Murder-suicide involving Justin Fairfax, wife

Well, police have been aware that there were ongoing domestic issues in the house. In fact, I learned this morning that the former lieutenant governor had called police in January and alleged that he was assaulted by his wife. Police investigated and found those allegations to be untrue. They looked at security cameras in and around the home. So they were aware of this. She had filed for divorce over the summer of 2025. And this was a very messy divorce. That is according to the police chief, who just held a briefing right outside their home. Investigators were working overnight, photographing the basement. He shot her multiple times there before running up to the primary bedroom upstairs. And as you mentioned in the intro, both of their teenage children were home. The boy is a little bit older than the girl. He called 911. At first, he believed his mother had been stabbed, and he didn't know where his father was. And he called 911, and they figured out the chain of events. Once they got there, they found the bullet casings near her body, and then found him upstairs. Both were pronounced dead in the early hours, just before 1:00 AM.

And so you mentioned the domestic violence, the history of domestic violence, Anna. Any other details you can provide with regards to that? How long had that history lasted?

Well, it's interesting, he had been accused previously, years ago, back in 2017, '18, '19 time frame. And CBS News actually reported on sexual assault allegations against him, which he always denied. He was never charged or convicted of anything, but there were allegations out there about him years ago, going back a decade. And the domestic dispute issues police became aware of just in the last six months to a year. But they didn't have a long history looking at that, but they were aware of the allegations against him when he was lieutenant governor. So there's a lot to unpack here, and we are out to sources. Our Ed O'Keefe actually reported on those allegations several years ago. So the police chief, Davis, when he spoke this morning, he said this is a very messy situation-- that's a quote-- and there's a lot going on. And so this is going to be an ongoing probe. Local police are there. That's the Fairfax County Police Department. Now, of course, he is deceased. She is deceased. This is a family crisis. There are victims support team within that police department that are supporting the children now. Other family members are coming in, coming together to support those two teenage children. Of course, that's first and foremost. But police and investigators are also going to take a look at allegations against him from the past, given what has now happened, because I think there should be renewed scrutiny on those past allegations against him.

All right. Anna Schecter, really appreciate you hopping on to get through this breaking news and bringing us those details. Thank you.