Former Virginia lieutenant governor Justin Fairfax and his estranged wife, Cerina Fairfax, have been found dead in what appears to be a murder-suicide.
A police statement issued on Thursday, April 16, stated, “Officers are on scene of a death investigation. An adult male and an adult female were found deceased inside a residence. Preliminarily, all parties are accounted for, and there is no threat to the community. Detectives are investigating.” Read more here.
Fairfax County police officer, Captain Chris Cosgriff, indicated in a subsequent statement that the 47-year-old Justin appeared to have “shot the adult female before shooting himself in a domestic-related incident.”
“We are withholding the identities until next of kin can be notified,” Cosgriff explained. “Anyone who may have information that can assist detectives with their investigation is asked to call crime solvers. Additional information will be released on our X account and on the FCPD blog when it’s available.”
Several hours later, the police chief, Chief Kevin Davis, confirmed the identities of Justin and Cerina.
“Former lieutenant governor Justin Fairfax shot and killed his wife inside their home, and then shot and killed himself,” Davis said during a press conference. “This has been an ongoing domestic dispute surrounding what seems to be a complicated or messy divorce. So far what we know is what you know. There seems to be divorce proceedings that have been ongoing.”
Justin Fairfax speaks during a news conference in June 2020 in Richmond, Virginia. Zach Gibson/Getty Images
Justin and Cerina, aged 48, married in June 2006 and had a son and a daughter together.
Davis mentioned, “From what I understand at this early stage, [Justin] was recently served some paperwork associated with an upcoming court proceeding. That apparently led to the incident last night. Both of their children, teenagers, were in the house when it happened. That’s horrible news for the family, certainly a traumatic event for those children to live through.”
Davis further stated that the former politician shot Cerina multiple times before turning the gun on himself in a different room of the house.
UPDATE — 2/2/26 at 5:28 p.m. ET: After deliberating his fate for nearly nine hours, jurors reached a verdict on Monday, January 2, finding Brendan Banfield guilty of two counts of aggravated murder. As the verdict was read, Banfield remained largely stone-faced. Banfield will be sentenced on May 8 and faces a life sentence without […]
Justin had previously contacted the police in January regarding an alleged domestic violence incident amid their divorce proceedings. Davis mentioned in Thursday’s press conference that Justin had accused Cerina of physically assaulting him at their home.
“We reviewed the cameras [in the home] and we corroborated that the alleged assault never occurred,” Davis confirmed. “There was no arrest made, there was a report written, but the allegation that Mr. Fairfax made in January that Mrs. Fairfax assaulted him was proven to be untrue.”
Justin served as the lieutenant governor of Virginia from 2018 to 2022. In 2019, he faced multiple allegations of sexual assault, which he publicly denied.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.
