Thursday, January 15, 2026- At the double homicide trial in Fairfax County, Virginia, Juliana Peres Magalhães, the former Brazilian au pair who was having an affair with Brendan Banfield, took the witness stand and delivered detailed testimony about an alleged plot prosecutors say led to the deaths of Christine Banfield and 39-year-old Joseph Ryan in February 2023. Magalhães, who has pleaded guilty to a reduced manslaughter charge, told jurors that Banfield, a former IRS agent, orchestrated a plan to kill his wife so he could start a new life with her.
According to her testimony, Banfield and Magalhães used Christine Banfield’s email and laptop to create a fake profile on a fetish-oriented website, posing as Christine to communicate with Ryan. The messages allegedly arranged what appeared to be a consensual sexual encounter involving a knife, which prosecutors say was a calculated lure. When Ryan arrived at the Banfield home, the plan was for Banfield to kill him and then kill his wife in a scenario that could be framed as self-defense during a confrontation with an intruder.
Magalhães testified that Banfield told her divorce was “not an option” because he did not want to share custody of their young daughter and feared financial consequences. She said he rehearsed aspects of the plan and even took her to a shooting range. Defense attorneys have attacked her credibility, noting she came forward more than a year later and received a plea deal. Banfield has pleaded not guilty to multiple felony charges, including aggravated murder, and faces life in prison if convicted.
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