Virginia State Police announced Tuesday that Double murder The incident occurred in beautiful Herndon, a suburb of Washington DC.
“Early last year, the double murder of Christine Banfield and Joseph Ryan shocked our entire community. Today, thanks to the hard work of our police and prosecutors, the State's Attorney's Office was able to indict Brendan Banfield for the murder of his wife, Christine, and the murder of Ryan,” Fairfax County State's Attorney Steve Descano announced at a press conference Tuesday.
Brendan Banfield, the husband and father of his then-4-year-old daughter, and his family's then-22-year-old Brazilian au pair, Juliana Pérez Magalhães, are accused of murdering Brendan's wife, Christine, a NICU worker in Fairfax County, and Joseph Ryan, a 38-year-old man who showed up to her home with a knife. Herndon, Virginia; February 2023.
The nature of Ryan's relationship with his family or the au pair remains unclear.
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Brendan Banfield, of Herndon, Virginia, is charged with murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. (Virginia County Police)
Brendan Banfield has been charged with four counts of murder and one count of using a firearm in the commission of a felony.
Magalhaes also faces charges of aggravated murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.
Brendan Banfield has been charged with four counts of murder and one count of using a firearm in the commission of a felony. (Fairfax County Police Department)
“On Feb. 24, 2023, I stood in the middle of a cul-de-sac in Fairfax County and described two deaths that occurred inside a residential building. Now, 570 days later, we know that the deaths of Joseph Ryan and Christine Banfield were, in fact, homicides,” Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said at a press conference Tuesday.
Virginia au pair murder: Fetish intrigue, love affair and shooting range linked to double murder at home, prosecutors say
Juliana Pérez Magalhaes was indicted about eight months after shooting and killing Joseph Ryan, who reportedly was killed moments after stabbing to death the wife of his lover. (Fairfax County Police)
Police responded to the first 911 call from the residence that day and found Kristin with a stab wound to the neck and Ryan with a fatal gunshot wound in a second-floor bedroom of the home. Authorities transported Kristin to a hospital, where she was later pronounced dead, Davis said.
Authorities recovered a knife and two firearms from the scene.
“It is understood that Brendan Banfield and Juliana Magalhaes were in a romantic relationship at the time of the murder.”
“The investigation is ongoing so at this time we cannot say who the victim, Joseph Ryan, was involved in this incident,” Davis said.
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Magalhaes told police she left the Banfield family home in the 13200 block of Stable Brook Way in Herndon to take her young daughter to the National Zoo on Feb. 24, 2023. She began to drive but realized she had left the lunch she had packed for the field trip inside the house, so she turned back and noticed an unfamiliar vehicle parked in the driveway, she told authorities.
Fairfax police arrested Brendan Banfield. (Fairfax County Police Department)
She then called Brendan, a former IRS criminal investigator who was away at work at the time, to tell him there was a strange car in her driveway, and the two arranged to meet at the Banfields' house and go inside together. The Washington Post reported.
Virginia au pair charged with killing man in double homicide at home: police
Christine Banfield was stabbed to death in the bedroom of her Fairfax County, Virginia home. (Facebook)
Magalhães initially told police that he and Brendan had entered the home and seen a stranger named Ryan holding Christine at knifepoint — Magalhães reportedly described Ryan as the intruder — and that while Ryan was clearly clothed, Christine was naked in the home's master bedroom.
It's unclear exactly what happened inside the house that Friday morning, but Magalhaes and Brendan appear to have admitted to shooting Mr Ryan while he was holding a knife against Christine.
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Magalhaes is charged with second-degree murder and use of a deadly weapon during the commission of a crime. (Instagram)
Prosecutors allege that the Banfield family's computers were linked to accounts on sexual fetish websites, The Washington Post reported.
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The computer account featured photos of Christine in a swimsuit, but it was unclear who was communicating through the account, and the profile “contained no evidence that she was interested in knife play, bondage or BDSM.” “This is a case of two men who were arrested for sexual assault and assault with their families,” prosecutor Eric Clingan said in court, according to The Washington Post.
Authorities eventually arrested Magalhães in October 2023. (FOX 5 DC)
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Ryan, the man who held Christine to knife power, also apparently had an account on the website and had been in contact with someone who had accessed the site from Banfield's computer.
Prosecutors said framed photos of Brendan Banfield and Juliana Magalhaes, as well as the mistress' underwear, were found in the room where the double murder occurred. (Fairfax County Commonwealth Attorney's Office)
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Authorities arrested Magalhaes in October 2023 after she moved into the master bedroom of the Banfield home and placed a framed photo of herself and Brendan on the nightstand next to her bed. A grand jury indicted Magalhaes, 23, in April and her trial is scheduled for November.
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Magalhaes' lawyer, Ryan Campbell, did not respond to inquiries from Fox News Digital. The agency confirmed that Brendan no longer works for the IRS.
