In a shocking turn of events, Virginia resident Brendan Banfield confessed to having an affair with his family’s au pair, yet firmly denied allegations that they conspired together to murder his wife. This revelation came to light during his testimony on Wednesday as he fought against the grim prospect of spending the rest of his life in prison for the murder of his 37-year-old wife, Christine, in February 2023.

Banfield, now 39, took the stand in his own defense amid serious accusations from prosecutors. They claim that he and 25-year-old Juliana Peres Magalhães, their nanny, concocted a sinister plot to kill Christine. The alleged plan involved luring a stranger, Joseph Ryan, into their home by placing a misleading advertisement on the BDSM website Fetlife.

According to the prosecution, the plan was for Ryan to unknowingly engage in what Banfield and Magalhães intended to pass off as a ‘rape fantasy’ scenario. Ryan was reportedly instructed to sneak in with a knife, masquerading as an intruder to add credibility to their ruse.

Magalhães has already taken the stand, claiming that Banfield shot Ryan in what was meant to look like an act of ‘self-defense.’ She further alleged that Banfield then turned the knife on his own wife, attempting to pin the blame on Ryan.

Despite the damning testimony, Banfield maintained his innocence regarding the murder charges. He expressed that he still loved Christine and had no intentions of ending their marriage. However, he did admit to the affair with Magalhães, an admission that adds a complex layer to an already convoluted case.

In his testimony on Wednesday, Banfield insisted he loved his wife and did not plan to end his marriage, but admitted to having an affair with Magalhães behind his wife’s back. 

Asked how the affair began, Banfield said he and Magalhães were having dinner with his young daughter one evening while his wife was out of town, and claimed she initiated the fling by ‘scooting’ her chair to his at the dinner table. 

He said she followed him into his bedroom later that evening, and admitted he didn’t stop her. 

Earlier in the trial, it was revealed that investigators discovered Magalhães had moved into Banfield’s marital bed and was still sleeping with him months after Christine was murdered. 

Prosecutors allege that Brendan Banfield hatched a plot to murder his wife Christine so he could be with their au pair, 25-year-old Juliana Peres Magalhães (seen together), which he denies

Banfield, seen earlier in the trial, took the stand in his own defense on Wednesday to admit he had an affair with the nanny but denied he murdered his wife, describing prosecutors’ theories as ‘absolutely crazy’ 

Banfield testified that he and Magalhães carried out the affair for months, but denied prosecutors’ claims that they plotted to kill his wife and Ryan with the bizarre scheme. 

‘I think that it’s an absurd line of questioning for something that is not serious, that a plan was made to get rid of my wife,’ he testified. ‘That is absolutely crazy.’ 

In Magalhães’s testimony, she alleged that Banfield left his home on the morning of February 24, 2023, and ordered her to wait outside in her car while he waited at a nearby McDonald’s. 

She said that he told her to call him when Ryan arrived to carry out the ‘rape fantasy’, so that he could come home and catch him on top of his wife.  

When they entered the home, she testified they took Banfield’s child to the basement before going upstairs to find Ryan struggling with Christine.

‘When I got to the bedroom, he yelled, “Police officer”,’ she said of Banfield, who at the time was an armed IRS agent.

‘Christine yelled back at Brendan, saying, “Brendan! He has a knife!” That’s when Brendan first shot Joe,’ she told the court.

Prosecutors say Banfield plotted to frame stranger Joseph Ryan, 39, (pictured) by luring him to his home with a fake advert on BDSM site Fetlife to make him look like an intruder 

Christine Banfield, seen with Brandon and their daughter, was stabbed to death on February 24, 2023 as part of a twisted plot to lure a stranger into their home to frame him, prosecutors say 

After shooting Ryan, Banfield then began stabbing his wife, Magalhães alleged.

She said she tried covering her eyes as the alleged murder unfolded, but admitted that she then saw Ryan moving on the ground, so she shot him with a gun that Banfield had given her.

Magalhães was also initially charged with murder but pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter in 2024.

She has become the key witness in Banfield’s murder case, and will be sentenced at the conclusion of his trial. 

In Banfield’s testimony, he said that Magalhães’s description of a plot to kill his wife was a lie, and insisted that ‘there was no plan.’ 

Authorities say that Banfield and Magalhães initially told investigators that they tried to save Christine when they saw Ryan entering the home and that both of them shot him in self-defense.

Prosecutors have alleged that the entire scene was staged and that it was intended to look like Ryan was shot as an intruder who was stabbing Christine during a botched robbery.

Banfield admitted to having an affair with Magalhães, but denies that they plotted to kill his wife so they could be together 

Banfield’s mistress Juliana Peres Magalhães admitted to shooting Ryan during the incident and was initially charged with murder, but pleaded down to a lesser charge of manslaughter as she became a key witness for the prosecution 

Jurors previously heard that Banfield moved his mistress into his marital bed shortly after the killing.

Magalhães was sleeping in the bed Christine had shared with her husband eight months after the murders, Fairfax County Sgt. Kenner Fortner told Banfield’s trial last week.

Fortner first entered the residence in February 2023 as part of the investigation into the murders and photographed the home, including both the primary and Magalhães’s bedrooms, Fox News reported.

When he visited the home again eight months later, ‘red, lingerie-style clothing items’ and a yellow t-shirt with green trim that had previously hung in the au pair’s closet had been moved to the master bedroom, he testified.

‘They had gotten new flooring, new bedroom furniture,’ Fortner said, noting how photographs that once featured the Banfields had been ‘taken down and replaced with Brendan and Juliana together.’

Banfield’s attorney, John Carroll, alleged in his opening statements that Magalhães only changed her story in exchange for a ‘sweetheart’ deal to avoid murder charges.

‘The whole reason she was arrested was to flip her against my client,’ Carroll argued.

Carroll also alleged that the initial lead homicide and forensic detectives disagreed with the theory that Banfield set up the plot to frame Ryan and both were later transferred off the case.

The defense attorney said there was ‘turmoil’ inside the police department over the case, as he attempted to undermine the argument put forward by the prosecution.

‘You’re going to see a presentation of a horrible, tragic, awful event,’ he said. ‘However, there’s an awful lot more to look for.’

Carroll surprised the court when he announced that Banfield had decided to take the stand in his own defense – opening him up to cross-examination from prosecutors that will take place later this week.