Former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax and his wife, Dr. Cerina Fairfax, were found dead Thursday (April 16) inside their Fairfax County home in what police say was an apparent murder-suicide.
According to The Associated Press, the couple’s teenage son called 911 shortly after midnight, and officers arrived within minutes, according to Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis.
Police said they believe Justin Fairfax shot Cerina Fairfax multiple times in the basement before going upstairs and shooting himself. Both were pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities also said the couple’s two teenage children were home at the time but were not physically injured.
Investigators say the deaths happened amid an ongoing divorce. The couple had reportedly separated but were still living in the same Annandale home, and police said Justin Fairfax had recently been served with court papers tied to the case — something authorities are examining as a possible factor.
The news marks a devastating end for a one-time rising figure in Virginia politics. Fairfax, a Democrat and former federal prosecutor, was elected lieutenant governor in 2017 and served from 2018 to 2022. Cerina Fairfax was a dentist.
Fairfax was once seen as a possible future governor before his political trajectory changed dramatically in 2019. That year, two women publicly accused Fairfax of sexual assault. He denied the allegations and said the encounters were consensual. The accusations derailed his political momentum, though he later ran for governor in 2021 and finished well behind the frontrunners in the Democratic primary. After leaving office in 2022, he returned to private legal practice.
Police have also pointed to earlier signs of turmoil inside the home. Officers had responded to a domestic-related call involving the couple in January, but no charges were filed after investigators reviewed available evidence.
At a press conference, Chief Davis called the case both “high profile” and tragic, while stressing that the deepest harm now falls on the family’s children.
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