Man on trial in Virginia accused of plotting double murder with Brazilian au pair

January 13, 2026 / Kim browne /

A man from Virginia, who was having an affair with his family’s Brazilian au pair, has gone on trial accused of the elaborate murder of his wife and an unsuspecting stranger.

Brendan Banfield, 40, denies killing Christine Banfield as well as Joseph Ryan, whom he allegedly planned to frame for the murder of his wife, at the family home in February 2023.

In opening statements, lead prosecutor Jenna Sands said that Banfield and Juliana Peres Magalhaes, the family’s au pair, were in love.

But Banfield did not want a divorce because he did not want to lose custody of his daughter or even to share custody with his wife.

Ms Sands told the court in Fairfax County that “Brendan revealed his desire to get rid of Christine” and the pair impersonated her on a social media site for sexual fetishes.

She added that Banfield arranged an elaborate scenario with Mr Ryan in which he would act out an arranged rape fantasy and that Mr Ryan was instructed not to stop “even if she was calling for help”.

Magalhaes, 25, has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter for her role in the double murder plot and agreed to testify against Banfield.

The prosecution continued with alleged details about the murder: “Brendan enters the bedroom, first shooting Joe in the head, picks up the knife that Joe had brought and stabs Christine repeatedly in the neck.

“He directs Juliana to shoot Joe a second time with her gun, this time the bullet enters Joe’s chest with Christine dead or dying.”

Banfield’s defence lawyer, John Carroll, disputes the prosecution’s case, telling the court that digital forensics would show Christine Banfield directly engaged with Mr Ryan on the site.

“You’re going to see a presentation of a horrible, tragic, awful event,” he added.

He said there is no dispute that Banfield and Magalhaes were having an affair, but “there’s an awful lot more to look for”.