Justin Fairfax, who nearly became Virginia governor, killed his wife and himself, police say

ANNANDALE, Va. (AP) — Former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, a rising star in the Democratic Party until a sexual assault scandal ruined his political fortunes, killed his estranged wife and then himself weeks before a judge's deadline to move out of their family home, according to police and court records.

Officers called to the family's home in the Washington, D.C., suburb of Annandale early Thursday found the bodies of Fairfax, 47, and his wife, Dr. Cerina Fairfax, 49, Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said.

Justin Fairfax apparently fatally shot his wife in the basement before going to an upstairs bedroom and killing himself, Davis said. Their son called 911.

“It’s very sad for this community,” the chief said. “A lot of people who know the Fairfax family, everybody’s shocked. We’re shocked.”

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EDITOR’S NOTE — This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org

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A marriage about to end

Cerina Fairfax said in court filings that they separated nearly two years ago and that she filed for divorce last summer. But they were still living in the same house with their two teenage children, who were both home when the deaths occurred, Davis said.

A judge on March 30 told Justin Fairfax to move out by the end of April, writing “it is clear tensions in the Fairfax home have been extremely high for an extended period of time.”

Cerina Fairfax had testified that her husband drank daily, and that his living space was littered with empty wine bottles and piles of dirty laundry. He bought a handgun in 2022 with money intended for horseback riding lessons for their children, court records showed.

According to court documents, Justin Fairfax's “mental and emotional health” suffered after two setbacks: his unsuccessful 2013 campaign for the Democratic nomination for attorney general and the 2019 sexual assault scandal that ended his political career. After both, he drank heavily and withdrew from his family, but while it took about a month to recover from the first setback, he never bounced back from the second.

Fairfax won the race for lieutenant governor in 2017 and seemed poised to become Virginia’s second Black governor two years later when Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam faced widespread calls to resign over a racist photo in his medical school yearbook. Fairfax would have become governor if Northam had stepped down.

But then two women came forward accusing Fairfax of sexually assaulting them years earlier. An aide to Democratic vice presidential nominee John Edwards said Fairfax sexually assaulted her during the Democratic National Convention in 2004. Two days after she spoke out, another woman accused him of raping her in 2000, when they were students at Duke University.

Fairfax said the encounters were consensual and refused calls to resign. He later tried to run for governor in 2021, but was largely shunned by Virginia Democrats and defeated in the Democratic primary.

A career and marriage fall apart

Sophia A. Nelson, a Virginia author and journalist who described Justin Fairfax as a close friend, told The Associated Press on Thursday that he was never able to move past the 2019 scandal and that he had become increasingly depressed and despondent after his wife filed for divorce.

She said during a group text with her and another friend Tuesday night, he expressed how the recent sexual assault allegations against Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell of California had brought back for him what he continued to insist was an unfair rush to judgment.

Nelson said she and other friends had repeatedly urged Fairfax to seek help, and that she had urged him to move out, but she believes he wasn't financially able to do so.

“I was concerned, as were other close friends, fraternity brothers, family members,” Nelson said. There were talks of suicidal thoughts.”

Court filings show that Fairfax had financial challenges following the sexual assault allegations, which prompted his resignation as a partner at a prestigious law firm. The IRS filed a lien against the couple for more than $91,000 in unpaid taxes that was resolved in 2021.

Nelson said Fairfax was “unemployable” after the scandal. He had tried to rebuild his legal career and had a few successes, including representing the family of a young Black man who was shot and killed by police in Virginia Beach. But he had been unable to earn anything resembling his prior salary.

Davis, the police chief, said Justin Fairfax was recently served with paperwork telling him when next to appear in court. In January, officers went to the family's home after Justin Fairfax alleged that his wife had assaulted him, he said.

“Apparently, Mrs. Fairfax, at some point during these divorce proceedings, set up a lot of cameras inside the home. We reviewed those cameras, and we corroborated that the alleged assault never occurred,” Davis said.

The couple, who met as undergraduates at Duke, married in 2006. Cerina Fairfax ran a family dentistry practice. She also attended the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Dentistry, which honored her in 2015 as an outstanding alumna.

A profile page on her office website described her as an avid reader who liked to travel, practice yoga, go on trail runs with her Vizsla-breed dogs, and “spend time with her wonderful family.”

“It’s very sad for this community,” Davis said. “A lot of people who know the Fairfax family, everybody’s shocked. We’re shocked.”

An outpouring of grief

The deaths stunned political leaders throughout the state.

“We are keeping Cerina and Justin Fairfax’s family — especially their two children — in our prayers as we all process this shocking and horrifying news,” Virginia’s Democratic U.S. senators, Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, said in a joint statement.