A Herndon family’s au pair who engaged in an affair with her employer before aiding a plot to murder his wife and another man has received the maximum sentence for her role in the killings.
Juliana Peres Magalhaes was sentenced to 10 years in prison today (Friday) — the maximum sentence allowed for the charge of manslaughter under state law. The 25-year-old had previously pleaded guilty to the lesser charge in exchange for her testimony against co-conspirator Brendan Banfield.
A McLean man faces 30 years in prison after being convicted on charges related to his operation of a Ponzi scheme centered on the buying and selling of precious metals.
Warith Deen Muhammad, 39, was convicted in federal court on Wednesday (Feb. 4), less than four months after being arrested for his role in the scheme that netted him $1.5 million between November 2021 and June 2023.
A Herndon man faces life in prison after being convicted today (Monday) of murdering his wife and another man while having an affair with the family’s au pair.
After a trial that spanned more than two weeks, it took just one-and-a-half days for the 12-person jury to return a verdict against Brendan Banfield, finding the 40-year-old former IRS officer guilty for the February 2023 murders of Christine Banfield and Joseph Ryan.
A legal challenge alleging that a Fairfax County Public Schools employee helped minors get abortions without their parents’ consent is now in federal court in a case that hinges on a First Amendment free speech claim.
FCPS teacher Zenaida Perez, plaintiff in the case, is seeking to prove that school officials have defamed her and are in violation of the Virginia Whistleblower Protection Law. Perez alleged in 2025 that another FCPS staff member assisted minors with seeking abortions. FCPS’ internal probe refuted her claims.
By OLIVIA DIAZ and TRAVIS LOLLER Associated Press
FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) — Jurors began deliberating Friday on whether a former IRS law enforcement officer in Virginia conspired with his family’s Brazilian au pair, with whom he was having an affair, to kill his wife and pin it on a stranger.
By OLIVIA DIAZ Associated Press/Report for America
FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) — In the cold formality of a northern Virginia courtroom, Brendan Banfield testified on Thursday that prosecutors got it wrong: He did not fatally stab his wife in 2023, but instead shot the man who did.
The Herndon man accused of killing his wife and another man while having an affair with their au pair denied planning to take his wife out of the picture in court yesterday (Wednesday).
Though Brendan Banfield was forthcoming about his months-long affair with co-defendant Juliana Peres Magalhaes, he firmly rejected the idea that he had planned the killing of his wife, Christine Banfield.
A wrongful death lawsuit against the former Fairfax County police officer who fatally shot Timothy Johnson outside Tysons Corner Center in February 2023 appears to be headed toward a settlement.
Fairfax County has agreed to pay Johnson’s mother, Melissa Johnson, $1.1 million to settle her claims against former Fairfax County Police Department Sgt. Wesley Shifflett, according to court documents.
A Virginia judge ruled Tuesday that a proposed constitutional amendment letting Democrats redraw the state’s Congressional maps was illegal, potentially foiling their efforts to pick up seats in the U.S. House in November.
Tazewell Circuit Court Judge Jack Hurley Jr. struck down the legislature’s actions on three grounds, ruling that lawmakers failed to follow their own rules for adding the redistricting amendment to a special session; failed to approve the amendment before the public began voting in last year’s general election; and failed to publish the amendment three months before the election, as required by law.
The man accused of shooting and killing a nonprofit CEO as he slept in his Fairfax City home will likely not face trial due to mental health reasons.
Joshua Danehower, now 36, is instead expected to be committed indefinitely to a state behavioral health facility under an apparent decision between his attorney and prosecutors that will allow him to plead not guilty for reasons of insanity.
