Au Pair Given 10-Year Term In Virginia Double Murder Case
Judge Penney Azcarate sentenced Juliana Peres Magalhães to 10 years after her 2024 manslaughter plea and testimony against Brendan Banfield in the Feb. 24, 2023 killings.
Overview
Fairfax County Judge Penney Azcarate sentenced Juliana Peres Magalhães to 10 years in prison with two years of probation after her 2024 guilty plea to manslaughter.
Magalhães and former IRS agent Brendan Banfield plotted to kill Banfield's wife and another man on Feb. 24, 2023 by luring Joseph Ryan via a fake profile on a sexual-fetish website, prosecutors said.
Ryan's mother, Deirdre Fisher, and his aunt, Sangeeta Ryan, delivered victim impact statements in court while Magalhães apologized and said she lost herself in the relationship.
A jury convicted Banfield on Feb. 2 of two counts of aggravated murder, a firearms offense and child endangerment, and he faces life in prison without parole, prosecutors said.
Banfield's sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 8, and a TV episode about the case is set to air Feb. 20, according to court and programming announcements.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame the story as both sensational and culpatory by foregrounding the judge’s condemnation, highlighting sexual-fetish details and the use of the evaluative term "salacious," and emphasizing victim testimony describing the killings as "brutal." They include defense denials, but editorial choices and ordering prioritize lurid and punitive elements over neutral context.
Sources (4)
FAQ
Juliana Peres Magalhães was sentenced to 10 years in prison with two years of probation after pleading guilty to manslaughter in 2024.
Brendan Banfield was convicted on February 2 of two counts of aggravated murder, a firearms offense, and child endangerment, facing life in prison without parole, with sentencing scheduled for May 8.
Banfield and Magalhães impersonated Christine Banfield on a sexual fetish website to lure Joseph Ryan to the home, staged a rape scenario, shot Ryan, stabbed Christine Banfield seven times in the neck, and framed it as a home invasion.
The couple's then-4-year-old daughter was in the basement of the home during the killings, leading to Banfield's conviction on a child endangerment charge.
Banfield wanted to 'get rid of' his wife to marry Magalhães and have children with her, avoiding divorce due to financial concerns and desire for custody of their daughter.
History
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