Au Pair Pleads Guilty to Manslaughter In Killings of Lover's Wife & Man Lured to Home Via Fetish Website

News By TooFab Staff |
Fairfax County Police Department

Twisted new details emerge in a case involving the deaths of a Virginia mom and a man prosecutors say the woman's husband and lover lured to the home, under the guise of sex with "restraints" via a fetish website.

There's been a major development in the twisted murder case of Christine Banfield and Joseph Ryan.

Both Banfield, 37, and Ryan, 38, were killed at Banfield's home in a quiet Northern Virginia neighborhood in the early morning hours of February 24, 2023. Christine's husband, Brendan Banfield, and her family's au pair, Juliana Peres Magalhaes, were later arrested.

While Magalhaes was previously charged with second-degree murder -- with a trial set for next month -- on Tuesday, she agreed to plea guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter. Along with her plea came some new details about what allegedly led to Banfield's and Ryan's deaths.

According to ABC News, citing the plea agreement, Banfield allegedly said he wanted to "be rid of" his wife in the fall of 2022, shortly after he began an affair with Magalhaes in August of that same year.

He allegedly kept building out his plans, though Magalhaes said she didn't believe he would follow through with them and didn't want to be involved. The planning, however, allegedly continued, with Brendan accused of creating a profile on a sexual fetish website, where he started talking with Ryan.

Per the agreement, Brendan had Magalhaes pretend to be Christine while talking to Ryan over a call, as they set up a time for the pair to have sex with "restraints" at her home. Per WUSA, prosecutors allege "the conversations confirmed they would be doing a violent sexual role play and Ryan brought a knife with him."

On the day of the murders, Magalhaes and Brendan allegedly waited until Ryan entered the home, before they then entered and brought the Banfield's child to the basement. They claim they found Ryan holding Christine down in the bedroom. Per the agreement, Brendan allegedly then shouted, "Police!" and shot Ryan in the head, before stabbing Christine to death as Magalhaes called 911. Magalhaes also shot Ryan, said prosecutors, after seeing him move.

Brendan initially said Ryan was an intruder who stabbed his wife.

Under the reduced charge of manslaughter, Magalhaes faces up to 10 years in prison. She won't be sentenced until after Brendan's trial in February 2024, with prosecutors hoping to see how cooperative she is with them in his case.

Brendan was indicted for the aggravated murders of both his wife and Ryan back in September, following a 19-month investigation.