A Herndon man already charged with murder in connection with the killings of his wife and another man in their home is now facing new charges.
A grand jury indicted Brendan Banfield, 39, on one count of felony child abuse and neglect and one count of felony child cruelty for his actions on Feb. 24, 2023, Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano announced today (Monday).
According to Descano’s office, Banfield’s 4-year-old daughter was present when he allegedly stabbed his wife, Christine Banfield, 37, and shot 38-year-old Joseph Ryan, a stranger who prosecutors believe was lured to the Banfield home in the 13200 block of Stable Brook Way using a fetish website.
In court, prosecutors have made the case that Brendan Banfield concocted a scheme to kill his wife while having an affair with his family’s live-in au pair, Juliana Peres Magalhaes. He allegedly used a photo of his wife to set up a fake profile on the website FetLife, setting up a rendezvous with Ryan.
A Fairfax County police detective testified at a preliminary hearing in April that Brendan Banfield called 911 at 8:02 a.m. and told dispatchers he had shot Ryan after seeing him stab Christine Banfield multiple times.
However, prosecutors have alleged that Brendan Banfield waited for Ryan to arrive at the home, and then, he and Peres Magalhaes shot Ryan twice before they called 911.
Ryan was pronounced dead at the scene, and Christine Banfield died later at a hospital.
Peres Magalhaes was arrested and charged with second-degree murder in October 2023, but she pleaded guilty on Oct. 29 to manslaughter. She is expected to be sentenced to time served, and a charge of using a firearm in the commission of a felony for Ryan’s death will be dropped, provided that she cooperates in the case against Brendan Banfield.
Brendan Banfield was indicted on Sept. 16 on four counts of aggravated murder and one count of using a firearm in the commission of a felony.
Today is the first time that prosecutors have raised allegations against Banfield involving his daughter, though the commonwealth’s attorney’s office didn’t provide specific details about his actions in its press release.
“Additional information has come to light over the course of our investigation, and we believe these additional charges reflect the events that occurred in the house on that day,” Descano said. “My office is committed to bringing the strongest case possible against Brendan Banfield for the alleged murders of Christine Banfield and Joseph Ryan.”
In a statement of facts submitted to the court when Peres Magalhaes pleaded guilty, prosecutors said that Banfield had waited at a nearby McDonald’s for Ryan to arrive at the home. He then returned home, met Peres Magalhaes and his daughter, and entered his house with them through the basement.
The daughter was allegedly left in the basement, while Banfield and Peres Magalhaes went upstairs to the Banfields’ bedroom.
Banfield will face trial on Feb. 3, 2025. Peres Magalhaes is currently scheduled for sentencing on March 21.
