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Jurors in Virginia began deliberating Friday on whether Brendan Banfield, a former IRS law enforcement officer, conspired with his family’s Brazilian au pair, Juliana Magalhães, to kill his wife and arrange for another man to be blamed. The jury’s decision will determine whether Banfield is convicted in the “au pair affair” double-murder trial and whether he faces life in prison.
Prosecutors said Banfield allegedly spent months plotting to get rid of his spouse so he could be with their nanny, who has become a central witness for the prosecution after testifying earlier this month. The state’s account centers on an alleged plan to lure Joe Ryan to the Banfield home using social media and then to stage the aftermath to fit a narrative prosecutors say implicated Ryan instead of Christine Banfield’s family.
Magalhães testified that she and Banfield created a social media account in Christine Banfield’s name on a fetish-focused platform and used it to lure Ryan to the home for a sexual encounter that prosecutors say involved a knife on Feb. 24, 2023. Prosecutors told the jury that the two then shot Ryan and staged the scene to make it appear that Ryan was a predator who stabbed Christine Banfield. Christine Banfield, described as a pediatric intensive care nurse, was mortally wounded with stab wounds to her neck.
During the trial, prosecutors and the defense agreed that both Brendan Banfield and Magalhães shot Ryan. Banfield testified in his own defense, denying that he conspired with Magalhães and saying he shot Ryan to stop him from stabbing his wife. He also said both he and Christine Banfield had affairs during their 19-year relationship and that the couple decided in couples therapy to stay married.
The case also involves charges that Banfield says stem from the fact that his then-4-year-old daughter was in the basement at the time of the killings. Banfield is charged with child abuse and felony child cruelty in addition to the murder counts that the jury is deliberating.
In closing arguments Friday, prosecutor Jenna Sands told jurors they did not have to rely solely on Magalhães’ testimony, pointing to what she called a “plethora of evidence.” The prosecutor cited expert testimony about blood stains on Ryan’s hands, which she said suggested Christine Banfield’s blood had dripped onto him from above.
Banfield’s lawyer, John Carroll, countered that the state’s case was built on what he called a “fantastic story,” and he presented a different blood expert who testified that the stains were inconclusive. Carroll also argued that police leadership fixated early on the theory that Banfield “catfished” Ryan and killed his wife, pressing investigators to support that conclusion while disregarding what the defense says was conflicting evidence.
Carroll also attacked Magalhães’ credibility, arguing that she tailored her testimony to align with the prosecution’s theory in order to avoid a lengthy prison sentence. Magalhães was originally charged with murder but pleaded guilty to manslaughter in 2024, and attorneys have said she could be released after Banfield’s trial.
During the trial, Carroll called forensic analysts who testified that evidence suggested Christine Banfield created the social media account and communicated with Ryan. Carroll also raised questions about investigative decisions, including that one police digital forensics examiner was later transferred and the defense argued he had been punished for disputing the catfishing theory, as well as why some detectives were not called to testify. Sands dismissed the defense’s dispute over digital evidence, telling jurors it could never be a “smoking gun” on its own because it shows what a device was doing rather than who was using it. Sands also said Banfield’s credibility was undermined by testimony from his boss, who contradicted Banfield’s claim that he left home early on the day of the killings for an important meeting.