FAIRFAX, Va. (CN) - A man charged with plotting the murders of his wife and another man - with an assist from the family's au pair - is scheduled to stand trial Monday.
In a case that has languished in the court system for nearly three years, Brendan Banfield, 40, is accused in the 2023 deaths of Christine Banfield, 37, and Joseph Ryan, 39, a man whom investigators contend was lured to the home. Banfield has pleaded not guilty to the murders, along with child abuse and endangerment charges stemming from the presence of his then-4-year-old daughter during the crime.
The au pair for the Banfields, Juliana Peres Magalhaes, has admitted to taking part in the crime and pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
Here is a step-by-step overview:
The family: In 2010, Banfield married Christine, a nurse who worked at a local hospital. They had one daughter, and in 2022 hired Magalhaes, a Brazilian au pair, to help care for the child. But that year, Brendan Banfield and Magalhaes began a sexual relationship, according to a wrongful death lawsuit filed last year by members of Christine's family and estate.
Banfield's view: In a court filing last year, Banfield contended that after he had left for work Feb. 24, 2023, Ryan entered the home. Banfield subsequently returned and found Ryan in the bedroom holding a knife to his wife's neck.
Banfield, an investigator for the IRS, identified himself as law enforcement and ordered Ryan to drop the knife. Instead, Ryan plunged the knife into Christine's neck. Banfield shot Ryan and attempted to render aid to his wife, according to the filing.
The au pair's story: Magalhaes has admitted that she joined Banfield's scheme to kill his wife and blame it on Ryan, according to the wrongful death lawsuit.
The au pair told prosecutors in a recorded statement published by NBC News on YouTube that when she asked Banfield whether he wanted to divorce his wife, he "explained that he was thinking about finding a way to just get rid of her."
She and Banfield logged onto a fetish website and lured Ryan to Banfield's home to engage in a rape fantasy. Ryan was instructed to enter the bedroom while Christine was asleep. "We told him before that it was part of the game."
In this version of events, once Ryan was inside, Banfield killed both his wife and Ryan.
A long investigation: Police were called to Banfield's home in Reston, Virginia, by Banfield and Magalhaes. They found Ryan dead of gunshot wounds and Christine suffering from knife wounds. There was no evidence of forced entry.
Following a seven-month investigation, Fairfax County Police Department in October 2023 arrested Magalhaes and charged her with shooting Ryan during the attack.
In September 2024, police announced they were also charging Banfield with the double murder. The child endangerment and child abuse charges were added three months later.
In court: The hotly contested case has garnered national attention. In his court filing last year, Banfield contended that police were holding additional evidence.
Penney S. Azcarate, chief judge of the Fairfax County Circuit Court - the largest trial court in Virginia - will preside.
Source: Courthouse News Service
