Au pair takes plea in Herndon killings, will cooperate with prosecutors
An au pair accused in a double homicide in Northern Virginia has taken a plea deal in the case. Juliana Peres Magalhaes and Brendan Banfield, the father of the family for whom she worked, are accused of working together to kill Banfield’s wife, Christine Banfield, and a stranger, Joseph Ryan, inside the married couple’s Herndon home in February 2023. In court Tuesday, a judge accepted terms of Peres Magalhaes’ plea deal. Under the terms of the deal, she pleaded guilty to manslaughter and will cooperate in the prosecution of Brendan Banfield. The commonwealth’s attorney is recommending Peres Magalhaes’ sentence be capped at time served at the time of her sentencing — and also is asking the judge to wait to sentence her until after Banfield’s trial, to ensure she continues to cooperate. That means she could stay in jail long enough for his trial, then would be released. A double killing It was around 7:30 a.m. on Feb. 24, 2023, when Peres Magalhaes left the Banfields’ home on Stable Brook Way with the couple’s 4-year-old daughter, according to detectives. Peres Magalhaes, a Brazilian national who also lived in the home, told police she doubled back to the house because she’d forgotten to grab packed lunches. When she got back, she saw a car she didn’t recognize, she said. She called Christine Banfield, but when the mother didn’t answer, Peres Magalhaes phoned Brendan Banfield, who quickly came home, authorities said. Minutes later, the au pair, the father and the child went inside. Brendan then went upstairs to the bedroom, where he found Christine and Ryan. Detectives say the two claimed Ryan had attacked Christine, prompting Brendan — a law enforcement officer for the Internal Revenue Service — to fire his gun at Ryan. Joseph Ryan had no obvious connection to the family or home other than the incident that cold winter day. But as detectives began probing how he supposedly found Christine, their case and the witness statements started to diverge. A fetish site used as a lure? A search of a computer in the Banfields’ home led detectives to a fetish sex website, prosecutors said. The site catered to sexual fantasies involving kinks, BDSM and more. Prosecutors said Brendan Banfield and the au pair concocted a plan to use the sex fetish website to lure Ryan to the home. Detectives found a profile for Christine and communications between her profile and Ryan. But authorities said something didn’t add up. They said the way Christine talked to Ryan in their messages was very different than how friends and family described her. Police believe someone else was communicating with Ryan while pretending to be Christine and scheduled a meetup at the family’s home for that day. Nearly eight months after the killings, Fairfax County authorities arrested Peres Magalhaes and charged her with second-degree murder in Ryan’s death. Brendan Banfield was indicted in the murders of his wife and Ryan in September, nearly a year after Peres Magalhaes was arrested and more than a year and a half after the killings. Virginia Apr 1 Twisted fetish sex plot left wife and a stranger dead inside Herndon home, prosecutors allege Fairfax County Sep 17 Fairfax County man indicted in wife's and stranger's murders Photos previously presented by the prosecution show Brendan Banfield with Peres Magalhaes in New York and at a concert venue. The two were involved in an affair for months before the killings, prosecutors said. Other photos show Peres Magalhaes at a Virginia gun range. Attorneys also presented visitor logs of Banfield and Peres Magalhaes at the gun range. While arguing that the couple had plans to flee the country, the prosecution showed photos of a new Brazilian passport for the au pair. Attorneys said Banfield drove Peres Magalhaes to the Brazilian consulate to apply for a new passport.
An au pair accused in a double homicide in Northern Virginia has taken a plea deal in the case.
Juliana Peres Magalhaes and Brendan Banfield, the father of the family for whom she worked, are accused of working together to kill Banfield’s wife, Christine Banfield, and a stranger, Joseph Ryan, inside the married couple’s Herndon home in February 2023.
In court Tuesday, a judge accepted terms of Peres Magalhaes’ plea deal. Under the terms of the deal, she pleaded guilty to manslaughter and will cooperate in the prosecution of Brendan Banfield.
The commonwealth’s attorney is recommending Peres Magalhaes’ sentence be capped at time served at the time of her sentencing — and also is asking the judge to wait to sentence her until after Banfield’s trial, to ensure she continues to cooperate.
That means she could stay in jail long enough for his trial, then would be released.
A double killing
It was around 7:30 a.m. on Feb. 24, 2023, when Peres Magalhaes left the Banfields’ home on Stable Brook Way with the couple’s 4-year-old daughter, according to detectives.
Peres Magalhaes, a Brazilian national who also lived in the home, told police she doubled back to the house because she’d forgotten to grab packed lunches. When she got back, she saw a car she didn’t recognize, she said.
She called Christine Banfield, but when the mother didn’t answer, Peres Magalhaes phoned Brendan Banfield, who quickly came home, authorities said.
Minutes later, the au pair, the father and the child went inside. Brendan then went upstairs to the bedroom, where he found Christine and Ryan.
Detectives say the two claimed Ryan had attacked Christine, prompting Brendan — a law enforcement officer for the Internal Revenue Service — to fire his gun at Ryan.
Joseph Ryan had no obvious connection to the family or home other than the incident that cold winter day. But as detectives began probing how he supposedly found Christine, their case and the witness statements started to diverge.
A fetish site used as a lure?
A search of a computer in the Banfields’ home led detectives to a fetish sex website, prosecutors said. The site catered to sexual fantasies involving kinks, BDSM and more.
Prosecutors said Brendan Banfield and the au pair concocted a plan to use the sex fetish website to lure Ryan to the home.
Detectives found a profile for Christine and communications between her profile and Ryan. But authorities said something didn’t add up.
They said the way Christine talked to Ryan in their messages was very different than how friends and family described her. Police believe someone else was communicating with Ryan while pretending to be Christine and scheduled a meetup at the family’s home for that day.
Nearly eight months after the killings, Fairfax County authorities arrested Peres Magalhaes and charged her with second-degree murder in Ryan’s death.
Brendan Banfield was indicted in the murders of his wife and Ryan in September, nearly a year after Peres Magalhaes was arrested and more than a year and a half after the killings.
Photos previously presented by the prosecution show Brendan Banfield with Peres Magalhaes in New York and at a concert venue. The two were involved in an affair for months before the killings, prosecutors said.
Other photos show Peres Magalhaes at a Virginia gun range. Attorneys also presented visitor logs of Banfield and Peres Magalhaes at the gun range.
While arguing that the couple had plans to flee the country, the prosecution showed photos of a new Brazilian passport for the au pair. Attorneys said Banfield drove Peres Magalhaes to the Brazilian consulate to apply for a new passport.
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