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Background: The home in Annandale, Virginia, where the shooting took place (WSET/YouTube). Inset: Justin and Cerina Fairfax in a photo Justin Fairfax posted in May 2023 (Justin Fairfax/Facebook).
Authorities report a tragic incident involving Virginia’s former lieutenant governor, who fatally shot his wife before taking his own life after receiving divorce-related court documents.
Justin Fairfax, 47, shot and killed his wife, Cerina Fairfax, before fatally shooting himself, Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis stated, describing the situation as an apparent murder-suicide during a press conference streamed by Richmond CBS affiliate WTVR. Both the husband and wife were pronounced dead at the scene of their Annandale, Virginia, home.
According to Police Chief Davis, “It appears that former Lieutenant Governor Fairfax was recently served with documents linked to an upcoming court case,” describing the couple’s divorce as “complicated or messy.” On Wednesday evening, Justin and Cerina Fairfax were at home with their two teenage children.
Investigators suspect the couple was in the basement when Justin Fairfax shot his wife. He then moved to the main bedroom upstairs, where he used the same firearm to commit suicide. Their eldest child made the emergency call to 911.
Chief Davis noted that this was not the first police visit to the residence.
“In January, Mr. Fairfax contacted the police, claiming his wife assaulted him,” Davis explained. Despite being separated, Justin and Cerina Fairfax continued living under the same roof, albeit in different rooms. “Officers responded and found several cameras installed throughout the house. Mrs. Fairfax had set them up during the divorce proceedings. After reviewing the footage, we confirmed that the alleged assault did not take place,” the police chief stated.
No one was arrested. “So that’s the only time that the Fairfax County Police Department has ever been at the Fairfax home,” Davis added.
The police chief acknowledged that the couple’s divorce proceedings appeared to be no secret, given their notoriety. In addition to serving as lieutenant governor of the commonwealth from 2018 to 2022, Justin Fairfax ran for governor in 2021, losing the Democratic primary election. Cerina Fairfax was a dentist.
“I think it’s fair to say that Justin Fairfax, before he was lieutenant governor, while he served as lieutenant governor, and even afterwards, was a rising star politically, not just in Northern Virginia, but in Virginia,” Davis said. “So it’s high profile in nature. It’s tragic in nature, certainly a … fall from grace for a relatively high-profile family that seemingly had a lot of things going in their favor.”
He added that it is “tragic for the children to lose both parents, extra tragic for them to actually be in the home when it occurred.”
After his failed 2021 governor bid, Justin Fairfax returned to practicing law. He has faced sexual assault allegations dating back to 2004 and 2000, though he denied any wrongdoing.