Brendan Banfield was indicted for the aggravated murder of his wife, Christine Banfield, and Joseph Ryan, nearly a year after the incident at the couple’s Fairfax County home. The indictment, filed in Fairfax Circuit Court, also included a charge for felony firearm use. Banfield was arrested while driving in Fairfax County, according to Police Chief Kevin Davis, and authorities began searching his home.
This arrest comes after the family’s au pair, Juliana Peres Magalhães, was charged with second-degree murder in Ryan’s death, though she had not been charged for Christine’s death.
Despite the new charges against Banfield, the case against Magalhães will still proceed as planned, with her trial set for November. Magalhães had reported the killings to 911 on the day they occurred but initially hung up twice before completing the call.
According to her statement, she and Banfield returned home to find Ryan holding a knife to Christine’s throat. After Ryan allegedly stabbed Christine, Banfield shot him. Magalhães also admitted to firing a second gunshot at Ryan during the incident.
Brendan Banfield Indicted for Aggravated Murder and Firearm Charges in Deaths of Wife and Joseph Ryan
When police arrived at the scene, they found Ryan dead from gunshot wounds and Christine critically injured from stab wounds. Christine was transported to the hospital but later died. Magalhães and Banfield both claimed that they acted in response to Ryan’s violent actions, but prosecutors have raised doubts about their version of events.
They suggested that Ryan was not known to be violent and that the shootings might have been part of a premeditated plan between Banfield and Magalhães, who were involved in a romantic relationship at the time of the killings.
Prosecutors highlighted that Magalhães and Banfield had visited a gun range together two months before the incident, and Banfield had purchased the firearm used in the shooting shortly after.
Investigators suspect that the murders may have been planned, given the timing of the events and the nature of their relationship. The pair continued their romantic involvement even after the killings, further fueling suspicions about their motives.
Banfield is now facing four counts of aggravated murder and one count of felony firearm use, even though only two people were killed. Commonwealth Attorney Steve Descano explained that the multiple counts are a legal strategy, allowing the jury to consider different subsections of the aggravated murder statute during the trial.
This approach is intended to give the jury flexibility in evaluating the evidence. Banfield remains in jail without bail and is expected to be arraigned later in the week.
