Justin Fairfax kills wife in murder-suicide

Former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, 47, shot and killed his wife, Cerina, inside their home in Annandale, then shot and killed himself in the early hours of April 16.

“This has been an ongoing domestic dispute,” Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said at a media briefing in front of their house in the 8100 block of Guinevere Drive in the Camelot neighborhood. They were involved in “a complicated or messy divorce.”

“Justin Fairfax was recently served some paperwork associated with an upcoming court proceeding. That apparently led to this incident last night.”

He shot his wife several times in the basement, ran upstairs to the primary bedroom, and shot and killed himself with the same firearm, Davis said.  

Their two teenage children, a boy and a girl, were in the house when it happened. The son called 911 shortly after midnight.

In January, Davis said, Justin Fairfax called the police and alleged that his wife assaulted him. Police reviewed footage from several cameras set up inside the house by Cerina during the court proceedings and determined the assault never occurred.

They were separated but continued to live together with separate bedrooms.

Justin Fairfax continued to practice law after serving as lieutenant governor from January 2018 to January 2022. In 2019, he was accused of sexual assault by two women. He finished his term despite numerous calls for him to resign.

Cerina Wanzer Fairfax was a dentist with her own practice in Oakton.

According to a story in the Washington Post, court records involving their divorce show Justin Fairfax had been drinking heavily, behaving erratically, and used money meant for their children’s horse-riding lessons to buy a gun.

A judge granted Cerina primary physical custody of the couple’s children on March 30 and ordered Justin to move out by April 30, the Post reports.

Noting that Fairfax had at one time been a rising star in Virginia politics, “it’s a fall from grace for a relatively high-profile family that seemingly had a lot of things going in their favor,” Davis said. “It’s tragic for the children to lose both parents, extra tragic for them to actually be in the home when it occurred.”

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger released the following statement: “The murder of Dr. Cerina Fairfax in an apparent murder-suicide is a horrific tragedy. Dr. Fairfax was a devoted mother, beloved dentist in the Fairfax County community, and engaged supporter of her alma mater, Virginia Commonwealth University. My prayers are with the Wanzer and Fairfax families as they mourn their own loss, endeavor to make sense of this tragedy, and comfort the Fairfax children.” 

“This tragedy reminds us that domestic violence can occur in any family and in any place,” Spanberger wrote. “Resources are available to support our neighbors experiencing domestic violence and facing mental health crises.”

If you need help, contact the Fairfax County Department of Family Services. The Virginia Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available 24/7 at 988.