The trial for Brendan Banfield, a Fairfax County man accused of conspiring with his family’s au pair to kill his wife and another man, began today.
Banfield is facing aggravated murder charges for the February 2023 killings of his wife, Christine Banfield, 37, and Joseph Ryan, 39. He has pleaded not guilty.
On February 24, 2023, Banfield and au pair Juliana Peres Magalhães called police to the Banfields’ home in Herndon, according to police reports. They told police they walked into the house to see Ryan stabbing Christine, and that Banfield shot Ryan when he saw Ryan stabbing his wife. Police found Ryan dead from gunshot wounds and Christine suffering from stab wounds. She died at the hospital.
Prosecutors believe that Banfield and Magalhães, who were having an affair, lured Ryan to the family home with plans to kill both him and Christine and make it look like a home invasion.
Banfield was indicted in 2024 on four counts of aggravated murder and one count of use of a firearm in commission of a felony. He was later charged with one count of felony child abuse and neglect and one count of felony child cruelty due to the fact that the Banfields’ then-4-year-old daughter was present at the scene.
Magalhães pleaded guilty to manslaughter in October 2024. She took a plea deal to reduce the charge from second-degree murder. She gave authorities a statement saying that she and Banfield made an account in Christine’s name on a website for sexual fetishes, The Associated Press reported. Ryan connected with the account in Christine’s name and planned to meet for a sexual encounter on February 24.
Magalhães is expected to testify in Banfield’s trial, which will likely last several weeks, according to WTOP.
The trial will be livestreamed online. Court sessions begin Monday through Thursday at 10 a.m., WTOP reported.
Feature image, stock.adobe.com
