Former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax fatally shot his wife early Thursday before taking his own life inside their Annandale home, police said.
Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said the deadly gunfire erupted just after midnight amid the couple’s “complicated or messy divorce.” A judge had ordered the former politician to move out of the house by the end of April.
Mr. Fairfax’s teenage son, Cameron, called police about the killings after he came upon the wounded body of his mother, Cerina Fairfax, the chief said. The couple’s teenage daughter, Carys, was also inside the family’s residence at the time of the shooting.
“This is certainly a fall from grace for a relatively high-profile family that seemingly had a lot of things going for them,” Chief Davis said. “Tragic for the children to lose both parents. Extra tragic for them to actually be in the home when it occurred.”
The divorce case portrayed Mr. Fairfax as having succumbed to alcoholism and effectively absenting himself from family life, neglecting the household finances and his obligations to those who depended on him.
His wife said he had made a “profound retreat from domestic life,” according to court documents.
Mr. Fairfax, 47, was once viewed as the heir to former Gov. Ralph Northam, a fellow Democrat, after he was elected to the state’s second-highest office in 2017.
However, two women came forward with sexual assault accusations against the lieutenant governor in 2019 and prompted a wave of calls for him to resign, including from high-level Virginia Democrats such as Sen. Tim Kaine and former Gov. Terry McAuliffe.
Mr. Fairfax said the interactions were consensual, and he completed his term. However, a failed bid for governor in 2021 ended his political career.
The former lawmaker’s downward spiral continued into his personal life.
Mr. Fairfax stepped down as a partner at a major law firm after his reputation was damaged by the sexual assault allegations, court documents show.
The IRS placed a lien against the Fairfaxes for more than $91,000 in unpaid taxes. The debt was eventually resolved in 2021.
Mrs. Fairfax, a 49-year-old dentist, filed for divorce over the summer after separating from her husband in 2024. Police said the two still shared a home on the 8100 block of Guinevere Drive.
The estranged pair appeared in court Monday as part of their ongoing divorce. Chief Davis suggested that the hearing this week triggered the fatal encounter.
“From what I understand in this early stage, former Lt. Gov. Fairfax was recently served some paperwork associated with an upcoming court proceeding that apparently led to this incident last night,” the chief said.
Chief Davis said the divorce became so contentious that Mr. Fairfax accused his wife of assaulting him earlier this year.
However, the chief said that Mrs. Fairfax had installed cameras throughout the home during their separation, which helped clear her name in the incident.
“We reviewed those cameras, and we corroborated that the alleged assault never occurred,” Chief Davis said.
Court documents filed in the divorce further accused the former lieutenant governor of isolating himself from his family and failing to pay the mortgage. Mr. Fairfax, who represented himself in court, did not deny the allegations in the filings.
The two met as undergraduates at Duke University and married in 2006.
Mrs. Fairfax attended dentistry school at Virginia Commonwealth University, where she was honored in 2015 as its most outstanding alumna of the prior decade.
Mr. Fairfax, a former federal prosecutor and civil litigator, first ran for statewide office by seeking the attorney general’s seat in 2013. He would not secure an electoral victory until four years later, when he won as lieutenant governor on Mr. Northam’s ticket.
“Pam and I are devastated by this heartbreaking news,” Mr. Northam said in a statement, referring to his wife. “I had the privilege of getting to know the Fairfaxes while our families served together. We are praying for Cameron, Carys and the entire Fairfax family during this incredibly difficult time.”
Gov. Abigail Spanberger offered her condolences to Mrs. Fairfax’s family.
“The murder of Dr. Cerina Fairfax in an apparent murder-suicide is a horrific tragedy,” the governor said. “My prayers are with the Wanzer and Fairfax families as they mourn their own loss, endeavor to make sense of this tragedy, and comfort the Fairfax children.”
• This article is based in part on wire service reports.
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