A Virginia murder trial is getting underway Tuesday, Jan. 13, for Brendan Banfield, who is accused of orchestrating the killing of his wife while allegedly having an affair with the family’s au pair.
Banfield faces murder charges tied to the 2023 deaths of his wife, Christine Banfield, and a man identified as Joseph Ryan.
Christine was fatally stabbed on Feb. 23, 2023, inside the family’s home in Herndon, Virginia. Ryan was found nearby with fatal gunshot wounds.
Prosecutors say Banfield began a relationship with Juliana Peres Magalhaes in 2022 after she started working for the family as an au pair and moved into the home with the couple and their 4-year-old daughter.
Authorities also allege that about a month before the killings, Banfield created a profile on Fetlife.com — described by prosecutors as a bondage website — and posed as Christine. Prosecutors say he then communicated with Ryan and allegedly discussed a “consensual sexual encounter” involving restraints, clothing being cut off with a knife brought to the encounter, and other violent sexual role play.
Prosecutors further allege Banfield had Peres Magalhaes call Ryan while pretending to be Christine.
According to the allegations, the plan involved Banfield providing Peres Magalhaes with a gun and instructing her to call Christine’s phone when Ryan entered the home, then call him.
Prosecutors claim Banfield received that call, drove home, shot Ryan in the head, and stabbed his wife. Peres Magalhaes is accused of later shooting Ryan again after he appeared to move.
In October 2024, Peres Magalhaes pleaded guilty to manslaughter in Ryan’s death. In a recorded interview with prosecutors obtained by NBC4, she said she and Banfield were both involved in a plot to kill Christine. She claimed Banfield was the driving force behind the plan, according to NBC4.
Peres Magalhaes also described what she said was an agreed-upon “game” scenario in which someone would enter the bedroom and she would act frightened, pretend to run or scream, and Christine would appear startled and resist — framing it as “part of the game,” according to NBC.
In the same recorded interview, Peres Magalhaes said she and Banfield then “reported the offense as if Joseph Ryan was an intruder who stabbed Christine Banfield.”
Banfield has pleaded not guilty to aggravated murder charges, according to NBC4.
Peres Magalhaes is expected to testify at Banfield’s trial, which began with opening statements Tuesday, according to NBC4.
Banfield previously worked as an agent in the criminal division of the Internal Revenue Service. Christine Banfield was a pediatric intensive care nurse.
