Justin Fairfax killed wife and himself 2 weeks before court deadline to move out

Justin Fairfax killed wife, himself weeks before move out deadline

Former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, once a rising Democratic star before sexual assault allegations derailed his political career, fatally shot his estranged wife and then himself just weeks before a judge’s deadline requiring him to move out of their family home, according to police and court records.

ANNANDALE, Va. - Former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, once a rising Democratic star before sexual assault allegations derailed his political career, fatally shot his estranged wife and then himself just weeks before a judge’s deadline requiring him to move out of their family home, according to police and court records.

Officers responding to the couple’s Annandale home early Thursday found Fairfax, 47, and his wife, Dr. Cerina Fairfax, 49, dead inside, Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said.

Davis said Justin Fairfax shot his wife, a successful dentist, in the basement before going to an upstairs bedroom and killing himself. Their teenage son called 911.

A longtime friend told The Associated Press that Fairfax had grown increasingly despondent after his wife filed for divorce last year. 

In a recent order, the judge overseeing the case wrote that Fairfax’s "isolation, drinking, and a lack of participation in family life" reflected "a sense of fatalism and hopelessness."

Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said officers were called just after midnight to the 8100 block of Guinevere Drive, where they found both adults dead inside the residence.

READ MORE: Former Va. Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax fatally shot wife, then himself inside Virginia home, police say

Less than a decade earlier, Fairfax’s political career had been on the rise. He won the lieutenant governor’s race in 2017 and appeared positioned to become Virginia’s second Black governor in 2019, when Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam faced calls to resign over a racist yearbook photo. Fairfax would have ascended to the governorship if Northam had stepped down.

But two women then accused Fairfax of sexually assaulting them years earlier. Fairfax said both encounters, which occurred before his marriage, were consensual and refused to resign. He ran for governor in 2021 but was largely shunned by Democrats and lost in the primary.

Court filings show the couple separated nearly two years ago but continued living in the same home with their two teenage children, who were both inside when the shootings occurred, Davis said.

RELATED: Local leaders react after death of former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax and his wife

Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax and his wife Cerina watch the Inaugural parade Saturday, January 13, 2018 in Richmond, Va. (Photo by Julia Rendleman for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

In a March 30 order, the judge directed Fairfax to move out by the end of April, writing that tensions in the home "have been extremely high for an extended period of time."

The judge also wrote that Fairfax’s "mental and emotional health" had deteriorated after two major setbacks, his failed 2013 bid for attorney general and the 2019 sexual assault scandal. After both, he drank heavily and withdrew from family life, but while he recovered within a month after the first setback, he never rebounded from the second.

During divorce proceedings, Cerina Fairfax testified that her husband drank daily and that his living space was cluttered with empty wine bottles and piles of dirty laundry. Court records show he bought a handgun in 2022 using money intended for their children’s horseback riding lessons.

Filings also show Fairfax faced financial strain after the sexual assault allegations, which led to his resignation as a partner at a prestigious law firm. The IRS later filed a lien against the couple for more than $91,000 in unpaid taxes, a debt resolved in 2021.

Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said officers were called just after midnight to the 8100 block of Guinevere Drive, where they found both adults dead inside the residence.

RELATED: Justin Fairfax: Who was the former Va. lieutenant governor police say killed wife, then himself

Davis said Justin Fairfax was recently served paperwork outlining his next required court appearance. He said officers had also responded to the home in January after Fairfax claimed his wife assaulted him, but cameras she installed throughout the house showed "the alleged assault never occurred."

This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org

RICHMOND, VA - FEBRUARY 07: Virginia Lt. Governor Justin Fairfax presides over the Senate at the Virginia State Capitol, February 7, 2019 in Richmond, Virginia. Virginia state politics are in a state of upheaval, with Governor Ralph Northam and State

Expand