Former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax shot and killed his wife, Cerina Fairfax, inside their home and then killed himself Thursday, authorities said.
The couple’s two teenage children were inside the house at the time of the shootings, Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said, CNN reported. Their son placed the 911 call.
Officers responded to the home shortly after midnight and found a man and a woman dead inside. The same firearm was used in both shootings, Davis said.
According to Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis, the couple was in the middle of a contentious and complicated divorce. Cerina Fairfax, a dentist, had filed for divorce in July 2025. Justin Fairfax had recently been served legal documents regarding an upcoming court appearance in the divorce proceedings, which police believe may have contributed to the tragedy, reported WHRO.
Police described the shootings as stemming from an ongoing domestic dispute tied to what Chief Davis called a “complicated or messy divorce.” Although the couple had separated, they were still living together in the same Annandale home, but sleeping in separate bedrooms at the time of the incident, per the New York Post.
Detectives reviewed extensive camera footage from inside the home, which had been set up as part of the divorce. In January, Fairfax called the police alleging that his wife had assaulted him, but the claim was not corroborated.
“So tragic for the children to lose both parents, extra tragic for them to actually be in the home when it occurred,” Davis said, per CNN. “Certainly a fall from grace for a relatively high-profile family that seemingly had a lot of things going in their favor.”
The children are now being cared for by grandparents and other family members with assistance from the Fairfax County Police Department’s victim services division.
“Half of America probably goes through divorce proceedings at some point in time and very, very rarely, thankfully, does it ever end up like this,” Davis said. “So, very sad for this community … a lot of people who know the Fairfax family — everybody’s shocked. We’re shocked.”
Fairfax, a Democrat, served as lieutenant governor under Gov. Ralph Northam from 2018 to 2022 and ran for governor in 2021. Sexual assault allegations marred his tenure. After leaving office, he returned to practicing law.
The couple had been married for 20 years.
Fairfax had also faced two recent civil debt judgments in Virginia courts, per Channel 3000+. Capital One Bank obtained a default judgment against him for $5,922.58 in October 2024, and Discover Bank won a default judgment for $23,871.31 in May 2025.