A Virginia jury on Monday convicted Brendan Banfield of aggravated murder for the killings of his wife and another man nearly three years ago.
Prosecutors argued Banfield plotted for months with the family’s au pair – with whom he was having an extramarital affair – to murder his wife, Christine Banfield, and frame the other man, Joseph Ryan, for her death.
Brendan Banfield is expected to be sentenced to life in prison, the mandatory penalty for the highest murder charge in Virginia.
Banfield was in love with the au pair, Juliana Peres Magalhães, and plotted to get rid of his wife so they could be together, prosecutors said. Together they created fake accounts to pose as his wife on a fetish website to lure Ryan to the home under the guise of a consensual but violent sexual encounter with Christine, the au pair testified.
Prosecutors say Banfield fatally stabbed his wife and shot Ryan when he intervened in the encounter between Ryan and his wife and then staged the crime scene to make Ryan’s killing appear to be an act of self-defense.
The trial began January 12. Prosecutors called about 20 witnesses in its case over four days and another two witnesses in a short rebuttal case.
The Fairfax County jury got the case midday Friday and deliberated much of Monday before announcing the verdict.
The defense called several law enforcement witnesses to bolster its claims of a flawed investigation that led prosecutors to manipulate evidence to make a case against Banfield. The defense also put on a digital forensics analyst who said data recovered from Christine Banfield’s devices suggests there could not have been a catfishing scheme as prosecutors asserted.
The defendant took the stand
Banfield, who’s maintained his innocence, took the stand in his own defense, acknowledging the affair with Peres Magalhães that started in August 2022 but denying any plans to kill his wife.
He testified that he loved his wife despite them both having affairs throughout their nearly 20-year relationship and said his latest dalliance with the nanny wasn’t going to change his marriage.
Banfield also said he and Peres Magalhães had broken up at different times in their affair and were not actively in a relationship the day of the killings.
The prosecution’s case relied heavily on the au pair’s testimony detailing the scheme she says she helped Banfield execute to “get rid” of his wife. According to the au pair, she watched Banfield fatally stab his wife and stage the crime scene to frame Ryan before they called 911.
Peres Magalhães was arrested for Ryan’s murder in October 2023, and a year later agreed to cooperate with prosecutors against Banfield in exchange for a recommendation that she be sentenced to time served.
Banfield was not arrested and charged with murder for his wife’s and Ryan’s deaths until September 2024.
Banfield testified that on February 24, 2023, he’d left for the day in anticipation of an important work meeting when Peres Magalhães called him to say she saw a strange man enter the family’s home. Banfield said he thought his wife might’ve been having an affair and drove home from a nearby McDonald’s to investigate.
He said Peres Magalhães followed him into the home and up the stairs, leaving his 4-year-old daughter alone in the basement. Banfield, an armed IRS special agent, said he entered his bedroom with his service weapon drawn, finding Ryan attacking his naked wife. Banfield testified he announced himself as police and shot Ryan after the man repeatedly stabbed Christine Banfield.
Peres Magalhães fired a second shot at Ryan with Banfield’s personal firearm. He testified that he never told her to get the gun from his safe or shoot Ryan, but the au pair said Banfield had taught her how to shoot before the incident and gave her the gun earlier that morning.
When police officers arrived on the scene, they found Banfield kneeling over his wife’s body with his hands on her neck. Banfield testified that his wife, still conscious at the time, directed him to apply pressure to her wounds to slow the bleeding.
Brendan Banfield’s DNA was not found on the knife used to fatally stab Christine. Analysis only recovered DNA from Christine and Ryan, who prosecutors say brought the knife there at Brendan Banfield’s direction, posing as his wife.
The jury deciding whether to convict Banfield on Virginia’s top homicide charge had to weigh Banfield’s credibility over Peres Magalhães. Prosecutors and Banfield’s defense attorney agreed not to offer the jury less severe homicide charges to consider against Banfield.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
