A Virginia man who orchestrated the killings of his wife and an unsuspecting stranger in a plot tied to an affair with the family’s au pair will spend the rest of his life behind bars.
Brendan Banfield, 40, was on Friday sentenced to life in prison without parole for the murders of his wife, Christine Banfield, 37, and Joseph Ryan, 39. Prosecutors said Ryan had been deliberately lured to the family’s home in Herndon as part of a calculated plan.
The former IRS law enforcement officer killed Christine in her bed, while authorities allege the broader scheme was driven by his relationship with the couple’s Brazilian au pair, Juliana Peres Magalhães, 25.
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Banfield had claimed he shot Ryan after discovering him attacking his wife. However, prosecutors argued the pair had set Ryan up, using him as a scapegoat in a plot to murder Christine.
Handing down the sentence, Judge Penney Azcarate condemned Banfield’s actions in strong terms.
“The disregard of the life of your wife, someone you supposedly loved, is almost unfathomable,” she said.
The court previously heard that Banfield and Magalhães created a fake online profile posing as Christine, suggesting she wanted to act out a rape fantasy. Ryan responded to the profile and was invited to the Banfields’ home under the guise of a consensual encounter involving a knife.
Judge Azcarate described the plan as deeply disturbing, noting it involved “luring a completely innocent man into your deadly trap; continuing on after the murders without a care; and not once – not once – thinking of the impact” on the couple’s young daughter.
She added that Banfield “took everything from her,” referring to the child, who was in the home at the time of the killings.
In addition to the murder convictions, Banfield was found guilty of child endangerment, resulting in an extra five-year sentence, along with a further three years for a firearms offence.
Despite the verdict, Banfield maintained his innocence in court.
“I was found guilty of a crime that I did not commit,” he told the court, according to WJLA. “I’m greatly disappointed in the legal system. The system has failed not only me, but also Christine, my daughter Valerie, the Bensons, and the rest of my family.
“I was found guilty of a crime that I did not commit. It is actually impossible to have committed the crime, as the prosecution, their experts, and their witnesses have presented.”
He also pointed to alleged disagreements within the police investigation regarding claims that he and Magalhães impersonated Christine online to lure Ryan.
Banfield insisted he loved his wife and said that, although he had affairs, he never intended to leave her.
The judge rejected those claims, highlighting his lack of remorse as a key factor in the sentencing decision.
“To testify as you did shows the court that you still think that you are the smartest person in the room. One would hope that someday you will become tortured by what you have done to Christine, Joe, Christine’s daughter, and their families, but nothing I have seen suggests that you will,” she said.
During the trial, Magalhães testified that Banfield had spoken about a future with her, including marriage and children, but said he first needed to “get rid of” his wife.
She told jurors he avoided divorce because “she would have more money than he would” and because he wanted custody of their daughter.
Magalhães admitted the pair had posed as Christine online and used the account to arrange Ryan’s visit, presenting it as a sexual encounter.
Juliana Peres Magalhes, 24, who pleaded guilty to manslaughter. Credit: FAIRFAX COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT/NYT
On the day of the killings, she waited outside the house with the child before calling Banfield, who had been nearby.
According to her testimony, the pair later went inside, where Banfield shot Ryan and fatally stabbed Christine with the knife Ryan had brought. When Ryan showed signs of movement, Magalhães fired a second shot that killed him.
Magalhães later pleaded guilty to manslaughter and agreed to testify against Banfield. She was sentenced to 10 years in prison following his trial.
