Former Virginia Lieutenant Gov. Justin Fairfax and his wife were found dead at their home in a murder-suicide Thursday morning as the couple was going through a “messy divorce,” police said.
The 47-year-old Democrat, who served from 2018 to 2022, shot and killed his wife, Cerina Fairfax, before he shot himself shortly after midnight Thursday, Fairfax County police said at a press conference.
The couple married in June 2006 and were “in an ongoing domestic dispute surrounding what seems to be a complicated or messy divorce,” county police chief Kevin Davis said.
“From what I understand at this early stage, [Justin Fairfax] was recently served some paperwork associated with an upcoming court proceeding. That apparently led to this incident last night,” Davis said.
Their two teenage children were at the family’s Annandale home at the time of the shootings.
The police chief said Justin Fairfax shot his wife “several times” in the basement of the house before he ran upstairs to a bedroom, where he shot himself.
The couple’s son called 911, Davis added.
“It's very sad for this community,” Davis added. “A lot of people who know the Fairfax family, everybody's shocked. We're shocked.”
Davis said officers responded to the home in January after Justin Fairfax alleged his wife had assaulted him, which police found to be untrue.
“There are several cameras set up inside the house. Apparently. Mrs. Fairfax, at some point during these divorce proceedings, set up a lot of cameras inside the home,” Davis said. “We reviewed those cameras, and we corroborated that the alleged assault never occurred. So, there was no arrest made.”
Justin Fairfax met Cerina Fairfax at Duke University in 1997, he wrote in a social media post from 2017 marking their wedding anniversary.
Friends and former teachers said that Justin Fairfax “seemed innately meant for politics” from early on, according to a 2019 profile in The New York Times. After college, he landed a job working on Al Gore’s 2000 presidential campaign before attending Columbia Law School. From there, he worked as a federal prosecutor in the U.S. attorney’s office in Virginia’s Eastern District.
In 2012, he ran for attorney general of Virginia, but was narrowly beaten to the post. Five years later, he was elected Virginia’s lieutenant governor.
His wife was a dental surgeon and ran her own dentistry practice in Fairfax. She was once awarded the Alumni Association Award from Virginia Commonwealth University as an OUtstanding Graduate of the Last Decade, according to her dental practice. In her spare time she loved to read, run the trial and tavel.
Justin Fairfax served with former governor Ralph Northam, who said he was “devastated” by the news.
“Pam and I are devastated by this heartbreaking news. I had the privilege of getting to know the Fairfaxes while our families served together,” the statement said.
Sophia A. Nelson, an author and journalist, described Justin Fairfax as a “close friend” in a social media post and said he was suffering from depression. “He was going through a bad divorce,” Nelon said in a post on X. “Still sharing home with his wife. And those who knew him we were talking to him. We never saw this coming. Ever. We are all devastated.”
In 2019, two women accused Justin Fairfax of sexual assault dating back to 2000 and 2004. He denied the allegations and no criminal charges were filed in the case, but the scandal tainted Fairfax’s political career.
Despite calls for his resignation, Fairfax finished the term before launching an unsuccessful bid for governor in 2021.
Once a favorite to win, the ordeal ultimately ended his campaign.
If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call or text 988, or visit 988lifeline.org to access online chat from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you
