Justin Fairfax lost custody of kids, was ordered to move out, court documents say

Justin Fairfax was once the second-most-powerful state politician in Virginia. He shot and killed his wife, dentist Cerina Fairfax, and killed himself, Fairfax County police said Thursday.

Court documents obtained by News4 say Cerina filed for divorce in 2025. Last month, a county judge granted custody of their teen children to Cerina and ordered Justin to move out of their home by the end of April.

“The wife testified that heavy daily alcohol consumption by the father has become the norm,” a judge wrote in the custody opinion.

The court documents say Justin spiraled into alcoholism and isolated himself from family involvement following the 2019 sexual assault allegations against him while he was in office. They’re allegations he denied but that weighed on him tremendously, the judge wrote.

During the custody battle, the judge said "the evidence also showed that in 2022 father purchased a handgun with money intended for his children's horseback riding lessons."

The couple was scheduled to return to court on Monday for the next phase of the proceedings, court records say.

Justin was being punished by the court for not complying with existing court orders. A judge had recently ordered him to be fined $300 for each day he continued not to comply with orders and compensate his wife for money he owed her.

During the divorce proceedings, Cerina installed cameras throughout the home, according to Fairfax County police. Those cameras were rolling during the shooting, police say, like they were in January, when Justin called police and claimed his wife had assaulted him.

“We reviewed those cameras and corroborated that the alleged assault never occurred,” Fairfax County Chief of Police Kevin Davis said at a news conference.

Court documents show evidence that Cerina was actively involved in her children's lives, finding no evidence that Cerina ever engaged in inappropriate conduct and that she maintained great relationships with their kids.

The court found that Justin was unable to have a healthy relationship with his kids because of his alcohol use and self-isolation within the home.

The family's struggles were becoming apparent to neighbors, Peter Demeo said.

“Just amazed. Shocked, because I knew them,” he said.

Demeo said they seemed to have marital issues but he never would have imagined their deaths or that detectives would carry out backpacks and lacrosse sticks that apparently belonged to their children.

“Anything like this is upsetting and you think about the children because their futures are big-time changed,” he said.

Former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax killed wife Cerina Fairfax then himself, police say. He committed the tragic act of violence amid divorce proceedings. News4’s Megan McGrath and Julie Carey have live team coverage on what we know so far about what happened and Justin Fairfax’s political career.

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