Former Virginia Gov. Justin Fairfax took his own life and killed his wife, Cerina Fairfax, at their home shortly after midnight Thursday, police said.
According to Bloomberg, Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis described it as a “murder-suicide.” Authorities said the case appears to stem from an ongoing domestic dispute involving a “messy divorce.”
Justin Fairfax and his wife, Cerina Fairfax, were found dead in their home in Annandale, northern Virginia, after their teenage son called 911 shortly after midnight, Davis said, the AP reported.
Davis said the couple, who were separated and divorcing, still lived in the same home with their two children, both of whom were present when the shooting occurred.
Justin Fairfax recently received court documents informing him of his next scheduled appearance, Davis noted. “Detectives will find out if that led to this tragedy here. It’s very sad for this community. A lot of people who know the Fairfax family, they’re all in shock. We’re shocked,” Davis said.
Who was Justin Fairfax?
Justin Fairfax, a Democrat, served as Governor of Virginia from 2018 to 2022. He was the second black politician elected to statewide office in Virginia and once had a growing national profile. However, his career faced a setback in 2019 when members of his own party called for his resignation following allegations of sexual assault, which he denied.
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According to Davis, the couple’s two teenage children were inside the home at the time of the incident. Preliminary findings indicate that Fairfax shot his wife in the basement before moving upstairs to the master bedroom where he then fatally shot himself.
Former federal prosecutor and civil litigator Justin Fairfax initially ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for attorney general in 2013 before winning the 2017 election for lieutenant governor.
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For a brief period in 2019, Justin Fairfax appeared likely to become governor, as then-governor Ralph Northam faced intense criticism over a racist photo in his medical school yearbook, prompting calls for his resignation. But Fairfax’s prospects were derailed when two women accused him of sexual assault dating back several years. He strongly denied the accusation.
Vanessa Tyson alleged that Fairfax, then a student at Columbia Law School and an aide to Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards, forced her to perform oral sex in a hotel room during the Democratic National Convention in Boston in 2004. Two days later, Meredith Watson accused him of rape in 2000, when they were both students at Duke University.
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Fairfax denied the claims, claimed the meetings were consensual and resisted calls to resign. He later ran for governor in 2021, with some suggesting the bid was an attempt to restore his reputation, but received little support from Virginia Democrats. He expressed confidence that voters would recognize what he described as a smear campaign against him, but ultimately lost in the Democratic primary.
Meanwhile, Cerina Fairfax ran a family dental practice in Northern Virginia. She was a graduate of Duke University and the University of Virginia Commonwealth School of Dentistry, which in 2015 recognized her as the most outstanding graduate of the previous decade.
(The story contains content related to suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, you can call or text the US National Suicide and Crisis Line to 988. An online chat is also available at 988lifeline.org)
(With input from agencies)
