Ex-Virginia Lieutenant Governor Kills Wife Before Taking His Own Life

A former lieutenant governor of Virginia shot and killed his wife before turning the gun on himself in an apparent murder-suicide at the family home, police have confirmed.

Justin Fairfax, 47, fatally shot his wife, Dr Cerina Fairfax, several times in the basement of their house in Annandale, Virginia, before going upstairs to the main bedroom and killing himself, according to Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis.

The couple’s two teenage children were in the house at the time of the shootings, which occurred shortly after midnight on Thursday. Their elder son placed the emergency call to 911.

Chief Davis described the incident as a “traumatic event” for the children, who have now lost both parents in devastating circumstances. “It is so tragic for these children to lose both parents, and extra tragic for them to have been in the home when it occurred,” he said.

The deaths are believed to have stemmed from a long-running and “complicated, messy divorce” that had left the couple separated but still sharing the family home. Police had previously responded to a domestic call at the address in January, when Mr Fairfax alleged he had been assaulted by his wife. No charges were filed after investigators reviewed camera footage installed in the home and found the claim to be unsubstantiated.

Chief Davis said Mr Fairfax had recently been served with legal paperwork relating to an upcoming court appearance in the divorce proceedings. Investigators believe this may have been the trigger for the fatal confrontation.

Dr Cerina Fairfax, 49, ran a family dentistry practice in northern Virginia. The couple had been married for 19 years.

Mr Fairfax served as Virginia’s lieutenant governor from 2018 to 2022 under Governor Ralph Northam. Once viewed as a rising star in the Democratic Party, his political career was overshadowed by sexual assault allegations in 2019, which he strongly denied. He later returned to practising law.

Speaking to reporters, Chief Davis expressed sorrow for the family and the wider community. “This has been an ongoing domestic dispute surrounding what seems to be a complicated or messy divorce,” he said. “It’s very sad for this community.”

The investigation remains ongoing, with detectives examining evidence from cameras in the home.