Attorneys give dueling narratives to open ‘au pair affair’ double murder trial in Virginia
FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) — A Virginia man who was having an affair with his family’s Brazilian au pair used an elaborate scheme to lure an unsuspecting man to the house as part of a plan to kill his wife, prosecutors said in opening statements on Tuesday.
Brendan Banfield is charged with aggravated murder in the February 2023 killings of Christine Banfield and the second man, Joseph Ryan, at the Banfields’ home in northern Virginia. He has pleaded not guilty and could face life in prison if convicted.
In opening statements, Chief Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Jenna Sands told jurors that Banfield and Juliana Peres Magalhães, the family’s au pair, were in love. Banfield did not want a divorce because he did not want to lose custody of his then-4-year-old daughter or even to share custody with his wife, Sands said. To “get rid of” Christine Banfield, the pair impersonated her on a social media site for sexual fetishes and spent a month arranging an elaborate scenario with Ryan in which Ryan would act out an arranged rape fantasy, Sands said.
They arranged for Ryan to come in the morning while Christine Banfield was sleeping and bring restraints and a knife, Sands said. Magalhães and Brendan Banfield left the house but stayed nearby. Magalhães entered after Ryan and called Brendan Banfield. She also called 911 but hung up, Sands said. She only called 911 again after both she and Brendan Banfield had shot Ryan and Banfield had stabbed his wife multiple times, Sands said.
Magalhães was also charged with murder but pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter in 2024 after cooperating with investigators. She will be sentenced at the conclusion of Banfield’s trial.
Banfield’s attorney, John Carroll, said in opening statements that Magalhães had maintained her innocence for a year but eventually changed her story in exchange for a sweetheart deal.
“The whole reason she was arrested was to flip her against my client,” Carroll said.
The prosecution’s theory relies on the idea that Banfield and Magalhães were “catfishing” Ryan by pretending to be Christine Banfield. However, the lead homicide detective and the forensic detective both disagreed with that theory, Carroll said. Both were later transferred. Carroll said there was “turmoil” inside the police department over that case that some media have dubbed the “au pair affair.”
“You’re going to see a presentation of a horrible, tragic, awful event,” Carroll said. He said there is no dispute that Banfield and Magalhães were having an affair; however, “there’s an awful lot more to look for.”
In court, witnesses described a hectic scene at the Banfield household on the day of the killings, with multiple first responders urgently tending to Christine Banfield and Ryan. One officer testified that Brendan Banfield seemed to be having a panic attack as officers rendered aid.
“He was unable to walk,” said Fairfax officer Zachary Beckner, adding, “he had to steady himself” after standing up.
Beckner testified that Banfield went to the hospital and there learned his wife had died. The husband began to cry, placing his face in his hands that were still covered in blood.
Beckner allowed Banfield to wash his hands without collecting the blood evidence, he testified. Asked why, he said, “I felt bad for him. Blowing his nose and wiping his face with his bloody hands.”
Banfield, whose daughter was at the house on the morning of the killings, is also charged with child abuse and felony child cruelty in connection with the case. He will also face those charges during the aggravated murder trial.
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Associated Press reporter Travis Loller contributed from Nashville, Tennessee.