CHRISTINE BANFIELD & JOSEPH RYAN: Virginia vs. Juliana Peres Magalhaes *GUILTY PLEA* & Brendan Banfield for double homicide *GUILTY* (1 Viewer)

Affluent Virginia suburb rocked by mansion murder mystery as nanny faces trial​

Juliana Peres Magalhaes is set to face trial in Fairfax County, Virginia, for second-degree murder in November​

Affluent Virginia suburb rocked by mansion murder mystery as nanny faces trial

A Brazilian au pair charged with murder in connection to a double homicide at her employers' suburban Fairfax County, Virginia, home in February 2023 is set to face trial.

www.foxnews.com

A bucolic Virginia neighborhood. A seemingly normal family of three. A Brazilian au pair. A double murder.

These are all parts of a complex puzzle investigators are still working to determine who killed Christine Banfield — a wife, mother and Fairfax County NICU employee — and Joseph Ryan, the 38-year-old man who showed up at her home armed with a knife, in Herndon, Virginia, in February 2023.

Part of that puzzle is in the process of being solved as Juliana Peres Magalhaes, Banfield's 23-year-old au pair and a Brazilian national, prepares to stand trial for second-degree murder and use of a deadly weapon during the commission of a crime in Ryan's shooting death.

VIRGINIA AU PAIR MURDER: FETISH PLOT, AFFAIR, GUN RANGE TIED TO DOUBLE HOMICIDE AT HOME, PROSECUTORS REVEAL
The mystery began on Feb. 24, 2023, when Magalhaes told police she left Christine and husband Brendan Banfield's home in the 13200 block of Stable Brook Way in Herndon to take their young daughter to the National Zoo. She told authorities that she had begun driving but realized she forgot the lunches she packed for their excursion back inside the house, so she turned around and noticed an unfamiliar car in the driveway.

She then reportedly called Brendan, a former criminal investigative agent for the IRS who had at that point left for work, and told him about the unknown car in their driveway. The pair decided to meet at the Banfields' home and walk inside together, as the Washington Post reported.

Initially, Magalhaes told police that when she and Brendan walked inside, they saw an unknown man, Ryan, holding Christine at knifepoint. She allegedly described him as an intruder. Ryan was apparently fully clothed while Christine was naked in the main bedroom of the house.

It remains unclear exactly what transpired inside the home that Friday morning, but Magalhaes and Brendan apparently both admitted to shooting Ryan while the man was holding a knife to Christine. Ryan died inside the home while Christine suffered stab wounds to the neck and ultimately died in the hospital.

'We believe in justice for both' | Grand Jury indicts au pair in connection to man's death

Juliana Peres Magalhaes, 23, was indicted on charges of second-degree murder and use of a firearm in commission of a felony.

www.wusa9.com

 

[GrandmaBear]

VERDICT IN supposed per Court TV and Yahoo and more!!

 

[GrandmaBear]

to be read in 30 minutes, however, I heard that some minutes ago so probably 20, 25 minutes.

i'd say it has to be guilty, 12 people are not going to acquit this POS.

However, there ARE I think 3 charges they had to decide on.

 

[GrandmaBear]

5 p.m. supposedly, their time, EST I believe. So 21 minutes.

 

[GrandmaBear]

Man are the minutes ticking slowly...

 

[GrandmaBear]

GUILTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[GrandmaBear]

on ALL COUNTS!!!!!!!! More counts than I thought remained, but guilty on all!!

 

[Tresir]

I was going to post the court live feed but it had more or less finished and they were just talking about the sentencing schedule, which sounded like it would be in May.

ABC article instead.

Brendan Banfield double murder trial: Man found guilty in elaborate plot to get rid of his wife

The former IRS agent was charged with aggravated murder in 2024 following a monthslong investigation.

abcnews.go.com

ABC News​

Brendan Banfield double murder trial: Man found guilty in elaborate plot to get rid of his wife​

Banfield is accused of killing his wife and a stranger to be with his au pair.
ByMeredith Deliso and Cristina Corbin
February 2, 2026, 5:14 PM

7:22
Brendan Banfield testifies in his own defense on Jan. 28, 2026, during his double murder trial in Fairfax County, Virginia.
Pool/ABC News
A Virginia man has been found guilty of killing his wife and a stranger lured to their home under false pretenses in an elaborate plot to get rid of his spouse so he could be with his au pair, with whom he was having an affair.
Brendan Banfield, 40, is accused of stabbing his wife to death in their home in Fairfax County and fatally shooting a man he allegedly "catfished" on a fetish website. Prosecutors said he pretended to be his wife to lure the man to their home for what was believed to be a consensual fake rape scenario in order to frame that stranger for his wife's murder.
The jury deliberated nearly nine hours over two days, starting Friday, before reaching a verdict Monday afternoon, finding him guilty of two counts of aggravated murder. He exhibited little emotion while the verdict was read.
His sentencing has been scheduled for May 8. He faces a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

 

[GrandmaBear]

Guilty, guilty, guilty, guilty. I think it was 4 counts, 2 of aggravated murder, one about a fireamr, one of child endangerment. He will be sentenced later. Nanny will be sentenced I think in a bit over a week, Feb something. Let's pray she doesn't get just time served. I don't like her deal, most don't, but judge can give her ten years, she deserves life though imo.

I couldn't get into this trial at first and never followed it closely but the last part of it, I was a bit more into when he testified. Stupid of him but so full of himself, I'm sure he insisted.

 

[GrandmaBear]

I was going to post the court live feed but it had more or less finished and they were just talking about the sentencing schedule, which sounded like it would be in May.

I didn't hear when they settled on sentencing, were talking March but judge thought might be too early.

She gets sentenced in like a week to ten days, I think in the chat I was in they said Feb 13th, not 100 percent on either date.

Watching him testify, man, I was so disgusted with this guy. He betrayed his wife in every way, shape and form and he did it on the stand too. The other victim, a random stranger.

I did think everything could have been a big stronger from the P, but she did the job. It felt like maybe there were time constraints and things that couldn't be said as well. There are often those rules ahead of a trial and we don't always know what they are.

I really never followed the case all that closely but sure knew about it and tracked it somewhat.

It was a long day waiting for this verdict but I just put up someone covering it and left the tab open and the volume on, it was silent while I did other things and I knew I'd hear it if something happened. Once in awhile I had to come and skip a commercial from YT or something but the channel I was watching just had a live chat but no talking by the channel holder, just a feed and verdict clock timer of the courtroom.

 

[GrandmaBear]

Sentencing is May 8th per Nate.

 

[Regina]

I didn't expect the jury would be out that long.

 

[GrandmaBear]

I didn't expect the jury would be out that long.

Yeah it was a little bit surprising but still wasn't the longest time. I suspect maybe one person was struggling with one charge or something like that OR they wanted to see some things first maybe. I was at the point where I felt if they didn't come back yesterday, and it was late in day and not looking like it thus far, after that worry would have started to increase bit by bit. I knew they wouldn't want to stay another day, no jury does, so still was hoping though and then it came through, or word did that they'd asked for a few more minutes.

One thing I DO like though is I figure his hope was probably increasing the longer they took and so he'd be REALLY crushed when he heard they were coming back I'd imagine...

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Christine Banfield's family speaks for first time since brutal murder, Brendan Banfield's conviction

The family shared a statement with WUSA9 the week after Brendan Banfield was convicted of murdering Christine.

www.wusa9.com

Christine Banfield's family speaks for first time since brutal murder, Brendan Banfield's conviction​

Christine Banfield's family is speaking out for the first time in the nearly three years since she was brutally murdered by her husband, Brendan Banfield.

Christine's family, who is from New York, has never spoken publicly about her murder or the high-profile legal proceedings. But Wednesday, they shared a statement with WUSA9, thanking the prosecutors, investigators and the jury for their work.

"Christine was an honest, faithful, caring, compassionate, helpful person who was dedicated to her family, friends, and patients," the Benson family wrote. "... The lies told about her after her murder were just as painful as her death."

They also shared compassion for Ryan's family. Both Brendan Banfield and Peres Magalhaes admitted to shooting and killing Ryan, but Brendan and his defense claimed he was the one who killed Christine. Ryan's mother, Deirdre Fisher, exclusively spoke with WUSA9 ahead of the trial and said she never believed Ryan would ever be violent.

"He, like Christine, was an innocent victim," the Bensons wrote.

Her family attended the whole trial, wearing butterfly pins. Though they haven't said exactly what the pins symbolize, many people wear them to signify hope and resilience.

"I hope that this verdict gives them some sense of peace and puts them somewhere in the path of healing," Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney Steve Descano said following the verdict.

 

[GrandmaBear]

I think sentencing for Juliana is tomorrow if I remember correctly. Hoping instead of the deal recommendation, the judge gives her the whole ten years. She deserves LIFE.

 

[GrandmaBear]

TEN YEARS! YES!! The most the judge could give!