Former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax shot and killed his wife Cerina Fairfax before turning the gun on himself in their Annandale home as the couple was in the midst of a “messy” divorce, police said Thursday.
Officers responded to the 8100 block of Guinevere Drive shortly after midnight in response to a 911 call from the couple’s teen son, according to police.
“Former Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax shot and killed his wife inside of their home and then shot and killed himself,” Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis told reporters at a briefing.
Fairfax had been a “rising star” before sexual assault allegations stunted the Democrat’s political aspirations in 2019. His wife ran a family dentistry practice.
According to Davis, Fairfax shot his wife several times in the house’s basement, killing her. He then ran upstairs to the primary bedroom and killed himself with the same firearm.
The couple’s teenage children, a boy and a girl, were in the house when it happened.
Davis said he believes the violent events unfolded rapidly, “It all happened pretty spontaneously.”
‘Messy’ divorce before killing
Davis noted that divorce proceedings had been ongoing for some time, calling it a “complicated or messy” situation.
Fairfax was apparently served paperwork “associated with an upcoming court proceeding,” which may have led to the shooting, Davis said.
In January, Fairfax alleged that his wife assaulted him, an accusation that Davis said was investigated by police and found to be untrue.
“We responded to that scene. 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,” Davis said.
The couple were separated while living in the house together.
“Half of America probably goes through divorce proceedings at some point in time, and very, very rarely, thankfully, does it ever end up like this,” Davis said.
Sexual assault allegations against former Lt. Gov.
Fairfax served as lieutenant governor from 2018 to 2022.
“It’s high profile in nature,” Davis said of the killing. “It’s tragic in nature, certainly a fall from grace for a relatively high-profile family that seemingly had a lot of things going in their favor.”
During his time in office, he faced accusations of sexual assault from two women in 2019. Fairfax denied the allegations and finished his term, despite calls from other lawmakers for him to resign.
Fairfax was not criminally charged in either case and maintained his innocence.
Instead of running for reelection, Fairfax campaigned for governor in 2021 and lost during the Democratic primary.
He returned to practicing law after his political career.
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