Arisce Wanzer recalls her sister’s final months and questions Virginia’s one-year separation requirement.
Six months after Dr. Cerina Fairfax was killed by her estranged husband, former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, her family is still struggling to make sense of the tragedy. Now, her sister is calling for changes to Virginia’s divorce laws, hoping other families can avoid similar heartbreak.
In an emotional interview with NBC Washington, Arisce Wanzer remembered her sister as a devoted mother, successful dentist and the person everyone in their family could count on.
“We could have never imagined it would end like this,” Wanzer said, speaking from her home in Australia.
On April 16, police say Justin Fairfax, 47, fatally shot his wife, 49, inside their Annandale, Virginia, home before taking his own life. Their two teenage children were home at the time, and their son called 911.
At the time of her death, Cerina was in the process of divorcing her husband and preparing to move forward with her life. Wanzer recalled her sister considering selling the family home and making other changes as she looked toward the future.
But the couple continued living under the same roof during their separation, an arrangement that Wanzer said troubled her.
Under Virginia law, couples with minor children generally must live separately for a year before obtaining a final no-fault divorce. Spouses can meet the separation requirement while living in the same house if they no longer function as a married couple.
According to Wanzer, Cerina worried that leaving the family home could jeopardize her chances of gaining custody of their children.
“It just sounded messy, and it can’t end well,” Wanzer recalled. “A year?”
Wanzer now supports eliminating the yearlong waiting period. Fairfax County family law attorney Stephanie Sauer told NBC Washington that she would favor shortening it to 90 days, noting that tensions during separation and divorce can increase the risk of domestic violence.
Virginia enacted a change in July allowing spouses to initiate certain divorce proceedings immediately after separating, but the law did not eliminate the waiting period for a final no-fault divorce.
In March, a judge awarded Cerina custody of the couple’s children and ordered Justin Fairfax to leave the family home by the end of April. He killed her before the deadline.
Wanzer said her sister had not been afraid of her husband, a distinction she now views differently.
“She was never afraid of him, and something I’ve said after the fact is that he wasn’t scary – he was dangerous,” Wanzer told NBC Washington.
Beyond her push for legal reform, Wanzer is grappling with the loss of a sister she described as the heart of their family.
And for Cerina’s children, the grief is especially devastating.
“They’re not great,” Wanzer said when asked how the teenagers were coping. “Do you know what I needed when I was 15 and 16? My mom. I needed my mom.”
She said the family is doing everything it can to support the children and help them build the future their mother envisioned.
“We are trying our best and, trying to get them to where she wanted them, because she was just a perfect mom,” Wanzer said.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline by calling 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), visiting www.thehotline.org or texting LOVEIS to 22522.
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