Former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax killed his wife, Dr. Cerina Fairfax, before taking his own life, police reported Thursday. Fairfax was a rising star in the Democratic Party until sexual assault allegations derailed his career several years ago, according to the Associated Press.
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More Details About The Murder-Suicide (CRIME SCENE PHOTOS)
Justin Fairfax, 47, and his wife, Dr. Fairfax, 49, were found dead in their home in the Washington, D.C., suburb of Annandale. Their teenage son called 911 shortly after midnight, Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis stated. He and his sibling were both home when the murder-suicide occurred.
Justin Fairfax & His Wife Were Getting Divorced
The couple was separated and going through a divorce. A court filing indicated they separated in 2024 and filed for divorce last year. They had been married since 2006. Despite the pending divorce, they were still living in the same house with their two children. Justin Fairfax was recently served with paperwork informing him of his next court appearance date, Chief Davis noted.
In January, officers responded to the home after Justin Fairfax alleged that his wife had assaulted him; however, upon reviewing home footage police found this claim to be false.
“Apparently, Mrs. Fairfax set up numerous cameras inside the home during these divorce proceedings. We reviewed those cameras and confirmed that the alleged assault never occurred,” Davis stated.
Dr. Cerina Fairfax operated a family dentistry practice and graduated from Duke University and Virginia Commonwealth University School of Dentistry; she was honored in 2015 as its most outstanding alumna of the last decade.
“It’s very sad for this community,” Davis remarked. “Many people who know the Fairfax family are shocked by this incident.”
A former federal prosecutor and civil litigator, Fairfax initially sought the Democratic nomination for attorney general in 2013 but was unsuccessful; he won the race for lieutenant governor in 2017.
Justin Fairfax’s Reputation & Financial Situation Affected By Sexual Allegations
For a brief period in 2019 Justin Fairfax appeared poised to become Virginia’s second Black governor as Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam faced calls for resignation after a racist photo from his medical school yearbook resurfaced.
However, two women came forward accusing Fairfax of sexual assault years earlier. Vanessa Tyson claimed that Justin Fairfax forced her to perform oral sex in his hotel room during the Democratic National Convention in Boston in 2004 when he was a Columbia Law School student serving as an aide to Democratic vice presidential nominee John Edwards. Two days after Tyson’s statement,Meredith Watson made her own accusation claiming that Fairfax raped her in 2000 while they were students at Duke University.
In response to these allegations Justin Fairfax firmly denied any wrongdoing; no charges were ever filed against him as he maintained that these encounters were consensual and refused calls to resign from public office. He later attempted to run for governor again in 2021—some believed it was an effort to clear his name—but he faced significant opposition from Virginia Democrats and ultimately lost in the Democratic primary.
Court documents reveal that following these sexual assault allegations Fairfax faced financial difficulties; he resigned from a prestigious law firm due to these accusations and the IRS filed a lien against him and his wife for over $91,000 in unpaid taxes which was resolved in 2021.
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Associated Press reporters Michael Biesecker Nathan Ellgren Sarah Brumfield Jonathan Mattise Alanna Durkin Richer Allen G Breed and John Seewer contributed to this report via AP Newsroom.
