Justin Fairfax, ex-lieutenant governor of Virginia, kills wife and himself | Virginia

Former lieutenant governor of Virginia Justin Fairfax, who was dismissed due to sexual assault allegations, shot and killed his wife, Cerina Fairfax, on Thursday and then killed himself, police said.

Kevin Davis, chief of the Fairfax County police department in Virginia, said at a news conference that the killings occurred in the context of “an ongoing domestic dispute surrounding what appeared to be a complicated or messy divorce.”

The attack took place at the Fairfaxes’ home in Annandale, Virginia, and police arrived at the scene after a 911 call from one of their teenage children shortly after midnight.

“Former lieutenant governor Justin Fairfax shot and killed his wife inside their home and then shot and killed himself,” Davis said.

Democratic lieutenant governor Justin Fairfax, 47, who served under Gov. Ralph Northam from 2018 to 2022, was the second African American to hold statewide office in Virginia since Reconstruction and was seen as a rising star in state politics.

His career was disrupted in 2019 when two women accused him of sexual assault, and he faced calls to resign amid a broader misconduct scandal that has rocked the Northam administration. Fairfax denied both allegations.

Fairfax sought to run for Democratic governor in 2021 but finished in fourth place with 3.54% of the vote.

Davis said Cerina and Justin Fairfax were living together during the divorce process and that the former lieutenant governor “was recently served with some paperwork regarding an upcoming court proceeding that apparently led to this incident last night.”

He added that his two teenage children were home at the time of the murders.

Fairfax had a troubled life after leaving office in 2022, according to court documents obtained by the Washington Post. He consumed heavy amounts of alcohol on a daily basis and grew up isolated from his family.

Fairfax bought a gun in 2022 and once left their home with the firearm and a full suitcase, the newspaper reported. Cerina Fairfax, her stepfather and another relative, later found Fairfax in a park. He said the gun was for his personal safety.

In court documents in the divorce case, Fairfax County district court Judge Timothy J McEvoy described the former politician as “a talented man struggling with unspecified emotional and psychological issues.”

“Yet there can be no mistake that these undefined issues actually define him and limit his ability to be the person he can be, including but not limited to his role as a father,” McEvoy continued.

Weeks before the couple were found dead, a judge gave Fairfax until April 30 to move out of the family home and Cerina Fairfax was granted primary physical custody of their two children, according to the Post.

Davis said police were called to the residence in January of this year after Justin Fairfax accused his wife of assault. After reviewing footage from cameras Cerina Fairfax had installed inside the home, officers determined that no incident occurred.

“The allegation Mr. Fairfax made in January that Ms. Fairfax assaulted him has been proven false,” Davis said.

Journalist Sophia Nelson, who described Justin Fairfax as her friend, said in a video published on the X channel on Thursday that she was devastated for the couple’s children. Nelson shared that he last spoke to Justin on Tuesday.

“Cerina did not deserve what Justin did to her,” Nelson said. “He was depressed. He was in the dark. He was dealing with everything he had lost, he felt like there was no hope.”

He said he and other friends encouraged him to seek help.

“One of the last things Justin said to me was that I needed someone to help me, to prove my innocence. I can’t get my life back until someone stands up for me,” Nelson said.

• In the United States, the suicide prevention hotline is 988 and the domestic violence hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). In the UK, Samaritans can be reached on freephone 116 123 and the domestic violence helpline on 0808 2000 247. In Australia, the crisis support service is Lifeline 13 11 14 and the national domestic violence counseling service is 1800 737 732. Other international helplines can be found at www.befrienders.org.