Former deputy governor of Virginia Justin Fairfax and his wife, Cerina Fairfax, were found dead at their Annandale home on Thursday in what authorities have described as a murder-suicide.
Investigators say Fairfax shot his wife multiple times before taking his own life. Their two teenage children were at home at the time of the incident.
Fairfax, who served as Virginia’s lieutenant governor from 2018 to 2022 and was the second Black person elected to statewide office in the state, had seen his career overshadowed by sexual assault allegations, which he denied.
Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said the incident appears to be linked to marital difficulties, describing it as part of an ongoing domestic dispute tied to a complex and contentious divorce. The investigation is ongoing, BBC reported.
“This has been an ongoing domestic dispute surrounding what seems to be a complicated or messy divorce,” Davis said during a briefing on Thursday morning.
Authorities in Fairfax County responded to an emergency call from the former deputy governor’s son shortly after midnight (05:00 GMT), during which he reported that he believed his mother had been stabbed.
However, investigators later recovered bullet casings near the body of Cerina Fairfax and indicated the incident unfolded rapidly, with no signs of a prolonged struggle. “It all appears to have happened in a single, spontaneous moment,” said Davis.
Police noted that the couple, though living under the same roof, had been separated.
Davis described the case as a “fall from grace” for a once high-profile family, adding that the tragedy is compounded by the fact that the children were at home and have now lost both parents.
Political figures have expressed shock and condolences, including Ralph Northam, who said he and his wife were devastated by the news and recalled knowing the Fairfax family during their time in public service.
Fairfax had previously run for governor of Virginia in 2021 but was defeated in the Democratic primary.
