Justin Fairfax, a former lieutenant governor of Virginia, shot and killed his wife Cerina Fairfax before turning the gun on himself, police said. The incident occurred at their home in Annandale, Virginia, shortly after midnight on Thursday.
Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said the killings happened amid an 'ongoing domestic dispute surrounding what seems to be a complicated or messy divorce'. The couple's teenage children were in the house and called 911.
Fairfax, 47, served as lieutenant governor from 2018 to 2022 under Governor Ralph Northam. 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 revealed Fairfax had struggled with heavy alcohol consumption and isolation after leaving office. In 2022, he purchased a gun and was once found by his wife and relatives in a park with the firearm. A judge had recently ordered him to move out of the family home by 30 April and granted Cerina Fairfax primary custody of their children.
Police had been called to the residence once before, in January, when Fairfax accused his wife of assault. Officers determined the allegation was false after reviewing security camera footage.
Journalist Sophia Nelson, a friend of Fairfax, expressed devastation for the couple's children, saying Cerina 'did not deserve what Justin did to her'. She said Fairfax was depressed and felt hopeless, and had recently told her he needed help to prove his innocence.
