Ex-Va. Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax Shoots Wife, Self in Murder-Suicide, Police Say

Former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax fatally shot his estranged wife inside their Annandale, Va., home early Thursday and then killed himself, weeks before a court deadline ordering him to move out, police and court records show.

Officers responding to the Washington, D.C., suburb found the bodies of Fairfax, 47, and his wife, Dr. Cerina Fairfax, 49, Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said. Justin Fairfax shot his wife in the basement before going to an upstairs bedroom and killing himself, Davis said. Their son called 911. Two teenage children were home at the time.

A March 30 court order directed Justin Fairfax to vacate the home by the end of April, stating that "it is clear tensions in the Fairfax home have been extremely high for an extended period of time." Court documents from the couple's ongoing divorce proceedings described Justin Fairfax's "mental and emotional health" as severely diminished following two crises: a failed 2013 bid for the Democratic attorney general nomination and a 2019 sexual assault scandal that ended his promising political career. The judge noted his "isolation, drinking, and a lack of participation in family life are manifestations of what seems to be a sense of fatalism and hopelessness."

Sophia A. Nelson, a Virginia author and journalist who described Fairfax as a close friend, said in the days before the shooting he had been shaken by recent sexual assault allegations against another Democratic congressman. The coverage brought back what he still believed was an unfair rush to judgment against him, she said. "There were talks of suicidal thoughts," Nelson said, adding that friends had repeatedly urged him to seek help. Nelson said she believes Fairfax was financially unable to comply with the court's move-out order. Court filings showed the IRS had filed a lien against the couple for more than $91,000 in unpaid taxes, resolved in 2021, and that Fairfax had struggled to rebuild his legal career after resigning from a prestigious law firm following the 2019 allegations.

Cerina Fairfax was a practicing dentist and 2015 outstanding alumna honoree of the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Dentistry. The couple met at Duke University and married in 2006.

"This tragedy reminds us that domestic violence can occur in any family and in any place," Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger wrote on social media Thursday. U.S. Sens. Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Tim Kaine (D-Va.) issued a joint statement asking for prayers for the couple's children.

No further court proceedings are scheduled. Davis said the investigation remains active.

If you or someone you know needs help, the national Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available by calling or texting 988.

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