Former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax shot and killed his wife early Thursday before taking his own life inside their Annandale home, police said.
Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said the shooting was related to the couple’s “complicated or messy divorce.”
“I don’t think it’s a secret that there’s been divorce proceedings that have been ongoing,” the chief said. “From what I understand in this early stage, former Lt. Gov. Fairfax was recently served some paperwork associated with an upcoming court proceeding that apparently led to this incident last night.”
Mr. Fairfax, 47, and his wife Cerina had just appeared in court Monday as part of their ongoing divorce. Mrs. Fairfax first filed for the divorce last summer.
Police said the couple had separated but were still sharing a home on the 8100 block of Guinevere Drive.
Their two teenage children were inside the house when the shots were fired shortly after midnight in what authorities originally called a domestic incident.
“Preliminarily, it appears that the adult male shot the adult female before shooting himself in a domestic-related incident,” Capt. Chris Cosgriff said in a briefing.
Mr. Fairfax, a Democrat, served as lieutenant governor from 2018-22 under former Gov. Ralph Northam.
In 2019, two women publicly accused Mr. Fairfax of sexually assaulting them years earlier.
Mr. Fairfax said the interactions were consensual and served out his term, but a failed bid for governor in 2021 ended his political career.
