Former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax Kills Wife, Dies by Suicide in Apparent Domestic Shooting

ANNANDALE, Va. — Former Virginia Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax fatally shot his wife before taking his own life in what authorities describe as an apparent murder-suicide early Thursday, according to police.

Justin Fairfax served as Virginia Lt. Gov from 2018 to 2022

Officers with the Fairfax County Police Department responded shortly after midnight to a residence in Annandale, Virginia, where they discovered two people dead inside the home. Preliminary findings indicate Fairfax, 47, shot his wife, Cerina W. Fairfax, before turning the gun on himself.

Police described the incident as domestic-related and said the investigation remains ongoing. Authorities have not released additional details about what led to the shooting but confirmed the couple had been experiencing marital issues.

Court records show the Fairfaxes were in the process of a divorce at the time of their deaths.

The couple had been married for nearly two decades and shared two teenage children.

Fairfax, a Democrat, served as Virginia’s 41st lieutenant governor from 2018 to 2022 under Gov. Ralph Northam. He was one of the highest-ranking Black elected officials in the state’s history.

His political career was marked by both rapid ascent and significant controversy. In 2019, while in office, Fairfax faced sexual assault allegations from two women related to incidents in 2000 and 2004. He denied the allegations and did not resign.

Fairfax later launched an unsuccessful campaign for governor in 2021 and left office the following year.

Authorities have not indicated whether the prior controversies or the divorce proceedings played a direct role in the incident. However, officials have characterized the situation as a domestic dispute that escalated into violence.

The deaths have sent shockwaves through Virginia’s political community, where Fairfax was once considered a rising figure with statewide and national potential.

The investigation remains active, and police say additional information will be released as it becomes available.