Patients and colleagues are remembering Dr. Cerina Fairfax as a devoted mother, a caring dentist and the rock at the centre of her family after she was killed by her estranged husband, former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax.
Police found both dead in their home in Annandale, Virginia, early Thursday. They believe Justin Fairfax fatally shot his wife and then killed himself. The couple were going through a divorce, and a judge had ordered Justin Fairfax to move out by the end of the month.
Cerina Fairfax, 49, ran a thriving family dentistry practice in Fairfax. A profile described her as an avid reader who liked to travel, practise yoga, go on trail runs with her dogs and “spend time with her wonderful family.” Virginia Rep. Jennifer McClellan said their two teenage children were “the people she cherished most.”
Friend and patient Terron Sims II remembered her as a quiet and caring friend, whose dentistry was “an expression of love and compassion.” Dr. Jeffrey Johnson, interim dean of the Virginia Commonwealth School of Dentistry, wrote that her loss is deeply felt, noting she “embodied the ideals of our profession.”
Cerina and Justin Fairfax met as undergraduates at Duke University and married in 2006. Justin Fairfax served as lieutenant governor from 2018 to 2022, but his political career was derailed by sexual assault allegations from two women. Cerina Fairfax said in court filings they separated nearly two years ago, but were still living in the same house with their children, who were home at the time of the deaths.
