that Fairfax shot his wife, Dr. Cerina W. Fairfax, before turning the gun on himself.
“I’m here to confirm the identity of our shooter in this murder-suicide that happened several hours ago as former Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax,” Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis told reporters at the scene. “Former Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax shot and killed his wife inside of their home and then shot and killed himself.”
Davis added that the investigation is part of an “ongoing domestic dispute surrounding what seems to be a complicated or messy divorce.” Fairfax had just been served with paperwork related to an upcoming court proceeding.
The couple has two teenage children together. Both children were at home at the time of the shootings, but they were not harmed.
Davis added Fairfax shot his wife “several times” in the basement of the house before going to the bedroom to take his own life with the same firearm.
Fairfax, a Democrat, served as the lieutenant governor from 2018 to 2022 under then-governor Ralph Northam. In 2019, he faced calls to resign after being accused of sexual assault. Fairfax denied the allegations and served out his term.
He went on to run for Virginia governor in 2021, but finished fourth in the Democratic primary.
“At one point in time, I think it’s fair to say that Justin Fairfax, before he was lieutenant governor, while he served as lieutenant governor, and even afterward, was a rising star politically, not just in Northern Virginia, but in Virginia,” Davis told reporters.
“It’s tragic in nature, certainly a fall from grace, for a relatively high-profile family that seemingly had had a lot of things going in their favor,” he added. “So tragic for the children to lose both parents, extra tragic for them to actually be in the home when it occurred.”
Police were called to the home in January after Justin Fairfax alleged that he had been assaulted by his wife.
Officers examined surveillance footage from inside the property and determined that the allegations Justin Fairfax made against Cerina were untrue.
If you or a loved one are struggling with suicidal thoughts, please reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by dialing or texting 988.
