People across Virginia are expressing shock and grief over a murder-suicide in Northern Virginia early Thursday morning. Police say former Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax killed his wife, Dr. Cerina Wanzer Fairfax, and then killed himself.
Justin Fairfax was viewed as a rising star in the Democratic Party until 2019, when allegations of sexual assault derailed his career in politics. In a rare speech on the Senate floor, he denied the allegations and noted how they came on the 400th anniversary of the General Assembly that was also the 400th anniversary of the first enslaved people arriving in Virginia.
"And those are the two strands that have run through the veins of the Commonwealth of Virginia and through this nation for those four centuries," Fairfax said at the time. "And those are the two demons that we have had to battle."
Now, people who knew Justin Fairfax and worked with him are in shock, trying to process how the man they knew could have done this.
"You never know what's going on in any family. I was just talking with Tim Kaine; we were both shocked," said Senator Mark Warner, who addressed the tragedy to reporters at the Capitol Thursday. "I heard from Bobby Scott this morning about an unexpected shock. For an awful lot of us that worked with Justin, he was an enormous talent, and I just can't imagine what his family is going through."
In a written statement, Governor Abigail Spanberger says "this tragedy reminds us that domestic violence can occur in any family and in any place."
And if you or someone you know are in crisis and need help, the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available by calling or texting 988.
