“I’ll Take the Blame”: Nanny’s Jailhouse Letters Expose Conflicted Loyalties in Virginia Love-Triangle Murder Trial

Warning: Graphic content

Brendan Banfield looks on during his double murder trial in Fairfax County Circuit Court, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Fairfax, Va.

Juliana Peres Magalhães, the au pair who pleaded guilty to manslaughter in October 2024, read a series of emotionally charged jailhouse letters in court this week as she testified at the murder trial of Brendan Banfield. Banfield is charged with aggravated murder in the 2023 deaths of his wife, Christine Banfield, and visitor Joseph Ryan at the family’s home in the affluent Herndon/Reston area of northern Virginia.

Juliana Peres Magalhães testifies during the double murder trial for Brendan Banfield in Fairfax County Circuit Court, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Fairfax, Va.

Letters, Loyalties and Conflicting Claims

Under cross-examination, Magalhães read multiple notes she had sent to Banfield and his family after their arrests. In some letters she professed deep love for Banfield and offered to shoulder responsibility to protect him. In others she insisted she would not spend her life in prison for something she did not do. The conflicting messages underscored the emotional complexity and shifting loyalties at the center of the case.

A framed photo of Brendan Banfield and Juliana Magalhaes and the mistress' lingerie were found in the room where the double homicide occurred, according to prosecutors.

“I’d give my life for his and I would never do anything to hurt him or against him,” she read from one letter addressed to Banfield’s mother. In another, dated Nov. 14, 2023, she wrote: “I don’t want to live like this… It’s torture. I love you more than anything.”

Testimony About the Plot and the Night of the Killings

Magalhães testified that she began working for the Banfield family in October 2021 at age 21 and that a sexual relationship with Brendan Banfield began about 10 months later. She said Banfield told her he wanted to marry her but that divorce was not feasible because of finances and custody, and that he discussed needing to "get rid" of his wife.

Christine Banfield was stabbed to death in the bedroom of her Fairfax County, Virginia, home.

According to her testimony and prosecutors’ opening statements, Banfield allegedly created a fake online profile for his wife on a fetish website to lure a man to the home, stage an apparent assault, and present that man as an intruder. Magistrates and jurors heard prosecutors’ account that, on the night in question, Magalhães waited with the couple’s child in her car, then called Banfield when the visitor arrived. The pair went upstairs and found Joseph Ryan on top of Christine Banfield. Prosecutors say Banfield then shot Ryan with his service weapon and stabbed Christine, while Magalhães held a gun Banfield had purchased about a month earlier.

Juliana Peres Magalhães testifies during the double murder trial for Brendan Banfield in Fairfax County Circuit Court, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Fairfax, Va.

Behind Bars: Despair and Media Talks

Magalhães also described feelings of despair while detained. She testified that after financial support from Banfield’s family ended, several unnamed producers began covering her commissary and other needs in exchange for rights to her story. In letters read in court she discussed plans to hire a producer, write a book or pursue a documentary deal to help support her family in Brazil.

Legal Status and Next Steps

Magalhães pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of manslaughter in October 2024 and will be sentenced after Banfield’s trial concludes. Banfield faces aggravated murder charges and, if convicted, the possibility of life in prison. Court administrators say the trial is expected to last about four weeks, with sessions Monday through Thursday beginning at 10 a.m.

Requests for comment from Banfield’s lawyer and representatives for streaming services mentioned in letters were not immediately returned. Reporting contributions were made by Sarah Rumpf-Whitten.