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Police: Former Va. Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax Killed Wife, Then Himself in Annandale Home

Detectives cite a contentious divorce with recent court paperwork as a likely trigger.

Overview

  • Fairfax County police say the 47-year-old shot Cerina Fairfax after midnight Thursday at their Annandale home, then died by suicide in an upstairs bedroom.
  • Chief Kevin Davis said Fairfax shot his wife several times in the basement and used the same firearm to kill himself, which investigators recovered at the scene.
  • Their teenage son called 911 while both children were inside the house, and relatives are now caring for them with support from the department’s victim services team.
  • Detectives are executing search warrants and reviewing footage from cameras installed during the divorce, which earlier disproved a January assault claim Fairfax made against his wife.
  • Court records show Cerina filed for divorce in July 2025, and a judge had ordered Justin to appear in court on April 21 as his once-rising political career had stalled after 2019 sexual assault allegations he denied.