Additional Coverage:
- Virginia nanny testifies affair, alibi plan ended in bloodshed after love triangle tore apart affluent family (foxnews.com)
Fairfax County Rocked by Shocking Double Murder Trial: Ex-IRS Agent Accused in Nanny Love Triangle Plot
Fairfax County, VA – The quiet affluence of Herndon, Virginia, was shattered this week as the sensational double murder trial of Brendan Banfield, a former IRS special agent, commenced. Banfield stands accused of orchestrating the brutal slayings of his wife, Christine Banfield, and Joseph Ryan in February 2023, allegedly to conceal an affair with the family’s au pair.
The courtroom drama began Tuesday with explosive testimony from Juliana Peres Magalhães, the Brazilian au pair, who provided a firsthand account of the alleged killings. Prosecutors contend Banfield, 38, spent a month impersonating his wife on a fetish website to lure Ryan to their home, intending to eliminate both his wife and Ryan as part of an elaborate cover-up for his illicit relationship with Magalhães, then 22.
“Those two individuals had no reason to know each other but for the plotting and planning of Brendan Banfield,” stated prosecutor Jenna Sands in her opening remarks, emphasizing the calculated nature of the alleged crimes.
However, the defense, led by John Carroll, paints a different picture, claiming Magalhães was arrested in October 2023 specifically to coerce her into testifying against Banfield. Magalhães, who pleaded guilty to manslaughter in October 2024 and awaits sentencing after Banfield’s trial, is positioned by the prosecution as a key witness.
Magalhães’ testimony detailed the evolution of her relationship with Banfield from professional to sexual, beginning in August 2022. She further testified that just two months later, Banfield confided in her about his “plan to get rid of Christine,” opting against divorce.
According to Magalhães, Banfield meticulously planned the murders, using his wife’s email and photo to create a fake profile on a fetish website. He allegedly sought to establish an alibi by changing his routine in the weeks leading up to the incident. Prosecutors allege Banfield and Magalhães propositioned men on the website, ultimately selecting Ryan as their victim, who was led to believe he was engaging in a consensual sexual encounter with Christine.
“Brendan created the narrative that Christine desperately wanted to be raped,” Sands revealed, detailing how Banfield, posing as his wife, instructed Ryan to come to the home, where the door would be unlocked and Christine asleep.
Magalhães recounted how, on the night of the killings, Banfield went to a McDonald’s, awaiting her call about an “intruder.” She then placed a fabricated 911 call, claiming Ryan was an intruder who had stabbed Christine.
In a harrowing account, Magalhães testified that Banfield placed their young child in the basement before entering the couple’s bedroom. There, Banfield allegedly shot Ryan with his service weapon and then stabbed his wife while Magalhães held a firearm he had purchased weeks prior.
Magalhães described the gruesome scene, stating Banfield climbed on top of Christine and stabbed her in the neck, while she covered her eyes and ears, feeling blood on the carpet and soaking her shoes. Banfield then allegedly staged the scene to resemble a home invasion.
Banfield faces aggravated murder charges and, if convicted, could face life in prison. The trial is expected to continue for four weeks, with court sessions running Monday through Thursday. The community remains gripped by the unfolding details of this shocking case.