A jury in Fairfax County has found Brendan Banfield guilty of aggravated murder in the 2023 killings of his wife, Christine Banfield, and Joseph Ryan.
Banfield was found guilty for two counts of aggravated murder: one for the killings of Christine Banfield and Joseph Ryan as a joint act and one for two murders within a three-year period. He was also found guilty of using a firearm in the commission of a felony and for child endangerment.
His sentencing is currently scheduled for May 8. He faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Trial Background
The prosecution and defense gave closing arguments Friday, and jurors had several hours of deliberation before taking a break for the weekend and resuming this morning, WTOP reported. In all, there were nearly nine hours of deliberations.
Prosecutors argued that Banfield and the family’s au pair, Juliana Peres Magalhães, were having an affair and the two came up with a plan to “get rid of” Christine. The plan included setting up a fake account on a sexual fetish website in Christine’s name to lure Ryan to the home. They then shot Ryan and Banfield stabbed his wife, staging the scene to make it look like Ryan was an intruder who stabbed Christine.
Magalhães’ testimony for the prosecution supported these claims. She was originally charged with murder, but her charges were reduced to manslaughter when she agreed to cooperate in the investigation.
In his testimony, Banfield said that there was no plot to kill Christine. In closing statements, defense attorney John Carroll said prosecutors did not produce evidence to corroborate the theory.
Feature image, AP Photo/Tom Brenner
