A former IRS Special Agent, Brendan Banfield, and his Brazilian Au pair, Juliana Peres Magalhaes, were formally charged with the killing of Banfield’s wife, Christine Banfield, a Nurse and Mother of a 4 year old daughter, and an unsuspecting stranger, Joseph Ryan, in Herndon, Virginia on February 24, 2023 in a plot to unite the agent with his nanny/au pair.
The couple allegedly lured Joseph Ryan to the home of Brendan and Christine Banfield, by using the an account called FetLife (a website for sexual fetishes) and communicating using Telegram. Disguised as Christine Banfield, Juliana Peres Magalhaes at the direction of Brendan Banfield, to set up a meet at the the Fairfax County, VA home.
The couple actively participated in the plot to murder both Christine Banfield, as well as Joseph Ryan, when Ryan arrived. Ryan was in the home, with an invitation of whom he thought was Christine Banfield, with fetish instructions to tie her down and cut her garments off with a knife. Christine Banfield was unaware of any communications prior to the encounter.
Following Ryan’s his arrival and entry into the home, Ryan was shot in the head by Brendan Banfield, turned to his wife and began stabbing her. With Magalhaes present, Ryan had not yet expired and appeared to make noise in the background of the 911 call, gaining the attention of Magalhaes, who then shot him again.
Before authorities arrived, the bodies of both Joseph Ryan and Christine Banfield were subsequently moved and appeared to have been staged. Mrs. Banfield was found to have been stabbed in her upper body and was rushed to a nearby hospital with her husband. She succumbed to her injuries with her husband by her side.
Through computer evidence, it is indicated that Brendan Banfield posed and enticed Joseph Ryan to the home in order to use him as a gateway reason to kill his wife. Mrs. Banfield had never met or conversed with Mr. Ryan. Authorities’ preliminary judement was that the killings took place in the upstairs master bedroom, but now indicate that the killing of Ryan may have been at the entry with his body moved to the bedroom and staged with the knife used to kill Christine Banfield.
Justice Watch
Fairfax County Police, Lt. Erin Weeks accounts that the initial 911 call was made by Magalhaes indicating that a friend of hers was hurt, with Banfield getting on the phone and adding that an unknown male had entered his home and he shot them. It is still unclear if the shooting occurred at the entryway or in the upstairs bedroom. Investigators say they found no evidence of forced entry. Both are being held in the Fairfax County, VA Jail until trial/sentencing.
| Juliana Peres Magalhaes | Arrested: April 2023 | Accepted Plea: October 2024 Manslaughter of Joseph Ryan | Sentencing: March 2024 |
| Brendan Banfield | Arrested: September 2024 | Trial Set: February 2025 | Sentencing: March 2025 |
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