Ex-Virginia lieutenant governor Justin Fairfax and wife found dead in apparent murder-suicide, police say

Former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax fatally shot his wife, Cerina Fairfax, before turning the gun on himself in an apparent murder-suicide at their home in Annandale, Virginia, police said Thursday. The incident occurred just after midnight, with Fairfax shooting his wife several times in the basement of their home and then going upstairs to the primary bedroom where he killed himself. Their teenage children were home at the time of the shooting, and Fairfax's son had called 911 reporting he thought his mother had been stabbed. Police found bullet casings near her body and later discovered Fairfax with a self-inflicted gunshot wound upstairs. Police said Fairfax and his wife were in the early stages of divorce proceedings and had recently been served paperwork related to the separation. The couple had been living together but were sleeping in separate bedrooms. In January, Fairfax had called police alleging his wife assaulted him, though investigators determined the assault never occurred after reviewing footage from cameras placed by Cerina Fairfax. Fairfax, a Democrat, served as Virginia's 41st lieutenant governor from 2018 until 2022. In 2019, he faced sexual assault accusations from two women, which he denied, and experienced significant pressure to resign though he remained in office until the end of his term. Fairfax later attempted a run for governor in 2021 but was defeated in the Democratic primary by former Governor Terry McAuliffe. The shooting marks a tragic end for a political figure who had been navigating personal and professional turmoil in the years following his lieutenant governorship. The investigation remains ongoing as authorities continue to examine the circumstances surrounding the incident.