Fairfax denying sexual-assault allegations on February 4, 2019.
Photo: Katherine Freyages/The Washington Post via Getty Im
Justin Fairfax, the former lieutenant governor of Virginia, and his wife, Cerina Fairfax, were found dead in a murder-suicide at their home in Annandale, Virginia, on Thursday morning. Fairfax County police said Justin Fairfax, 47, shot his wife several times then turned the weapon on himself, WUSA9 reported.
“This has been an ongoing domestic dispute surrounding what seems to be a complicated or messy divorce,” Fairfax County police chief Kevin Davis said in a Thursday morning briefing. Davis said the preliminary investigation indicated that the former lieutenant governor had recently been served paperwork associated with an upcoming court appearance related to the divorce proceedings.
“That may have been a spark,” Davis said. “Detectives will figure out if that led to this tragedy here.”
The couple were separated but still living together. According to authorities, Fairfax shot his wife multiple times in the basement of the home, killing her, and then moved upstairs to the primary bedroom where he then killed himself with the same firearm. Their two teenage children were home during the shooting. The son called 911 shortly after midnight. “Our main concern is for their well-being right now,” Davis said.
Davis said police were called to the residence on one occasion back in January following a call from Fairfax alleging that his wife had assaulted him. Officers did respond to the scene, but no arrests were made. “There are several cameras set up inside the house. 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,” he said.
The Democrat served as lieutenant governor from 2018 to 2022 alongside Governor Ralph Northam. He was the second African American ever elected statewide in Virginia. Two women accused him of sexual assault in 2019, leading to calls for his resignation. He denied the allegations and finished his term. He ran for governor in 2021 but lost in the primary to former Virginia governor Terry McAuliffe.
Northam issued a statement following the news concerning his onetime running mate. “Pam and I are devastated by this heartbreaking news. 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,” the former governor said, per Fox 5 DC.
According to Fairfax’s LinkedIn profile, he founded a private legal practice in 2022, which is listed as his sole employer. The Washington Post reports that Fairfax had at one time represented several of the families of victims killed during a 2019 mass shooting at a Virginia Beach municipal building. Cerina Fairfax worked as a dentist and operated her own practice in Fairfax, Virginia.
This is a developing story.
