Sufferers and colleagues are remembering Dr. Cerina Fairfax as a faithful mom, a caring dentist and the rock on the heart of her household, after police say she was killed by her estranged husband, former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax.
Police discovered each lifeless of their residence within the Washington, D.C., suburb of Annandale, Virginia, early Thursday. They imagine Justin Fairfax fatally shot his spouse after which killed himself. They had been going via a divorce and Justin Fairfax had been ordered by a choose to maneuver out of the home by the top of the month.
Cerina Fairfax, 49, ran a thriving household dentistry follow within the close by metropolis of Fairfax. A profile web page on its described her as an avid reader who preferred to journey, follow yoga, go on path runs along with her Vizsla-breed canines and “spend time along with her great household.”
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Virginia Rep. Jennifer McClellan, who knew Fairfax via her husband’s marketing campaign and the time he spent in workplace, mentioned their two teenaged kids had been “the individuals she cherished most.”
“Cerina Fairfax was a loving and devoted mom and the rock on the heart of her massive household,” McClellan wrote in an announcement.
Terron Sims II, a buddy and affected person, remembered her as a quiet and caring buddy, whose dentistry was greater than a career.
“It was an expression of affection and compassion,” Sims instructed WUSA-TV. “It was her approach of service to others.”
Fairfax was acknowledged in 2015 because the Excellent Graduate of the Final Decade by the Virginia Commonwealth Faculty of Dentistry. Dr. Jeffrey Johnson, the interim dean of the dental college, wrote that her loss is deeply felt by many who knew her.
“As a clinician and alumna, Dr. Fairfax embodied the beliefs of our career — dedication to her sufferers, dedication to development, and a deep sense of goal in her work every day,” Johnson wrote. “I do know she was a mentor, position mannequin, and buddy to many in our faculty.”
Leaders within the state’s dental neighborhood additionally praised her accomplishments and dedication to sufferers.
“Along with being a beloved practitioner in her neighborhood, Dr. Fairfax beloved giving again via volunteer work and contributions to native charities targeted on serving to these in want,” mentioned Ryan Dunn, CEO of the Virginia Dental Affiliation, in an announcement. “As we keep in mind Dr. Fairfax, we honor the impression she made and the connections she helped construct inside the VDA and her neighborhood.”
Cerina and Justin Fairfax met as undergraduates at Duke College and married in 2006.
Justin Fairfax unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination for legal professional basic in 2013, then gained the race for lieutenant governor in 2017. He was thought of a rising star within the Democratic Social gathering till two ladies got here ahead accusing him of sexually assaulting them years earlier, earlier than he and Cerina had been married. He left workplace on the finish of his time period in 2022, following an unsuccessful run for governor.
Cerina Fairfax mentioned in courtroom filings that they separated practically two years in the past. However they had been nonetheless residing in the identical home with their kids, who police mentioned had been each residence on the time of their deaths.
The choose overseeing the divorce had instructed Justin Fairfax to maneuver out by the top of April, writing “it’s clear tensions within the Fairfax residence have been extraordinarily excessive for an prolonged time period.”
