Former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax shot and killed his wife, Dr. Cerina Fairfax, inside their Annandale, Virginia home early morning of April 16 before turning the gun on himself, Fairfax County police confirmed.
Officers responded to the couple’s home shortly after midnight following a 911 call from the couple's teenage son, who reported that his mother was bleeding and that he did not know where his father was, according to NBC News. Both of the couple's high-school-age children were home at the time.
Police say Fairfax, 47, shot his wife, 49, multiple times in the basement of the home before going upstairs to the primary bedroom, where he killed himself with the same weapon, according to NBC.
The couple had been married for 19 years and met as students at Duke University. They had been separated but continued living together in the home while navigating contentious divorce proceedings, according to court documents reviewed by NBC News.
Cerina Fairfax filed for divorce in July 2025. According to NBC, a judge awarded her custody of the couple's children last month, and a court had ordered Justin Fairfax to vacate the home by April 30. The couple was scheduled to appear in court April 20 for a three-day trial over the division of marital assets.
According to the Washington Post, which reviewed court filings from the divorce proceeding, Cerina Fairfax testified that Justin's "heavy daily alcohol" use became a new normal after he left office in 2022. He grew insular, spending more time alone in his room rather than with the family. Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge Timothy J. McEvoy, in a March 30 opinion, wrote that the facts painted "a vivid picture of Father as a talented man who struggles with undefined emotional and psychological issues," adding that "these undefined issues are in fact defining him and limiting his ability to be the person he is capable of being, including but not limited to the role of a dad."
Justin Fairfax served as Virginia's lieutenant governor from 2018 to 2022 under Gov. Ralph Northam. He was the second black American in Virginia history to hold statewide office.
In early 2019, two women came forward with sexual assault allegations against Fairfax. Vanessa Tyson accused him of forcing her to perform oral sex at the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston; Meredith Watson accused him of raping her in 2000 when the two were students at Duke University. Fairfax denied both allegations.
Several prominent Virginia Democrats, including Sen. Tim Kaine, called for Fairfax's resignation at the time. He refused and remained in office until his term expired. In 2021, he ran for governor of Virginia, finishing fourth in the Democratic primary with 3.5 percent of the vote.
Fairfax County Police are continuing to investigate, according to NBC. No additional suspects are being sought.