Former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax kills wife, self in Annandale home, police say

Former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax killed his wife and then himself in their Annandale home early Thursday, police say.

The shooting happened amid “a complicated or messy divorce,” Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said, years after sexual assault allegations derailed Fairfax’s political career.

Police found Fairfax and his wife, Cerina Fairfax, dead in the 8100 block of Guinevere Drive shortly after midnight. The couple’s son and daughter, who are high school age, were home at the time, Davis said.

Justin Fairfax is believed to have shot Cerina several times in a basement before running upstairs to the primary bedroom and turning the same gun on himself, Davis said. Both were pronounced dead on the scene.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or chat live at 988lifeline.org. You can also visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional support.

The couple’s teenage son called 911, police said.

Cerina had cameras installed inside the home at some point, police said. Detectives used them to corroborate the sequence of events.

“Certainly a traumatic event for those children to live through,” Davis said. The children are now with family members.

An investigation is underway, and authorities plan to get a search warrant for the home. Police said there is no threat to the community.

Court records show Cerina Fairfax, who was a dentist, had filed for divorce. Davis said the couple were separated, but still living together in separate bedrooms. Fairfax had been served paperwork recently, and a court date was pending.

“That may have been a spark,” Davis said. “Detectives will figure that out, what led to this tragedy here.”

Fairfax County police responded to the home once before, earlier this year.

Justin Fairfax called police in January and accused his wife of assaulting him, Davis said. The cameras Cerina installed showed the assault never occurred, Davis said. No arrests were made, and no charges were filed against Cerina or Justin.

Justin Fairfax was the lieutenant governor from 2018 to 2022. His election made history: He was just the second African-American elected statewide in Virginia.

He appeared poised to take over the governor’s office from Ralph Northam in 2019 after a scandal over a racist photo in Northam’s medical school yearbook.

Then, two women accused Fairfax of sexual assault. Fairfax denied the allegations, tried to clear his name and was never charged with a crime.

Fairfax was once considered a rising star in the Democratic Party, but the accusations derailed his political career.

He was an attorney and practiced law after leaving public office, Davis said.

“Certainly a fall from grace for a relatively high-profile family that seemingly had a lot of things going in their favor,” Davis said. “So tragic for the children to lose both parents. Extra tragic for them to be in the home when it occurred.”

The police department’s victim services division is supporting the family and the children, in particular, Davis said.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline by calling 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), visiting www.thehotline.org or texting LOVEIS to 22522.