Updated on: February 2, 2026 / 8:46 PM EST / CBS/AP
A Virginia man who prosecutors say had an affair with his family’s Brazilian au pair was found guilty Monday of murdering his wife and another man prosecutors say was lured to the house as a fall guy.
Brendan Banfield, a former IRS law enforcement officer, told police he came upon Joseph Ryan attacking his wife, Christine Banfield, with a knife on the morning of Feb. 24, 2023. He said he shot Ryan and that Juliana Magalhães, the au pair, shot him, too. Prosecutors told jurors the story was fabricated and argued Banfield set Ryan up to get rid of his wife. It later emerged that Banfield and Magalhães had been having an affair.
Banfield, 40, showed little emotion as the verdict was read. He had pleaded not guilty to aggravated murder in the killings and testified in his own defense. The jury deliberated nearly nine hours across two days before returning the verdict. Banfield faces the possibility of life in prison; his sentencing is scheduled for May 8.
Magalhães pleaded guilty to manslaughter in 2024 and testified against Banfield at trial. She told jurors that she and Banfield impersonated Christine Banfield, a pediatric intensive care nurse, on a website for sexual fetishes and used the site to lure Ryan to the home for a sexual encounter involving a knife, staging the scene to appear as if they had shot an intruder who was attacking Christine.
Defense attorney John Carroll argued Magalhães’ testimony was unreliable because she was cooperating with prosecutors to avoid a long sentence. Banfield, in his testimony, called her account “absolutely crazy.” Carroll also presented evidence of dissent within the police investigation over whether Christine had been impersonated on social media, noting an officer who concluded Christine was behind the account was later transferred, which Carroll said was punishment for disagreeing with a theory favored by department leadership.
In closing, prosecutor Jenna Sands told jurors they did not have to rely solely on Magalhães’ testimony, pointing to other evidence. Among that was expert testimony that blood stains on Ryan’s hands were consistent with Christine Banfield’s blood being dripped onto him from above.
Magalhães is to be sentenced after Banfield’s trial; attorneys have said she could be allowed to walk free if sentenced to time served.
In: Shooting | Homicide | Trial | Virginia