A Fairfax County man who is facing charges for the murder of his wife and another man has now also been charged with child abuse and child endangerment, The Washington Post reported.
Brendan Banfield, 39, has been charged with aggravated murder in the February 2023 killing of his wife, Christine Banfield, 37, and Joseph Ryan, 39, in the Banfields’ home in Herndon.
Police believe Banfield and the family’s au pair, Juliana Peres Magalhães (who were having an affair), lured Ryan to the home with plans to kill both him and Christine and make it look like a home invasion.
In October, Magalhães pleaded guilty to manslaughter and provided the police with additional details about the killing. Banfield was indicted in September for the killings of his wife and Ryan and is set to go to trial in February.
Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano announced Monday that Banfield has now also been indicted with charges on child abuse and child endangerment. The Banfields’ daughter was 4 years old and was present in the home at the time of the incident.
Descano said on Monday, December 17, that “additional information has come to light” regarding the case, which led to the additional indictments, but did not elaborate on what those details were.
Feature image, stock.adobe.com
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