A Virginia man who had an affair with his family’s au pair was found guilty Monday of murdering his wife and another man. Jurors took roughly a day to convict 40-year-old Brendan Banfield of aggravated murder in the deaths of his wife, Christine, and Joseph Ryan. Banfield showed little emotion as the verdict was read.
Banfield testified that, in 2023, he came home to find Ryan stabbing his wife and that he shot Ryan to protect her. Prosecutors disputed that account, saying the killings were part of a plot Banfield devised with the family’s live-in nanny, Juliana Peres Magalhaes. Magalhaes struck a deal with prosecutors and testified against him.
Banfield faces the possibility of life in prison; his sentencing is scheduled for May 8. The case drew attention not only for the fatal outcome but also for the allegations of an affair and the prosecution’s assertion of a coordinated plan involving the family’s caregiver.