Virginia's former lieutenant governor shot and killed his wife before turning the gun on himself inside their home overnight, according to Fairfax County Police on Thursday.
47-year-old ex-Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax and his 49-year-old wife, Dr. Cerina Fairfax, were found dead inside their northern Virginia home.
The couple's teenage son called 911 shortly after midnight. Both of their teenage children were in the house when it happened.
An initial investigation has determined that Fairfax killed his wife in the basement before going upstairs to the primary bedroom to kill himself.
The couple, according to officials, were going through a divorce. They had been married since 2006.
They were separated but still living together. A court filing said the couple separated in 2024 and filed for divorce last year.
The police chief also revealed that Fairfax was served recently with paperwork telling him when next to appear in court.
In January, officers were called to their home after the former lieutenant governor accused his wife of assaulting him.
“Apparently, Mrs. Fairfax, at some point during these divorce proceedings, set up a lot of cameras inside the home. We reviewed those cameras, and we corroborated that the alleged assault never occurred,” Davis said.
Fairfax served as lieutenant governor for one term from 2018 to 2022. He was once considered a rising star in the Democratic Party and poised to become the state's second black governor after Gov. Ralph Northam faced pressure to resign over a photo in a medical school yearbook that many critics believed was racist.
Fairfax's political career, however, was derailed after two women accused him of sexual assault. He denied the claims.
His wife, a dentist, owned her own practice.
“Virginia woke up this morning to the devastating news regarding Dr. Cerina Fairfax and Former Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax. My thoughts are with their children, loved ones, and numerous friends. Along with so many in the Commonwealth, I am filled with sorrow; I await further insights from our law enforcement officials,” she wrote in a statement shared to X.