Alleged Scheme and Indictment
Brendan Banfield, a Virginia man, was indicted in September 2024 for the February 2023 murders of his wife, Christine Banfield, 37, and Joseph Ryan, 39, in their Herndon home, a Washington, D.C. suburb. According to his co-defendant, Juliana Peres Magalhães, Banfield used a sex-fetish website, FetLife.com, to lure Ryan into a deadly trap. Banfield denies the allegations, and his attorney insists he did not create the FetLife account.
Co-Defendant’s Account and Plea Deal
Juliana Peres Magalhães, the family’s au pair from Brazil who began working for the Banfields in October 2021, pleaded guilty to manslaughter in Ryan’s death in 2024. As part of her plea deal, she provided details to prosecutors in an October 2024 interview, alleging she began an affair with Banfield a year into her employment. Magalhães claimed Banfield wanted his wife “out of the picture” but ruled out divorce, instead devising a plan to stage a murder using a fake FetLife profile impersonating Christine.
The Fatal Setup
Magalhães told prosecutors that Banfield orchestrated a “rape fantasy” scenario, luring Ryan to the home under the pretense of a consensual encounter with Christine. She said Ryan was told the plan involved Christine acting scared or resisting as “part of the game.” On February 24, 2023, Ryan arrived at the Banfield home, where Banfield allegedly shot him and stabbed Christine. Magalhães admitted to also shooting Ryan, later calling police to falsely report him as an intruder.
Legal Proceedings and Defense Claims
Banfield faces four counts of aggravated murder and one count of firearm use in a felony, with his trial scheduled for late October 2025. Magalhães, cooperating with prosecutors, awaits sentencing, which is delayed until after Banfield’s trial. Banfield’s defense challenges the prosecution’s “catfish theory,” citing a digital forensics officer’s findings that Christine, not Banfield, may have created the FetLife profile, though prosecutors dispute this, pointing to inconsistencies in the account’s communication style.
Community Impact and Ongoing Investigation
The murders, which left the Banfields’ 4-year-old daughter unharmed, shocked the Herndon community. Forensic evidence, including blood-spatter analysis, suggests the victims’ bodies were moved post-mortem, supporting the prosecution’s theory of a staged crime scene. As the case unfolds, it raises questions about digital deception and the complexities of proving intent in a convoluted plot marked by betrayal and violence.
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