A former Virginia lieutenant governor and his wife were found dead in what police believe to be a murder-suicide. The deceased, Justin Fairfax and Cerina were found with gunshot wounds inside their Virginia home in the wee hours of Thursday.
Authorities say that Fairfax shot his wife and then killed himself. Based on the reports, Cerina was shot several times in the basement. After killing her, Fairfax reportedly ran upstairs to the primary bedroom and shot himself.
Their bodies were discovered by their two teenage children, who were reportedly present at the house at the time of the incident. Police say that shortly after midnight, they received a 911 call from the couple’s son, who indicated that his dad may have stabbed his mother.
The teen said he found her lying in a pool of blood with holes in her shirt. When officers arrived at the couple’s home in Annandale, it was shortly after midnight. Police said they found Fairfax dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head with a firearm in his possession. Some time later, detectives were at the scene, and the crime scene was cordoned off.
It was later revealed that the same gun was used to kill Fairfax and Cerina, according to Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis. The chief also shared in an interview with CNN that the shooting appeared to have been caused by an ongoing domestic dispute surrounding their divorce, which he described as either “complicated or messy”.
It is understood that Fairfax and Cerina were sleeping in separate bedrooms. The divorce was filed on July 18, 2025, by Cerina, and it is still pending. On April 10, Fairfax was served paperwork to appear in court on April 21 regarding the divorce. Amid their divorce, allegations of domestic violence were made by Fairfax. In January, the police were called, and Fairfax told them that his wife had assaulted him, but this was not corroborated.
Following the incident, the children were placed in the care of their grandparents, and other family members are showing support.