Former Virginia lieutenant governor Justin Fairfax shot and killed his estranged wife before taking his own life inside their home in Annandale, in what police describe as a suspected murder-suicide amid an ongoing and “messy” divorce.
According to New York Post, Fairfax, 47, fatally shot Cerina Fairfax multiple times in the basement of their residence shortly after midnight, before turning the gun on himself elsewhere in the house.
Police Chief Kevin Davis confirmed the sequence of events, adding that the couple’s two teenage children were inside the home at the time. Their son called 911 to report the shooting.
“It is high-profile in nature, it’s tragic in nature,” Davis told reporters, as quoted by New York Post. “Certainly a fall from grace for a relatively high-profile family.”
He added that it was “extra tragic” that the children were present when the incident occurred.
Authorities say the couple, who had been married for nearly two decades, were in the middle of divorce proceedings while still living under the same roof.
Court records cited by New York Post show Cerina Fairfax filed for divorce in July 2025, roughly a year after the couple initially separated.
Police indicated that recent legal developments may have played a role.
