A Virginia husband caught up in a bizarre love triangle with his wife and a Brazilian au pair has been charged with the meticulous murder of his wife and a “fetish-seeking” man inside the couple's home.
Brendan Banfield is accused of stabbing to death his wife, Christine Banfield, 37, and shooting to death Joseph Ryan, 38, in a love-triangle double homicide in the early morning hours of Feb. 24, 2024.
The Banfields were married at the time of the murder and lived in the home with their au pair, Juliana Pérez Magalhaes, and their daughter, who was 4 years old at the time.
The 39-year-old IRS agent and Magalhaes allegedly shot and killed Ryan, who had been summoned to the couple's multimillion-dollar Herndon home through an online sexual fetish site.
Magalhães, who was 23 at the time, told investigators that he and Banfield witnessed Ryan attacking a naked woman, Christine Banfield, and that their employer fired shots at the “intruders,” with Magalhães allegedly delivering the fatal shot.
When police arrived at the residence, they found Ryan dead from a gunshot wound and Christine Banfield suffering from a stab wound.
She was transported to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead.
Magalhães claims self-defense, but prosecutors allege the entire incident was a ploy orchestrated by Magalhães to get rid of Christine.
They continue to believe that Ryan was a deluded man lured into a vile conspiracy.
Prosecutors previously revealed Ryan had made plans to show up at the home with a user who goes by the name Anastasia9 on the online sexual dating site Fetlife.
The profile showed a petite woman wearing a one-piece swimsuit. The Washington Post.
Investigators said there is no evidence to suggest Kristin Banfield created the profile or knew about its existence, but they have not said who created it.
Fairfax police arrested Brendan Banfield at the home where the murders occurred on Monday after a grand jury indicted him on four counts of murder and one count of using a firearm to commit a felony.
He is accused of the premeditated murder of two victims.
Commonwealth's Attorney Steve Descano said the grand jury indictments were the result of a 19-month investigation and new information obtained by detectives.
“Early last year, a double homicide devastated two families and shocked our entire community,” Descano said. During a press conference. “My office will ensure that we put forward the strongest possible argument at trial and continue to pursue justice for victims and their families.”
Magalhaes was arrested and charged with killing Ryan in October 2023, but no one had been charged in Christine's death until Monday.
Both murder suspects are being held at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center, and Banfield is scheduled to be arraigned later this week.
In an email to his mother, Magalhaes complained about life in prison.
“I am tired of this place and this situation,” Juliana Pérez Magalhaes wrote in a recent email to her mother from the Fairfax County Jail. The Washington Post.
“I'm unhappy and nothing I do makes me happy,” she wrote in a June email. “I just want to get out of here and go home to be with everyone. But by the grace of God we'll be together soon, Mom.”
“On Feb. 24, 2023, I stood in the middle of a cul-de-sac in Fairfax County explaining that two people had been killed inside a residence,” Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said Monday. “Now, 570 days later, we know that the deaths of Joseph Ryan and Christine Banfield were, in fact, homicides.”
Authorities said Banfield and Magalhaes had a “sexual relationship” but would not disclose the nature of their relationship to Ryan's family, citing an ongoing investigation.
“This much is clear: the evidence now exists to allege that Christine Banfield's life was wrongfully taken and that Joseph Ryan's life was wrongfully taken,” the police chief added.
During a preliminary hearing in April, it was revealed that the Magalhaes and Banfield, who continued their relationship after the death, had gone to a shooting range in the weeks before the murder.
According to the outlet, at the time of her arrest, Magalhães had moved her belongings into the master bedroom, where her clothes were hanging in the closet where Christine's clothes had once been, and a framed photograph of her and Banfield was on the nightstand.
Prosecutors presented business records to support their allegations, saying Brendan Banfield purchased the Glock on Jan. 28, 2023, at a shooting range. WTOP reported.
