Justin Fairfax obit

Former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax and his wife dead in murder-suicide

 

He was not on the list.

FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. (7News) — Former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax and his wife are dead following a murder-suicide Thursday morning in Annandale, according to the Fairfax County Police Department (FCPD).

Shortly after midnight, officers responded to the 8100 block of Guinevere Drive for a death investigation. Detectives said they discovered a man and a woman dead inside a residence.

The agency's preliminary findings indicate Justin Fairfax, 47, shot his wife, Dr. Cerina W. Fairfax, before turning the gun on himself.

Police believe the murder happened in the basement of the home and at some point after shooting his wife, Justin Fairfax ran upstairs of the home to the primary bedroom, where he shot himself. He used the same gun, but police have not recovered it yet.

The couple has two children who were home at the time of the shooting, and one of them called 911.

The couple got married on June 17, 2006, after meeting at Duke University. According to court records, they were going through a divorce.

"Right now I can just tell you...that this has been an ongoing domestic dispute surrounding what seems to be a complicated or or messy divorce," FCPD Chief Kevin Davis said.

FCPD has responded to prior domestic-related calls at the home, with the most recent one in January.

"Mr. Fairfax called the police and alleges that his wife, assaulted him, we responded to that scene." However, Davis said no "assault occurred" and was "proven to be untrue."

Davis also said Cerina Fairfax had several cameras installed in the home and that is something police will look into for evidence.

The cameras were installed because of previous alleged assaults reported to police, authorities said.

Police added they were "separated but living together" and that Justin Fairfax was served some paperwork recently that may have "sparked" this shooting.

"Mr. Fairfax was served some type of paperwork indicating when he was scheduled to next appear in court for the ongoing divorce proceedings. So I guess that is, well, that is something that we're looking at as something that may have led to whatever happened last night that led to the murder of a mother and a wife and a citizen," FCPD chief said.

Police plan to execute an existing search warrant at the Annandale residence to recover all relevant evidence, including the firearm used in the incident.

"The family was going through, seemingly a very tough time with the separation, with the divorce," Chief Davis said. "I can only imagine the stress that the parents felt, the kids felt, and the other family members as well."

Police said the children are being supported by the victim services division.

Justin Fairfax worked under Ralph Northam, who served as the 73rd governor of Virginia from 2018 to 2022.

An investigation was launched into Justin Fairfax in 2019 over several sexual assault allegations. He has denied ever sexually assaulting anyone.

He served as the 41st lieutenant governor of Virginia from 2018 to 2022. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the second African American elected statewide in Virginia, following Douglas Wilder. In 2019, he faced sexual assault allegations dating to 2000 and 2004, which he denied.

Fairfax was a Democratic candidate for governor of Virginia in the 2021 election. He finished fourth in the Democratic primary with 3.54% of the vote.