Wealthy Virginia husband and nanny charged with murder in mansion love triangle

Virginia police announced a second arrest Tuesday in connection with a 2023 Double murder Case in the idyllic Washington suburb of Herndon.

“Early last year, the double murder of Christine Banfield and Joseph Ryan shocked our entire community. Today, I am pleased to announce that thanks to the hard work of police and prosecutors, the District Attorney's Office has secured an indictment against Brendan Banfield for the murder of his wife Christine and the murder of Ryan,” Fairfax County District Attorney Steve Descano said during a press conference on Tuesday.

Brendan Banfield, a husband and father of a then-four-year-old daughter, and his family's then-22-year-old Brazilian au pair, Juliana Peres Magalhaes, are accused of killing Christine – Brendan's wife and a Fairfax County NICU employee – and Joseph Ryan, the 38-year-old man who showed up at their home armed with a knife. in Herndon, Virginia, in February 2023.

Ryan's connection to the family or her au pair remains unclear.

Affluent Virginia suburb rocked by mansion murder mystery, nanny faces trial

Brendan Banfield is charged with four counts of aggravated murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a serious crime.

Magalhaes is also charged with aggravated murder and the use of a firearm in the commission of a serious crime.

Brendan Banfield is charged with four counts of aggravated murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a serious crime. (Fairfax County Police Department)

“On February 24, 2023, I stood in the middle of a cul-de-sac in Fairfax County and described the deaths of two people in a residence. Now, 570 days later, we know that the deaths of Joseph Ryan and Christine Banfield were in fact murders,” Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said during a press conference Tuesday.

VIRGINIA AU PAIR MURDER: FETISH CONSPIRACY, AFFAIR, SHOOTING RANGE LINKED TO DOUBLE MURDER AT HOME, PROSECUTORS DISCOVER

Juliana Peres Magalhaes was charged nearly eight months after she shot and killed Joseph Ryan, the man who had reportedly stabbed her affair partner's wife shortly before. (Fairfax County Police)

When police responded to a 911 call from the home that day, they found Christine with stab wounds to the neck and Ryan with fatal gunshot wounds in the upstairs bedroom of the home. Officers took Christine to the hospital, where she was later pronounced dead, Davis said.

Officers seized a knife and two firearms at the crime scene.

“We know that Brendan Banfield and Juliana Magalhaes were in a romantic relationship at the time of the murders.”

— Chef Kevin Davis

“I will not describe the involvement of our victim, Joseph Ryan, in the case at this time as the investigation is ongoing,” Davis said.

REGARD:

On February 24, 2023, Magalhaes told police, she left the Banfields' home in the 13200 block of Stable Brook Way in Herndon to take her young daughter to the National Zoo. She told authorities she drove off but realized she had forgotten the lunches she had packed for her trip to the house, so she turned around and noticed an unfamiliar car in the driveway.

Fairfax police arrest Brendan Banfield. (Fairfax County Police Department.)

She then reportedly called Brendan, a former IRS investigator who had gone to work at the time, and told him about the unknown car in her driveway. The couple decided to meet at the Banfields' house and go inside together when reported the Washington Post.

Virginia au pair charged with murder of man in his home – double murder: police

Christine Banfield was stabbed to death in the bedroom of her home in Fairfax County, Virginia. (Facebook)

Initially, Magalhaes told police that when she and Brendan entered the house, they saw an unknown man named Ryan threatening Christine with a knife. She reportedly described him as an intruder. Ryan was apparently fully clothed, while Christine was lying naked in the master bedroom of the house.

It is still unclear what exactly happened in the house that Friday morning, but Magalhaes and Brendan both apparently admitted to shooting Ryan while the man held a knife to Christine's head.

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Magalhaes is charged with second-degree murder and use of a deadly weapon in the commission of a crime. (Instagram)

Prosecutors allege that a computer in the Banfield family home was linked to an account on a sex fetish website, the Post reported.

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Although the account on that computer appeared to show a photo of Christine in a bathing suit, it is unclear who exactly was communicating through the account. The profile also apparently showed “no evidence whatsoever that she is into knife play, bondage, and BDSM.” Prosecutor Eric Clingan said in court, according to the Post.

Authorities finally arrested Magalhaes in October 2023. (FOX 5 DC)

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Ryan, the man who threatened Christine with a knife, also apparently had an account on the website and was communicating with the person accessing the site from the Banfield computer.

According to the prosecutor's office, a framed photo of Brendan Banfield and Juliana Magalhaes as well as the lover's underwear were found in the room where the double murder took place. (Fairfax County District Attorney's Office)

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Authorities finally arrested Magalhaes in October 2023 after she moved into the Banfields' master bedroom and placed a framed photo of herself and Brendan on a nightstand next to the bed. A grand jury indicted the 23-year-old in April, and her trial is scheduled for November.

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Magalhaes' attorney, Ryan Campbell, did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. Brendan is no longer employed by the IRS, the agency confirmed.