Justin Fairfax, a former lieutenant governor of Virginia, shot and killed his wife Cerina Fairfax on Thursday before turning the gun on himself, police have said. The shooting occurred at the couple's home in Annandale, Virginia, shortly after midnight, with their teenage children calling 911.
Kevin Davis, chief of the Fairfax County Police Department, said the killings happened amid an ongoing domestic dispute surrounding a complicated divorce. Davis stated that Fairfax, 47, had recently been served paperwork linked to an upcoming court proceeding, which appeared to trigger the incident.
Fairfax, a Democrat who served from 2018 to 2022 under Governor Ralph Northam, was the second African American to hold statewide office in Virginia since Reconstruction. His political career was derailed in 2019 when two women accused him of sexual assault, allegations he denied. He later finished fourth in the 2021 Democratic gubernatorial primary.
Court documents obtained by the Washington Post reveal Fairfax struggled with heavy alcohol consumption and isolation after leaving office. In 2022, he purchased a gun and on one occasion left home with it and a packed suitcase. A judge had set a 30 April deadline for Fairfax to move out of the family home, with Cerina granted primary custody of their two children.
Police had been called to the residence once before in January, when Fairfax accused his wife of assault, but footage from cameras she had installed showed no incident occurred. Cerina's stepfather and a relative had previously found Fairfax in a park with the gun, which he said was for personal security.
Journalist Sophia Nelson, a friend of the couple, expressed devastation for their children, stating that Cerina did not deserve what happened. She said Fairfax was depressed and in darkness, feeling no hope despite encouragement to seek help. In the US, the suicide prevention lifeline is 988 and the domestic violence hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE.
