Former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax Kills Wife, Self After 19 Years of Marriage

(P1) Former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, 47, killed his wife of 19 years, Dr. Cerina Fairfax, 49, before taking his own life at their Annandale, Virginia, home, police said Thursday. The incident occurred shortly after midnight on April 16, with the couple's two teenage children present in the house.

(P2) "We know that recently Mr. Fairfax was served some type of paperwork indicating when he was next scheduled to next appear in court for the ongoing divorce proceedings," Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said at a press conference. "That is something that we're looking at as something that may have led to whatever happened last night."

(P3) The couple’s teenage son, Cameron, called 911 during what Davis described as a "very chaotic situation." Police reported that Justin Fairfax shot his wife multiple times before moving to another room and turning the gun on himself. The couple had separated in 2024 and were living in the same house during the divorce proceedings.

(P4) The tragedy marks a grim end for a political figure whose career imploded in 2019 under the weight of sexual assault allegations. Once poised to potentially become Virginia's second Black governor, Fairfax was largely ostracized by his party but denied the allegations and refused to resign his post as lieutenant governor, which he held from 2018 to 2022.

A Promising Career Derailed

In early 2019, Fairfax seemed destined for the governor's mansion when then-Gov. Ralph Northam faced a scandal over a racist yearbook photo. As calls for Northam's resignation mounted, Fairfax was the presumed successor.

That trajectory was shattered when two women came forward with accusations of sexual assault. Dr. Vanessa Tyson alleged Fairfax forced her to perform oral sex in 2004, and Meredith Watson accused him of raping her in 2000 while they were students at Duke University. Fairfax maintained the encounters were consensual and attempted a political comeback with a run for governor in 2021, but he was defeated in the Democratic primary.

A Community in Shock

The deaths stunned Virginia's political circles. "Pam and I are devastated by this heartbreaking news," former Gov. Northam said in a statement. "We are praying for Cameron, Carys, and the entire Fairfax family."

U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine issued a joint statement expressing their shock and keeping the family in their prayers. Cerina Fairfax was a respected dentist who ran her own family practice and was honored by the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Dentistry in 2015 as its most outstanding alumna of the last decade.

Police had previously been called to the Fairfax home in January over a claim by Justin Fairfax that his wife had assaulted him. After reviewing camera footage installed by Cerina Fairfax, police found no evidence of an assault and filed no charges.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or visit thehotline.org. For suicide prevention, the national crisis lifeline is available by calling or texting 988.

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