Justin Fairfax Kills Wife Cerina Fairfax, Then Himself in Annandale Murder-Suicide

Former Virginia lieutenant governor Justin Fairfax and his wife, Cerina Fairfax, were found dead in their home in Annandale, Virginia, in what authorities described as a murder-suicide.

“The police chief said the couple was going through a divorce”

ABC

Multiple outlets reported that Fairfax shot his wife before turning the gun on himself, with Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis describing the incident as a domestic dispute tied to divorce proceedings.

ABC

Al Jazeera said the couple were found dead in their home in the Washington, DC, suburb of Annandale in northern Virginia, after their teenage son called police shortly after midnight.

The BBC reported that investigators said Justin Fairfax shot his wife multiple times before turning the gun on himself at their Annandale home, and that both of the couple’s teenage children were at home when the incident occurred.

CBS News added that Fairfax shot his wife several times in the basement and then went upstairs to the primary bedroom to shoot and kill himself.

NBC News similarly described the sequence as Fairfax fatally shooting his wife inside their home and then shooting himself, with their older son calling 911 just after midnight.

In the immediate aftermath, police said there was no prolonged confrontation before the shooting, and investigators found bullet casings near Cerina Fairfax’s body, according to the BBC and CBS News.

Authorities and multiple reports tied the fatal shootings to the couple’s divorce and ongoing domestic tensions, describing the incident as emerging from a complicated breakup rather than a random attack.

NBC News said Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis described the shootings as apparently part of a “domestic dispute surrounding what seems to be a complicated or messy divorce,” and Davis said Fairfax was recently served paperwork indicating when he was scheduled to next appear in court for the divorce proceedings.

ABC News

The BBC similarly quoted Davis saying the murder-suicide appeared to stem from marital problems, adding, “This has been an ongoing domestic dispute surrounding what seems to be a complicated or messy divorce,” during a briefing on Thursday morning.

CBS News reported that police said Fairfax and his wife were in the early stages of divorce proceedings and that Fairfax had recently been served paperwork related to that divorce.

Al Jazeera reported that the incident appears to have been related to the couple’s ongoing divorce, and it said Davis explained, “That apparently led to this incident.”

Several outlets also described a January police call connected to allegations of assault, which police later said did not occur.

The BBC said Fairfax County authorities responded to an emergency call from the former deputy governor's son just after midnight local time, and it said police indicated there was no prolonged confrontation before the shooting.

In January, NBC News said Fairfax called police alleging his wife assaulted him, and Davis said responding officers corroborated “that the alleged assault never occurred” based on video from cameras that the wife installed during the divorce process.

Police described a rapid sequence beginning with a 911 call from the couple’s teenage son and ending with officers finding both bodies inside the Annandale home.

Al Jazeera said the teenage son called police shortly after midnight to report the crime, and it reported that authorities said the incident was a murder-suicide.

The BBC said Fairfax County authorities responded to an emergency call from the former deputy governor's son just after midnight local time (05:00 GMT), and it reported that investigators found bullet casings near Cerina Fairfax's body and said there was no prolonged confrontation before the shooting.

CBS News added a more detailed account of the response, saying that according to two sources with knowledge of the investigation, Fairfax's son called 911 just after midnight and told dispatchers he thought his mother had been stabbed.

CBS News also said that when police arrived they found bullet casings near her body and later found Justin Fairfax upstairs with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

KATV reported that officers responded to the 8100 block of Guinevere Drive for a death investigation shortly after midnight and that detectives discovered a man and a woman dead inside a residence.

KATV also said police believed the murder happened in the basement and at some point after shooting his wife, Justin Fairfax ran upstairs to the primary bedroom where he shot himself, and it said he used the same gun but police had not recovered it yet.

People reported that 911 dispatch audio obtained by the outlet revealed the incident was initially reported by Cameron at 12:12 a.m., and it quoted a dispatcher saying, “his dad might have stabbed his mom” and that Cerina was “laying on the ground, bleeding, you can see holes in her shirt.”

NBC News described emergency response audio in which a dispatcher said, “I think this is going to be our subject,” and that the person had “self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.”

The deaths stunned Virginia political leaders and prompted public statements that emphasized grief for the Fairfax family and, in particular, their children.

Al Jazeera reported that the incident shocked Virginia, with officials expressing condolences for the family of the victims, and it quoted U.S. senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine in a joint statement saying, “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.”

Al-Ain Al-Ikhbariyah

It also reported that the current Lieutenant Governor Ghazala Hashmi called the news “devastating,” adding, “My thoughts are with their children, loved ones, and numerous friends,” and “Along with so many in the [Virginia] Commonwealth, I am filled with sorrow.”

NBC News quoted Gov. Abigail Spanberger saying, “I am deeply saddened by the tragedy that occurred last night,” and it reported that she asked Virginians to hold the Fairfax children “in their hearts and prayers.”

NBC News also quoted former Gov. Ralph Northam saying, “Pam and I are devastated by this heartbreaking news,” and it said Northam added, “I had the privilege of getting to know the Fairfaxes while our families served together.”

CBS News described Davis calling the incident “traumatic” for the two teenage children and said victims' services were working with them and other family members.

The BBC included Davis’s remarks that the incident was “Tragic for the children to lose both parents. Extra tragic for them to actually be in the home when it occurred.”

USA Today reported that Davis said the teenage son and daughter were in the home at the time of the shooting but were not harmed, and it quoted Davis saying, “Certainly a fall from grace for a relatively high-profile family that seemingly had a lot of things going in their favor.”

Politico also quoted Davis describing the case as “a fall from grace for a relatively high-profile family that seemingly had a lot of things going in their favor,” and it said Davis told reporters the couple were in the midst of divorce proceedings.

While all outlets described the same core event—Justin Fairfax killing his wife and then himself in Annandale—coverage diverged in emphasis, including how they characterized the evidence, the divorce timeline, and the political background.

“Virginia’s former lieutenant governor, Justin Fairfax, has shot and killed his wife before taking his own life in an apparent murder-suicide, according to authorities in the United States”

Al Jazeera

The BBC foregrounded police interpretation of motive, stating, “This has been an ongoing domestic dispute surrounding what seems to be a complicated or messy divorce,” and it described the emergency call as coming from the former deputy governor's son just after midnight local time (05:00 GMT).

Al-Khaleej

CBS News emphasized the physical sequence of the shooting, saying Fairfax shot his wife in the basement and then went upstairs to the primary bedroom, and it added that police said there was no prolonged confrontation before the shooting.

NBC News highlighted the investigation’s preliminary stage and included a dispatcher account from scanner traffic, quoting, “He has got a firearm with him, self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head,” and it said police had a search warrant to recover evidence, including the firearm Fairfax used.

People focused on the 911 audio details, quoting a dispatcher who said the caller reported his mother was “laying on the ground, bleeding, you can see holes in her shirt,” and it identified the caller as Cameron.

KATV and ABC News both described the couple’s divorce and cameras, but ABC added biographical detail about Cerina Fairfax’s dentistry and her education at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Dentistry, while KATV included the specific address where officers responded: the 8100 block of Guinevere Drive.

USA Today framed the story with court and procedural details, stating that Cerina Fairfax filed for divorce on July 18, 2025 and that an order issued on April 10 directed Justin Fairfax to appear in court on April 21, and it reported that officers found the couple dead inside.

Politico leaned into the political narrative, quoting Davis’s “fall from grace” language and describing Fairfax’s earlier sexual assault allegations and calls for his resignation, while the Washington Post’s headline pointed to “Court documents reveal mounting tension in Fairfax marriage before murder-suicide.”

Even the background on Fairfax’s earlier allegations was handled differently: NBC News and ABC News described the 2019 accusations and Fairfax’s denials, while Forbes provided a “Key Facts” framing that included the claim that Fairfax, 47, shot his wife, Cerina Fairfax, a dentist, then himself shortly after midnight Thursday at their home in Annandale, Va.

The reporting consistently described an active police investigation and next steps focused on evidence recovery and ongoing support for the couple’s children.

NBC News said police are in the preliminary stage of the investigation and that Davis told reporters, “detectives will figure that out” as they investigate what “led to this tragedy here,” after Davis said “That may have been a spark.”

NBC News also said police have a search warrant to recover evidence, including the firearm Fairfax used, and it described police tape surrounding the Fairfax home Thursday morning.

KATV reported that police plan to execute an existing search warrant at the Annandale residence to recover all relevant evidence, including the firearm used in the incident.

CBS News said victims' services are working with the two teenage children and other family members, and it quoted Davis calling the incident “traumatic” for the children.

The BBC said the investigation remained ongoing, and it reported that police indicated there was no prolonged confrontation before the shooting.

Al Jazeera said the incident appears to have been related to the couple’s ongoing divorce, and it reported that Davis said Fairfax was “recently served some paperwork associated with an upcoming court proceeding,” which “apparently led to this incident.”

USA Today added that court records show Cerina Fairfax filed for divorce on July 18, 2025 and that an order issued on April 10 directed Justin Fairfax to appear in court on April 21, and it said the case remained pending the day of the shooting.

People reported that Davis said the main concern of police was the well-being of the couple's two children, and it quoted him saying, “They are interacting with us, and certainly the son was the one who called 911 during a very chaotic situation.”