Virginia Jury Convicts Brendan Banfield in ‘Au Pair Affair’ Double Murder Plot
A Fairfax County jury has found former IRS criminal investigator Brendan Banfield guilty of all charges related to the 2023 double homicide of his wife and a stranger lured to their home, a case that garnered national attention as the “Au Pair Affair.” On Monday, February 2, 2026, the jury delivered the verdict after approximately nine hours of deliberation, convicting Banfield of two counts of aggravated murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and child endangerment.
The charges stem from the violent events of February 24, 2023, at the Banfield residence in Herndon, Virginia. Authorities initially responded to a 911 call from the home, where they found 37-year-old Christine Banfield and 39-year-old Joseph Ryan suffering from fatal gunshot and stab wounds. Banfield initially told investigators that he had shot Ryan in self-defense after interrupting him attacking his wife in their bedroom.
However, prosecutors presented evidence during the four-week trial outlining a sophisticated conspiracy between Banfield and the family’s 23-year-old Brazilian au pair, Juliana Peres Magalhães. The state argued that Banfield and Magalhães, who were engaged in a months-long affair, plotted to kill Christine Banfield to avoid the financial complications of a divorce and to retain custody of the couple’s young daughter.
A key component of the prosecution’s case was the testimony of Magalhães herself. Having pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of manslaughter in 2024, she testified against her former lover, detailing how they used a fake account on a sexual fetish website to catfish Joseph Ryan. According to court documents and testimony, Ryan was lured to the home under the pretense of participating in a sexual fantasy, only to be used as a “fall guy” for Christine’s murder.
During the trial, the defense maintained that Banfield was innocent and had acted to protect his family from an intruder. Banfield took the stand in his own defense, insisting on his original account of the events. However, digital forensics and the au pair’s testimony contradicted his timeline and narrative. Prosecutors highlighted that the “intruder” had been invited to the home through digital communications traced back to devices within the Banfield household.
The guilty verdict carries significant weight in Virginia. Following the state’s abolition of the death penalty in 2021, a conviction for aggravated murder mandates a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. Banfield was remanded into custody immediately following the reading of the verdict, with a formal sentencing hearing to be scheduled by the court.
The conclusion of the trial brings a measure of closure to the families of Christine Banfield and Joseph Ryan, who have waited nearly three years for a resolution. Legal analysts have noted that the use of digital evidence and the cooperation of the co-conspirator were pivotal in securing the conviction in what was described as one of the most complex murder plots in recent county history.
* washingtonpost.com
* greenwichtime.com
* fox5dc.com
* 13newsnow.com
* ksat.com
* foxnews.com
