In February 2023, 24-year-old Juliana Peres Magalhaes, a Brazilian au pair, and her employer Brendan Banfield were charged in connection with the murders of Brendan’s wife, Christine Banfield, and an unknown man, Joseph Ryan, in Herndon, Virginia. Magalhaes pleaded guilty to manslaughter after initially being charged with aggravated murder and use of a firearm in commission of a felony. Banfield, a 39-year-old IRS employee, faces four counts of aggravated murder and use of a firearm in commission of a felony, potentially carrying a life prison sentence.
The murders are alleged to have stemmed from a romantic relationship between Banfield and Magalhaes, who were involved at the time of the crime and for months afterward. The motive for the murders remains unclear, as does Ryan’s connection to the family or the au pair. When police responded to a 911 call from the residence on February 24, 2023, they found Christine with stab wounds to the neck and Ryan fatally shot in an upstairs bedroom. Authorities recovered a knife and two firearms from the scene.
Prosecutors allege that the crimes involved a sexual fetish website, with both Ryan and someone using the Banfield computer to access the site communicating with each other. Magalhaes initially told police that an unknown man, Ryan, was holding Christine at knifepoint, but later admitted to shooting him alongside Brendan as he threatened Christine with the knife. Magalhaes was arrested in October 2023 after moving into the Banfields’ main bedroom and placing a framed photo of herself and Brendan on a nightstand beside the bed.
Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis confirmed during a September press conference that the deaths of Joseph Ryan and Christine Banfield were, in fact, murders. Banfield and Magalhaes were romantically involved at the time of the murders, and Magalhaes implicated an unknown man holding Christine at knifepoint prior to the killings. The investigation into the crimes continues, with police gathering evidence related to the use of a firearm and potential connections to a sexual fetish website.
Magalhaes pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter and faces a maximum sentence of 10 years, while Banfield faces a potential life sentence for the four counts of aggravated murder and firearm use. Both defendants remain in custody as the legal proceedings continue. The exact details of what transpired inside the Banfield home on the morning of the murders remain unclear, but prosecutors allege a connection to a sexual fetish website and communication between Ryan and someone using the Banfield computer.
