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Double fatality at Fairfax family home
Justin Fairfax, who served as Virginia's lieutenant governor from 2018 to 2022, and his wife Cerina were found dead inside their Annandale residence early Thursday in what police have classified as a murder-suicide.
Sequence of events
Fairfax County police received an emergency call shortly after midnight local time (04:00 GMT) from the couple's teenage son, who reported that he believed his mother had been stabbed. Officers arrived to find Cerina Fairfax deceased from multiple gunshot wounds and Justin Fairfax dead from a self-inflicted gunshot. Investigators recovered bullet casings near Cerina's body and said the shooting appeared to unfold rapidly without prolonged confrontation.
"I think it all kind of happened at once. There wasn't a pause... it all happened pretty spontaneously."
Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis
Marital troubles and legal backdrop
Police Chief Davis told reporters that the tragedy stemmed from an ongoing domestic dispute tied to a contentious divorce. Court documents show the couple had been living under the same roof while separated since June 2024, and Cerina Fairfax filed for divorce in July 2025.
"This has been an ongoing domestic dispute surrounding what seems to be a complicated or messy divorce," Davis said during a Thursday morning briefing.
Political career and controversies
Justin Fairfax made history as the second Black person elected to statewide office in Virginia. His four-year term as lieutenant governor was marred by two allegations of sexual assault, which he consistently denied. In 2021, he launched an unsuccessful bid for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination.
Former Governor Ralph Northam, Fairfax's onetime running mate, expressed shock and sorrow in a statement released Thursday. "Pam and I are devastated by this heartbreaking news," Northam said. "I had the privilege of getting to know the Fairfaxes while our families served together."
Impact on the family
The couple's two teenage children were present in the home during the incident. Police described the scene as especially traumatic for the children, who lost both parents in a single violent episode.
"Tragic for the children to lose both parents. Extra tragic for them to actually be in the home when it occurred."
Police Chief Kevin Davis
