Justin Fairfax, 47, the former lieutenant governor of Virginia, fatally shot his wife, Dr. Cerina W. Fairfax, 49, multiple times in the basement of their home in the 8100 block of Guinevere Drive in Annandale, Fairfax County, Virginia, early Thursday morning April 16, 2026 before turning the gun on himself in the primary bedroom upstairs.
Fairfax County police responded shortly after midnight to a 911 call from one of the couple’s teenage children and found both adults dead inside the residence from gunshot wounds. The couple’s teenage son and daughter were home at the time but were unharmed and not in the immediate area of the shootings.
The murder-suicide took place amid ongoing divorce proceedings that Cerina Fairfax had initiated in July 2025. The couple had been married for 20 years but were separated while still living together in the Annandale home. Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis confirmed that Fairfax shot his wife several times in the basement before going upstairs to the primary bedroom and shooting himself with the same weapon. No other individuals were injured, and the children called 911 after discovering the scene.
Cerina Fairfax was a practicing dentist and devoted mother who had expressed concerns for her safety during the divorce process. The family had two teenage children who were home but remained safe during the incident. Fairfax, who served as Virginia’s lieutenant governor from 2018 to 2022, had faced previous public controversies but was not under any active criminal investigation at the time of the shootings. The tragedy has shocked political and local circles in Northern Virginia.
Fairfax County police have classified the deaths as a domestic related murder-suicide at the residence on Guinevere Drive in Annandale. Detectives found no evidence of a struggle outside the immediate family context, and the investigation remains focused on the couple’s ongoing divorce proceedings. The children were interviewed and are receiving support from victim services. No charges will be filed as both parties are deceased.
The Annandale and broader Northern Virginia communities have been left in mourning following the murdersuicide involving former Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax and Dr. Cerina Fairfax on Guinevere Drive. Local leaders and residents expressed profound sadness over the loss of two prominent members of the community, with many offering condolences to the couple’s teenage children. The incident has prompted renewed discussions about domestic violence awareness and mental health support in the area.
