ANNANDALE, Va. — Former Virginia Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax shot and killed his wife before taking his own life in an apparent murder-suicide early Thursday morning, according to Fairfax County Police Department officials.

Police said the incident unfolded just after midnight inside the family’s home in Annandale. Authorities allege Fairfax, 47, shot his wife, Cerina Fairfax, multiple times in the basement before going upstairs to the primary bedroom, where he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The couple’s two teenage children were inside the home at the time of the shooting. According to sources familiar with the investigation, one of the children called 911 shortly after midnight, initially reporting that his mother had been stabbed. When officers arrived, they discovered bullet casings near Cerina Fairfax’s body and later found Justin Fairfax upstairs.

Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis described the violence as sudden and without prolonged confrontation.
“There wasn’t a pause … it all happened pretty spontaneously,” Davis said during a Thursday morning briefing.
Investigators said the couple had been navigating the early stages of a divorce.

Cerina Fairfax filed for divorce last July, and authorities noted that Justin Fairfax had recently been served related legal documents. Though the two remained in the same home, they were reportedly living separately within the residence.
“This has been an ongoing domestic dispute surrounding what seems to be a complicated or messy divorce,” Davis said.

Officials also confirmed that in January, Justin Fairfax had previously contacted police alleging that his wife assaulted him. However, investigators later determined the claim was unfounded after reviewing home surveillance footage.
Authorities described the case as deeply traumatic, particularly for the couple’s children, who are now receiving support services.

“This is certainly a fall from grace for a relatively high-profile family that seemingly had a lot of things going for them,” Davis said. “Tragic for the children to lose both parents. Extra tragic for them to actually be in the home when it occurred.”
Justin Fairfax served as Virginia’s 41st lieutenant governor from 2018 to 2022.

His political career had been overshadowed by allegations of sexual misconduct dating back to his time as a student at Duke University. Two women accused him of sexual assault in separate incidents, allegations he consistently denied, stating the encounters were consensual.

The investigation remains ongoing.