Virginia politician Justin Fairfax, who served lieutenant governor from 2018 to 2022, and his wife Cerina Fairfax died in a murder-suicide on April 16, police confirmed.
ByApr 16, 2026 3:16 PM
| Updated Apr 16, 2026 3:59 PM
TagsFormer Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax Allegedly Shoots, Kills Wife in Murder-Suicide
Content warning: This story discusses sexual assault, violence and suicide.
A former government official is at the center of a horrific tragedy.
Justin Fairfax, a democrat who served as Virginia’s lieutenant governor from 2018 to 2022, died in an apparent murder-suicide, shooting and killing his wife Dr. Cerina Fairfax and then himself at the couple’s Annandale home, local authorities confirmed.
“I know he was served some paperwork,” Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said in an April 16 press conference. “Apparently the paperwork indicated when he was next to appear in court. That could have been a spark.”
However, police are still determining a motive, with Davis adding, “Detectives will figure out what led to this tragedy here.”
Fairfax, 47, and Cerina, 49, married in 2006 after meeting as students at Duke University. They were parents to two teenage children, a son and a daughter, both of whom were home at the time of the shootings. Police said their son is who placed the initial 911 call.
Davis emphasized, “A mother shot and killed, taken from her children and then he takes his own life.”
But as authorities continue to investigate, they do have some working theories, with Davis telling NBC News in a statement that Fairfax’s actions appeared to be motivated by a “domestic dispute surrounding what seems to be a complicated or messy divorce.”
The police chief further noted that the couple were still living in their Annandale home together, albeit in separate bedrooms.
Samuel Corum/Getty Images
During his tenure as lieutenant governor, Fairfax faced sexual assault allegations from two women in 2019. One woman alleged he had raped her in a 2000 incident while they were both students at Duke University, while another accused him of forcing her to perform oral sex on him during the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston.
At the time, Fairfax emphatically denied the allegations—saying both instances were consensual—and though he was pushed to resign by colleagues at the time, remained in office until 2022.
“I have nothing to hide,” Fairfax, who later launched a failed bid for governor, said in a statement at the time, per NBC News. “Any review of the circumstances would support my account, because it is the truth.”
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If you or someone you know needs help, call 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call the network, previously known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, at 800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741 or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources.
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