Former Virginia Lieutenant Governor kills wife and himself, US police say
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ANNANDALE, Va. (AP) — Former Virginia Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax, a rising star in the Democratic Party before his career was derailed by sexual assault allegations several years ago, killed his wife before killing himself, police said Thursday.
Fairfax, 47, and his wife, Dr Cerina Fairfax, 49, were found dead in their home in the Washington, D.C., suburb of Annandale after their teenage son called 911 shortly after midnight, Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said.
The couple was separated and going through a divorce, but living in the same house with their two children, who were home when the shootings occurred, he said.
A court filing said the couple separated in 2024 and filed for divorce last year.
Justin Fairfax was served recently with paperwork telling him when next to appear in court, Davis said.
In January, officers went to the home after Justin Fairfax alleged that his wife had assaulted him, he said.
“Apparently, Mrs Fairfax, at some point during these divorce proceedings, set up a lot of cameras inside the home. We reviewed those cameras, and we corroborated that the alleged assault never occurred,” Davis said.
The couple, who met as undergraduates at Duke University, had been married since 2006. Cerina Fairfax ran a family dentistry practice. After graduating from Duke, she attended the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Dentistry, which honored her in 2015 as its most outstanding alumna of the last decade.
A profile page on her dental practice’s website described her as an avid reader who liked to travel, practice yoga, go on trail runs with her Vizsla-breed dogs, and “spend time with her wonderful family.”
“It’s very sad for this community,” Davis said.
“A lot of people who know the Fairfax family, everybody’s shocked. We’re shocked.”
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