Ex-Virginia Lt Governor Justin Fairfax and wife found dead in their home

Justin Fairfax was found dead at his home (Image: Getty)

Justin Fairfax, a former lieutenant governor of Virginia, and his wife, Cerina Fairfax, were found dead at their home in Annandale, police said. Police believe Fairfax shot his wife before turning the gun on himself inside the couple's $1 million property.

The former Democrat lawmaker, 47, is accused of shooting his dentist wife Cerina Fairfax, 49, dead in the unfinished basement of their home on Guinevere Drive in Annandale in the early hours of Thursday morning. Fairfax County Police said the couple's teenage son and daughter were at home at the time but were unharmed. They are now being cared for by relatives and victim services. Officers were called to the 8100 block of Guinevere Drive shortly after midnight after the couple's son Cameron dialled 911 and reportedly said he believed his father had stabbed his mother. When police arrived, they found Cerina unconscious and bleeding in the basement. Officers later determined she had been shot multiple times.

ARLINGTON, VA - SEPTEMBER 13: Justin Fairfax, the Democratic candidate for Virginia lieutenant gover (Image: The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Both were pronounced dead at the scene.

Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said Mr Fairfax shot his wife and then himself.

Justin Fairfax served as Virginia's lieutenant governor from 2018 to 2022 under then-governor Ralph Northam.

Virginia Lieutenant Gov. Justin Fairfax Announces Removal Of Confederate Statues in 2020 (Image: Getty Images)

A former federal prosecutor and civil litigator, he had once been regarded as one of Virginia's best-known Democratic politicians and was the state's second most powerful lawmaker during that period.