Prosecutors had initially suggested that Juliana Peres Magalhães be released after she admitted guilt to a reduced charge of manslaughter in the February 2023 death of Joseph Ryan.
Rather than face trial for second-degree murder, Magalhães became a key witness for the prosecution, revealing in her testimony that she shot Ryan while Brendan Banfield, a man from Virginia, was tragically stabbing his wife, Christine, in their bedroom.
“I know my remorse cannot bring you peace,” Magalhães tearfully told the victims’ families on Friday, her voice breaking with emotion.
“I hope you can one day understand that I truly did not think his plan would actually come to fruition,” she added.
The judge, however, was unequivocal: “Let’s be clear: you deserve nothing less than imprisonment and a lifetime of reflection on the harm you’ve caused to the victim and their family. May it weigh heavily on your conscience.”
During Banfield’s trial, Magalhães testified that she and the IRS agent had set up a social media account under the name of his wife, who was a pediatric intensive care nurse, on a platform catering to those with sexual fetishes.
Magalhães, then 22, said she and Brendan Banfield took the coupleâs four-year-old child to the basement, and then found Ryan surprising Christine Banfield with a knife in the couple’s bedroom.
She said Brendan Banfield shot Ryan and then began stabbing his wife in the neck.
When she saw Ryan moving, Magalhães said, she fired the second shot that killed him.
The au pair wasnât arrested until eight months later, and hasn’t left jail since.
Prosecutors raised concerns that if she were to be allowed bail, she would flee to Brazil or be deported by immigration officials before they could finish their case.
She didnât talk with investigators for more than a year, until she changed her mind as her trial date approached.
âI lost myself in a relationship, and left my morals and values behind,â Magalhães told the judge.
âYou were texting and speaking to Joseph Ryan, encouraging him to bring a knife and ultimately, through the phone conversation, getting his consent, knowing all along you were bringing him to his death,â the judge responded.
Ryan’s mother, Deirdre Fisher, told the court that her son, born days before Christmas, was her âgreatest gift.â
Three years after his killing, she canât bear taking down their Christmas tree.
An urn with Ryanâs ashes sits in front of the decoration.
âI say good morning to him each day when I turn on the treeâs lights,â she said.
âBut of course thatâs not Joe sitting there. He canât say âI love youâ back.â
Sangeeta Ryan described her nephew as âinquisitive, curious, smart, charming and so dang talkative.â
She said he loved martial arts and role-playing with his friends.
She also noted that he had moved in with his octogenarian grandmother to care for her.
âHis sudden murder devastated his grandma, she could no longer live in the family home without Joe,â his aunt said.
The woman quietly moved away, hoping to avoid her memories and the reporters knocking at the door.
Christine Banfield’s relatives attended Friday’s hearing.
A judge has said Banfield will be sentenced in May.
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