Former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax killed his wife and then himself in an apparent murder-suicide at their Annandale home early Thursday, according to Fairfax County police.
Police said officers responded shortly after midnight on Apr. 16 to the 8100 block of Guinevere Drive after a 911 call from the couple's teenage son. Detectives found Fairfax, 47, and his wife, Dr. Cerina Fairfax, 49, dead inside the home.
Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said the shooting appeared tied to an ongoing divorce dispute. He said Fairfax had recently received legal paperwork related to an upcoming court date, which investigators believe may have been a trigger, according to USA Today.
Authorities said the couple had been living in the same house but in separate rooms while going through a difficult breakup. Police also said the couple's two teenage children were inside the home when the shooting happened, but they were not physically harmed.
Court records show Cerina Fairfax filed for divorce on Jul. 18, 2025. In that filing, she said the couple separated on June 1, 2024, and that they signed a postnuptial agreement in December 2024. The complaint said she later told Fairfax on Jun. 2, 2025, that she wanted to end the marriage and buy out his share of the home, TMZ reported.
The filing also said Cerina Fairfax accused her husband of not paying his share of the children's school costs, extracurricular activities, groceries, utilities, and mortgage payments. Those claims were allegations in the divorce case, not findings by a court.
Justin Fairfax served as Virginia's lieutenant governor from 2018 to 2022 and briefly emerged as a leading Democratic figure in the state. His political rise was later overshadowed by sexual assault allegations in 2019, which he denied.
Police have not announced any criminal charges beyond the murder-suicide investigation. The case remains under active review by Fairfax County investigators, as per VPM.
