Former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax Dead in Murder-Suicide

Authorities say Fairfax fatally shot his wife before taking his own life amid ongoing domestic dispute

Published April 18, 2026

On Thursday, Former Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax was found dead after murdering his wife, Cerina Fairfax, then committing suicide.

Two weeks before the murder, Fairfax was ordered to leave his home, and lose custody of both of his teenage children. Fairfax’s son was the one who found his parents and alerted the authorities.

Fairfax, served as the Commonwealth’s Lieutenant Governor from 2018 to 2022, when he then ran for Governor and was eventually voted out in the primaries. This was his highest office he ever held. Fairfax’s career was derailed when in 2019 when he was accused of sexual assault in 2019. This led to public outcry for his resignation, however he completed the final 2 years of his term.

According to Cerina Fairfax’s statement to the court, Justin had become a “heavy daily alcohol” user at the end of his 2022 term. She also told the court that he had used money meant for horseback-riding lessons for their children to purchase a gun that year.

The Fairfax’s were officially separated in 2024, but were still living in the same house. Kevin Davis, the county police chief, said that the couple had been in an “ongoing domestic dispute surrounding a complicated or messy divorce.”

🚨 BREAKING: Murder suicide – former VA Dem Lt Gov @LGJustinFairfax kills wife then himself in Annandale, VA. Police are zip lipped.

AJust after midnight Justin Fairfax shot and killed his wife and then shot himself in the head. They were going through divorce.

Police… pic.twitter.com/WgLSRf07GR
— NOVA Campaigns (@NoVA_Campaigns) April 16, 2026

Chief Davis said that in January, Justin Fairfax, 47, called the police reporting that his wife had assaulted him.“We corroborated that the alleged assault never occurred,” the police chief said on Thursday. Davis also reported that on Thursday, he shot his wife multiple times in their basement, then went upstairs where he shot himself.

“We know that recently, Mr. Fairfax was served some type of paperwork indicating when he was scheduled to next appear in court for the ongoing divorce proceedings,” said Chief Davis. Davis also mentioned that they are looking into whether that was a factor leading up to the incident on Thursday. (RELATED: Virginia Civil Rights Division Leadership Draws Scrutiny Over Past Federal Role.)

Governor Spanberger also released a statement on Thursday about the tragic event. “I am deeply saddened by the tragedy that occurred last night. I am praying for the Fairfax children, and I ask my fellow Virginians to hold them in their hearts and prayers,” Spanberger said.