Former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax shot and killed his wife Cerina in their basement, then shot himself upstairs in what police confirm was a murder-suicide occurring hours before midnight Thursday in their Annandale home. The couple was separated during an acrimonious divorce—Cerina had won custody of their teenage children just last month and secured a court order forcing Justin to move out by month's end; police say the custody ruling may have been a precipitating factor. Their teenage son and daughter were home when it happened and the son called 911; both children are now with family members. Fairfax, once considered a rising Democratic star as Virginia's second African-American elected statewide official, had his political career destroyed in 2019 after sexual assault allegations (which he denied and was never charged for), leading to depression, alcoholism, and isolation that his associates say dramatically changed him.