A Virginia man has been charged in the stabbing death of his wife and shooting death of a man last year. The husband was also allegedly involved in a love triangle with the couple's Brazilian au pair, who was previously charged with the murder of a man who had been in the couple's home.
Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis and State's Attorney Steve Descano Announced Brendan Banfield has been arrested and charged in connection with a double homicide that occurred in 2023 in Reston, about 20 miles west of Washington, DC.
Investigators believe the husband and nanny were in a “sexual relationship” and hatched a dastardly plot to kill his wife.
Banfield, of Reston, was charged with four counts of murder and one count of use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. Banfield was being held without bail at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center.
“I stood in the middle of a cul-de-sac in Fairfax County and described two deaths that occurred inside a residential home. Now, 570 days later, we know that the deaths of Joseph Ryan and Christine Banfield were, in fact, homicides,” Davis said at a news conference Monday.
Davis added, “This much is clear: The evidence now alleges that Christine Banfield's life was wrongfully taken and that Joseph Ryan's life was wrongfully taken.”
Police described a “horrific scene” when they responded to the scene at the Banfield home on Feb. 24, 2023. Police say Brendan Banfield and the family's au pair, 23-year-old Juliana Perez Magalhaes, called 911.
Officers found Kristin Banfield, 37, in a second-floor bedroom suffering from a stab wound to the upper body, and Joseph Ryan, 39, deceased from a gunshot wound to the upper body.
Banfield's wife was rushed to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead.
Police said two firearms and a knife were recovered from the home.
Magalhaes reportedly told investigators that he and Brendan Banfield witnessed Ryan stabbing a naked Christine Banfield with a knife, after which the au pair said Brendan fired shots at the “intruder.”
Investigators believe the husband and nanny were in a “sexual relationship” and hatched a dastardly plot to kill his wife.
The husband and his live-in au pair are accused of shooting and killing Ryan, who they say was “recalled to the couple's million-dollar Herndon home through an online sexual fetish site.” The New York Post reported..
Prosecutors said Ryan was lured to Banfield's home by a profile on FetLife, which describes itself as “the world's largest and most popular social network for the BDSM, kink and fetish communities.”
According to The Washington PostRyan went to the house for a scheduled rendezvous with a woman identified on a dating app as “Anastasia 9.” Media outlets noted there is no evidence to suggest Kristin created the profile or knew about it. Authorities have not disclosed who created the profile.
Davis stated“We understand that Brendan Banfield and Juliana Magalhaes, the family's au pair, were in a romantic relationship at the time of the murder.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelsey Gill said Magalhaes and Brendan had been romantically involved “for several months” before the murder, based on photos of the pair that investigators found on the nanny's phone.
Magalhaes and Banfield went to a shooting range a few weeks before the murder, according to prosecutors. Banfield purchased a Glock at the range on Jan. 28, 2023, according to prosecutors. WTOP.
Brendan and Magalhaes reportedly continued their relationship after the deaths of Ryan and Banfield's wife.
Magalhaes was arrested in October 2023 for Ryan's murder.
At the time of her arrest, the au pair had reportedly moved into the Banfields' master bedroom, where a framed photo of the au pair and Brendan Banfield was on the nightstand and the au pair's clothes were hanging in Christine Banfield's former closet, authorities said.
Magalhaes was charged with second-degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony and was being held without bail at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center.
“Early last year, a double homicide devastated two families and shocked our entire community,” State Attorney Descano said. Press Conference“My office will put forward the strongest possible argument at trial and continue to pursue justice for the victims and their families.”
The Banfields have a 4-year-old daughter.
Brendan Banfield is scheduled to be arraigned later this week.
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