Brendan Banfield faces a double-murder trial after prosecutors say he conspired with the family’s au pair, Juliana Peres Magalhães, to kill his wife and to lure and frame another man. Peres Magalhães has pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the shooting of Joseph Ryan and is cooperating with prosecutors under a plea deal. Authorities allege an extramarital plot that involved Fetlife contact, role-play, gun-range training and staged 911 calls. Jury selection begins Monday and the trial is expected to last about four weeks; Banfield faces up to life if convicted.
Virginia Double-Murder Trial Begins for Man Accused of Conspiring With Au Pair to Kill Wife and Lure Another Man
Brendan Banfield was arrested by Fairfax County police in 2024. - WUSA
Nearly eight months after the deaths of Christine Banfield and an unrelated man in the Banfield family’s Herndon, Virginia, home, prosecutors are moving forward with a high-profile double-murder trial.
Allegations and Charges
Brendan Banfield, a former IRS agent, has pleaded not guilty to aggravated murder and a related firearm offense in the fatal stabbing of his wife, Christine Banfield, and the fatal shooting of Joseph Ryan. Banfield was indicted on murder charges in September 2024 and has been held without bond since his arrest. If convicted, he faces up to life in prison.
This image, provided by the Fairfax County Police Department and taken on October 13, 2023, shows a framed photo of Brendan Banfield and Juliana Peres Magalhães on his bedside table in Herndon, Virginia. - Fairfax County Police Department/AP
What Prosecutors Say
Prosecutors allege Banfield conspired with the family’s Brazilian au pair, Juliana Peres Magalhães, with whom he was reportedly having an extramarital affair. Court filings describe a plan that allegedly included contact through the fetish site Fetlife, role-play involving BDSM themes, gun-range practice, and staged 911 calls intended to portray the deaths as the result of a violent intruder.
Events Surrounding the Deaths
On Feb. 24, 2023, police responded to 911 calls from the Banfield home. Officers found Christine Banfield, 37, upstairs with stab wounds and 39-year-old Joseph Ryan nearby with gunshot injuries. Christine was taken to a hospital and later pronounced dead. Authorities reported no signs of forced entry.
Juliana Peres Magalhães, right, has said she and Brendan Banfield carried out a plan to kill his wife and another man. - Fairfax County Police Department
Prosecutors say Banfield created an account on Fetlife, communicated with Ryan, and lured him to the home under the belief that he was meeting Christine for consensual role play. They allege Peres Magalhães helped arrange details and that Banfield and the au pair prepared by training with firearms. According to the prosecution narrative, Banfield and Peres Magalhães put their child in the basement, went to the upstairs bedroom armed, and confronted Ryan and Christine. Prosecutors claim Banfield announced himself and shot Ryan, and that Peres Magalhães later shot Ryan again when he was still moving; they further allege Banfield stabbed Christine.
Plea Deal And Cooperation
Peres Magalhães, who was arrested in October 2023 and initially charged with second-degree murder, pleaded guilty in October 2024 to involuntary manslaughter in the fatal shooting of Ryan. Under her plea agreement she has agreed to cooperate with prosecutors and they have said they will recommend a sentence of time served. Prosecutors expect her to be a key witness in Banfield’s trial.
Related Indictments And Next Steps
In December 2024 Banfield was also indicted on felony child abuse and neglect and felony child cruelty charges tied to the presence of the couple’s then-4-year-old daughter at the scene. Jury selection in the murder trial is scheduled to begin Monday, and the trial is expected to last about four weeks.
Fairfax County officials say the investigation spanned well over a year and resulted in charges against two people in connection with the deaths.
The allegations in court filings are serious and detailed; they remain allegations until proven beyond a reasonable doubt in court. The trial will present evidence, witness testimony and the defense’s response to the prosecution’s account.
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