Former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, wife dead in apparent murder-suicide, sources say

Politics Former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, wife dead in apparent murder-suicide, police say By Anna Schecter, Anna Schecter Senior Coordinating Producer, Crime and Public Safety Unit Anna Schecter is the senior coordinating producer for CBS News and Stations' Crime and Public Safety Unit, based in New York. Read Full Bio Anna Schecter, Jennifer Jacobs, Jennifer Jacobs Senior White House reporter Jennifer Jacobs is a senior White House reporter at CBS News. Read Full Bio Jennifer Jacobs, Pat Milton Pat Milton Senior producer, CBS News Investigative Unit Pat Milton, an award-winning journalist, is the senior producer of the CBS News Investigative Unit, specializing in national security, the FBI, Intelligence and federal law enforcement. Read Full Bio Pat Milton Updated on: April 16, 2026 / 9:28 AM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google Former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax shot and killed his wife and then turned the gun on himself in an apparent murder-suicide in their home in Annandale, Virginia, police said Thursday.Fairfax County police said that just after midnight, Fairfax shot his wife several times in the basement of their home and then went upstairs to the primary bedroom and shot and killed himself.Both of their teenage children were home when the incident occurred. According to two sources with knowledge of the investigation, Fairfax's son called 911 just after midnight from the Fairfaxs' home. The caller said he thought his mother, Cerina Fairfax, had been stabbed. When police arrived at the home, they found bullet casings near her body. Later, they found Justin Fairfax upstairs with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.Police said that Fairfax and his wife were in the early stages of divorce proceedings, and Fairfax had recently been served paperwork related to that divorce. The couple had been living together but were separated, residing in separate bedrooms.In January, Fairfax called police alleging his wife assaulted him, although police determined a...