The jury in the aggravated murders trial of Brendan Banfield, accused of plotting with his family’s au pair to kill his wife and another man, returned a verdict.
WATCH LIVE: Jury reaches decision in ‘au pair affair’ murders trial
A Fairfax County jury on Monday found Brendan Banfield guilty of aggravated murder in the killings of his wife and another man in the family’s Herndon, Virginia, home in February 2023.
The panel of 12 jurors began deliberating midday Friday on whether Banfield, a former IRS law enforcement officer, conspired with his family’s au pair, with whom he was having an affair, to kill his wife and pin it on a stranger.
Banfield now faces life in prison with no chance of parole after his conviction on both counts of aggravated murder.
He was also found guilty of use of a firearm in the commission of a felony and child endangerment, as his 4-year-old child was home during the killings. Judge Penney Azcarate scheduled sentencing for May 8.
Prosecutor Jenna Sands told the jury Banfield was in love with his family’s Brazilian au pair, Juliana Peres Magalhães. Sands argued the two of them staged an elaborate scheme to lure Joseph Ryan to the home to get rid of Banfield’s wife, Christine, and blame her killing on Ryan.
According to the prosecution and Magalhães, who testified against Banfield after taking a plea deal, Banfield and the au pair created an account on a fetish website impersonating Christine and lured Ryan to the home with promises of rough sex.
“They got Joe Ryan into the house, and then they shot him,” Sands said during closing arguments. “Brendan stabbed Christine, let her bleed out on the floor, and then dripped, smeared and wiped her blood on Joseph Ryan’s body to make it look like he had attacked Christine. Then they called the police.”
During trial, Magalhães testified that Banfield shot Ryan in the head, and the au pair shot Ryan in the chest.
However, defense attorney John Carroll said prosecutors failed to produce evidence that corroborated their “catfishing” theory.
“Juliana made it up,” Carroll said during his Friday closing argument. “She told the commonwealth what they wanted to hear and, without question, they just took it as their story.”
Carroll reminded jurors that Brendan Banfield’s DNA was not discovered on the knife that was used to kill Christine Banfield.
“The guy who brought the knife to the house is the stabber,” Carroll said.
The trial has garnered national attention, and Carroll further questioned the motivation behind Magalhães’ confession by referencing conversations she had with a media company about selling her story for a documentary.
On Friday, before jury deliberation, prosecutors and the defense agreed not to offer the jury less severe homicide charges to consider against Banfield, creating an all-or-nothing decision on each aggravated murder count.
The Associated Press and WTOP’s Thomas Robertson, Jessica Kronzer and Neal Augenstein contributed to this report.
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