New facts have come to light in a murder case in Virginia this week, according to authorities and news reports. In this case, a family duo whose husband had been having an affair were charged with shooting and killing another man after he allegedly stabbed the wife with whom he was having an affair.
The mysterious incident took place more than a year ago, when Christine Banfield, 37, was fatally stabbed by Joseph Ryan after arriving at her home in Herndon, Virginia after being solicited from a sexual fetish website. It started with that.
Ryan, 39, was then shot to death by both Banfield’s husband, Brendan, and his apparent mistress, Juliana Perez Magalhães, authorities said.
Investigators Brendan Banfield and Perez Magalhães of the IRS Criminal Investigation Division witnessed a clothed Ryan holding a knife at a naked Christine Banfield, prosecutors said. According to the Washington Post.
Brendan told a 911 call that he shot Ryan with his service weapon as Ryan began stabbing Christine Banfield, and Perez Magalhães, 23, told authorities that Ryan He said he retrieved another gun from another room at his direction and shot Ryan, who was on the ground. prosecutors reportedly said of Brendan Banfield.
Officials said the shooting in Magalhaes City was fatal.
No one has been charged in Banfield’s death, only the au pair was arrested and charged with Ryan’s murder last October, but prosecutors say there is more to the story than the gruesome incident on February 24, 2023. This hints at the possibility that something is happening.
Fairfax County Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelsey Gill previously said Perez-Magalhães and Brendan had been having an affair in the months leading up to the shooting, according to the Washington Post.
And on Monday, a preliminary hearing revealed that in the weeks before Christine Banfield and Ryan were killed, the pair, who remained in a relationship after their deaths, went to a shooting range.
Prosecutors provided business records to support this claim, saying Brendan Banfield purchased the Glock from the range on January 28, 2023. WTOP reported.
Prosecutors argued that the Glock was used by Perez-Magalhães to shoot and kill Ryan.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Clingan told the court the gun was used to “eliminate the only living witness,” according to the office.
According to the Washington Post, Gill said Ryan came to her home in December after being asked to do so through a website catering to sexual fetishes.
The account was set up on Christine Banfield’s laptop, but prosecutors have not confirmed who is behind the online profile.
Christine Banfield bought tickets for Magalhaes to take Banfield’s young daughter to the zoo around the time Ryan arrived, Magalhães’ attorney said.
Magalhães told authorities that he saw Ryan go into the house and called Brendan Banfield to come back, and that’s when he discovered Ryan and Banfield in the bedroom. The Washington Post reported.
According to the paper, federal attorney Gill previously questioned why Brendan Banfield only fired at Ryan after stabbing his wife several times, and whether Brendan really wanted Magalhães to take the other gun. He questioned whether he had given instructions.
The au pair’s attorney, Ryan Campbell, argued his client acted in self-defense.
“He had just stabbed Christine Banfield,” Campbell reportedly said in December. “It seems perfectly reasonable that a second shot would be fired to ensure he was not a threat to Brendan, Christine and Juliana.”
During Monday’s hearing, Brendan Banfield reportedly offered a fifth defense when questioned on stage.
