ANNANDALE, Va. — The former Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, Justin Fairfax, and his wife, Cerina, were found dead inside their home in Northern Virginia.
Officials said it was a murder-suicide.
Fairfax County police spokesperson Chris Cosgriff said, “Preliminarily, it appears that the adult male shot the adult female before shooting himself in a domestic-related incident,” The Washington Post reported.
The couple’s teenage children were home at the time, the Fairfax County police chief said, according to The New York Times. Their son called 911 just after midnight, The Associated Press reported.
“So tragic for the children to lose both parents, extra tragic for them to actually be in the home when it occurred,” Chief Kevin Davis said, according to CNN. “Certainly a fall from grace for a relatively high-profile family that seemingly had a lot of things going in their favor.”
Justin Fairfax and his wife had been in an “ongoing domestic dispute surrounding a complicated or messy divorce,” Davis said, according to the Times.
Officers were called to the home in January after Justin Fairfax claimed his wife assaulted him, but no charges were filed.
“There are several cameras set up inside the house. Apparently. Mrs. Fairfax, at some point during these divorce proceedings, set up a lot of cameras inside the home. We reviewed those cameras, and we corroborated that the alleged assault never occurred. So, there was no arrest made,” Davis said, according to the AP.
The former Democratic lieutenant governor was elected in 2017, serving with Gov. Ralph Northam from 2018 to 2022, who said in a statement, “Pam and I are devastated by this heartbreaking news. I had the privilege of getting to know the Fairfaxes while our families served together.”
Justin Fairfax was accused in 2019 of sexual assault in alleged incidents in 2000 and 2004. He denied the accusations, completed his term in office, and ran in the Democratic primary for governor in 2021. He came in fourth in the race with only 3.6 percent of the vote, the Times reported.
After serving as lieutenant governor, he went back to practicing law. His wife, Cerina Fairfax, was a dentist, Davis said, according to CNN.
Note: If you or someone you know is thinking of harming themselves, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline provides free support via the Lifeline by dialing 988. For more about risk factors and warning signs, visit the organization’s official website.
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