Virginia man having affair with au pair found guilty of murdering wife and another man | Virginia
A Virginia man who had an affair with the family’s Brazilian babysitter was convicted Monday of killing his wife and another man who prosecutors said was lured into the house as the bad guy.
Brendan Banfield, a former IRS law enforcement officer, told police that on the morning of Feb. 24, 2023, he saw Joseph Ryan attack his wife, Christine Banfield, with a knife. He shot Ryan, and then babysitter Juliana Magalhaes also shot him.
But authorities argued in court that the story was too good to be true, telling jurors that Banfield hatched a plan to get Ryan rid of his wife. It was later revealed that Brendan Banfield and Magalhäes were having an affair.
Magalhäes pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in 2024 and testified against her ex at the trial. He said they impersonated pediatric intensive care nurse Christine Banfield on a website devoted to sexual fetishes. He said they used the site to lure Ryan into the home for a sexual encounter involving a knife, making the scene look as if they had shot an intruder who was attacking his wife.
Defense attorney John Carroll argued that Magalhäes’ testimony could not be trusted because he cooperated with prosecutors to avoid a long prison sentence. In his own statement, Banfield said the statement was “absolutely crazy.”
Carroll also presented evidence showing that there were differences of opinion within the police department over the theory that Magalhäes and Brendan Banfield impersonated Christine Banfield in a “streamfishing” scheme on social media. An officer who concluded from digital evidence that Christine Banfield was behind the social media account was later transferred as punishment for disagreeing with a theory Carroll said was supported by higher-ups in the department.
In her closing statement, prosecutor Jenna Sands told the jury they did not have to rely solely on Magalhäes’ testimony, pointing to what she called “a wealth of evidence.” This included expert testimony that bloodstains on Ryan’s hands showed that Christine Banfield’s blood had dripped onto him from above.
The jury deliberated for nearly nine hours over two days before reaching a verdict. Banfield faces the possibility of life in prison at sentencing.
Magalhaes was scheduled to be sentenced following Banfield’s trial. Lawyers said he may be allowed to go free if he is sentenced to prison.
