A jury in Virginia has rendered a guilty verdict against Brendan Banfield, a former law enforcement officer with the IRS, for the 2023 aggravated murders of his wife, Christina Banfield, and another individual, Joseph Ryan, as reported by various sources.
Banfield, aged 40, was found guilty in Fairfax County of killing his 37-year-old spouse and Ryan, 38. Prosecutors argued that he intentionally lured Ryan, whom he didn’t know, to their Herndon residence under deceitful circumstances, according to the Associated Press.
The jurors received the case around midday on January 30, spending much of Monday in deliberation.
In addition to the murder convictions, the jury determined Banfield was guilty of using a firearm in committing the crimes and of child endangerment, as he left his then-4-year-old daughter alone in the basement while the violent acts occurred upstairs.
The conviction took place on Friday, with the verdict reached after approximately nine hours of discussion by a jury comprising seven women and five men.
The verdict came after roughly nine hours of deliberation by a panel of seven women and five men.
Prosecutors said Banfield orchestrated an elaborate murder plot with the couple’s Brazilian au pair, Juliana Peres Magalhães, with whom he was having an affair.
Testimony showed the pair created fake accounts on a fetish website posing as Christina Banfield and used them to lure Ryan to the home for what he believed would be a consensual but violent sexual encounter.
Magalhães, 25, testified that Ryan arrived armed with a knife, as instructed online and began interacting with Christina, a pediatric intensive care nurse who had previously worked with sexual assault victims, unaware he was being set up.
Juliana Peres Magalhães testifies during the double murder trial for Brendan Banfield in Fairfax County Circuit Court, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Fairfax, Va. (AP Photo/Tom Brenner, Pool)
Magalhães said she waited outside in a car before calling Banfield to falsely report an intruder, prompting his return to the house.
Once inside, prosecutors said Banfield shot Ryan with his service weapon to make it appear he was defending his wife, then fatally stabbed Christina multiple times in the neck to try and stage the scene and frame Ryan for her murder.
Magalhães testified she witnessed the stabbing and later helped call 911.
Banfield admitted on the stand that he shot Ryan but claimed it was self-defense, saying he walked in on Ryan attacking his wife.
Banfield faces life in prison without the possibility of parole. He is scheduled to be sentenced on May 8. (Court TV via AP, Pool)
His attorney argued Magalhães fabricated the plot to protect herself, pointing to her plea deal, which resulted in a sentence of time served.
Prosecutors countered that digital evidence, forensic findings and Magalhães’ testimony showed Banfield was motivated by wanting to be with the au pair and avoid divorce.
“He was in love with Juliana,” prosecutor Jenna Sands told jurors. “He needed to get rid of his wife so they could be together.”
In closing arguments, Sands also told the jury they did not have to rely only on Magalhães’ testimony and pointed to what she called a “plethora of evidence.”
That included expert testimony that blood stains on Ryan’s hands suggested Christine Banfield’s blood had been dripped onto him from above.
Banfield faces life in prison without the possibility of parole. He is scheduled to be sentenced May 8. Magalhães was set to be sentenced after Banfield’s trial.
