Former Va. Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, Wife Dead in Murder-Suicide

In Annandale, Virginia, authorities discovered the bodies of Dr. Cerina Fairfax and her estranged husband, former Virginia Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax, early Thursday morning in what police described as a murder-suicide. Investigators believe Justin Fairfax fatally shot his 49-year-old wife before turning the gun on himself inside their family home.

The couple, who shared two teenage children present in the house at the time, had been navigating a contentious divorce for nearly two years. Cerina Fairfax filed for separation last summer, citing her husband's struggles with alcoholism and emotional withdrawal following 2019 sexual assault allegations against him, for which he was never charged. Court records show Justin Fairfax had isolated himself, often emerging only to smoke or obtain alcohol, while the family continued living together in the Annandale residence. A judge recently ordered him to vacate the home by the end of April, noting the high tensions that had persisted for an extended period. The divorce proceedings, scheduled to advance next week, involved disputes over assets and the official separation date, a common issue in Virginia cases requiring 12 months...