Then-Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax and his wife, Cerina, attend his and Gov. Ralph Northam's inauguration ceremony at the Virginia State Capitol in Richmond, Virginia, in January 2018.
Former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, a once-rising star in the Democratic Party whose tenure was marred by sexual assault allegations, shot and killed his wife, Cerina Fairfax, inside their home and then killed himself, police said.
The couple’s two teenage children were inside the home when the shootings occurred, Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said, noting their son had placed the 911 call.
Fairfax County police responded to the home in Annandale, Virginia, shortly after midnight Thursday, where they found a man and woman dead inside, police said earlier.
The shooting stemmed from an ongoing domestic dispute surrounding “what seems to be a complicated or messy divorce,” Davis said. It happened just over two weeks after Cerina Fairfax was granted primary physical custody of the couple’s children, according to court records.
Then-Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax and his wife, Cerina, attend his and Gov. Ralph Northam's inauguration ceremony at the Virginia State Capitol in Richmond, Virginia, in January 2018. Salwan Georges/The Washington Post via Getty Images
Former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, a once-rising star in the Democratic Party whose tenure was marred by sexual assault allegations, shot and killed his wife, Cerina Fairfax, inside their home and then killed himself, police said.
The couple’s two teenage children were inside the home when the shootings occurred, Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said, noting their son had placed the 911 call.
Fairfax County police responded to the home in Annandale, Virginia, shortly after midnight Thursday, where they found a man and woman dead inside, police said earlier.
The shooting stemmed from an ongoing domestic dispute surrounding “what seems to be a complicated or messy divorce,” Davis said. It happened just over two weeks after Cerina Fairfax was granted primary physical custody of the couple’s children, according to court records.
Cerina Fairfax filed for divorce on July 18, 2025, and the case status is pending, according to Fairfax County Circuit Court records. A show cause order issued April 10 directed Justin Fairfax to appear in court on April 21, the records show.
Detectives have reviewed the incident using “a lot of cameras,” which were set up inside the home as part of the couple’s ongoing divorce proceedings, Davis said.
Cerina Fairfax “leaves an immeasurable void in the lives of all who knew and loved her,” said attorney Amy Spain, who previously worked with Cerina to file her divorce paperwork.
“It is an absolute tragedy that Cerina was taken from her children and family,” she said in a statement, describing Cerina Fairfax as a loving and devoted mother.
How the shooting unfolded
Fairfax appeared to have shot his wife several times in the basement of the home before running upstairs to the primary bedroom, where he shot and killed himself, Davis said. The couple had been living together in separate bedrooms while separated, he said.
An undated image from Facebook shows former Virginia Lt. Governor Justin Fairfax and his wife Cerina Fairfax.
Former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax kills his wife, then himself
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The same firearm appears to have been used in both shootings, Davis said.
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