An au pair linked to a fatal shooting last year in Herndon has been officially charged with murder.
On Monday (April 15), a grand jury indicted Juliana Peres Magalhaes, a 23-year-old live-in au pair from Brazil, on charges of second-degree murder and use of a firearm, according to a press release from Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano.
Magalhaes was arrested last year for her alleged involvement in the fatal shooting of 39-year-old Joseph Ryan at the Herndon home of her employers, Christine and Brendan Banfield.
Christine Banfield was allegedly killed by Ryan, who reportedly stabbed her. The nature of the relationship between Ryan and Christine Banfield remains unclear, though it has been suggested they may have been having an affair.
At a preliminary hearing last month, a Fairfax County judge ruled there was sufficient evidence for Peres Magalhaes’ case to proceed to trial.
During the hearing, prosecutors proposed that the deaths of Ryan and Christine Banfield may have been part of a conspiracy involving Peres Magalhaes and Brendan Banfield, who were allegedly also having an affair at the time.
The evidence presented at the hearing included several framed photographs of Brendan Banfield and Juliana Peres Magalhaes embracing, along with a woman’s robe hanging off a dresser, all found in Brendan Banfield’s bedroom seven months after the shooting, at the time of Peres Magalhaes’ arrest.
Prosecutors also alleged that Brendan Banfield and Peres Magalhaes visited a shooting range in Ashburn a few months before the incident and had replaced their personal cell phones just days before the shooting. Brendan Banfield returned to the range a month later to purchase a handgun, though it has not been confirmed if it was used on Ryan.
According to prosecutors, Brendan Banfield initially shot Ryan after he allegedly saw him stab his wife. Peres Magalhaes then allegedly shot Ryan a second time, resulting in his death. Prosecutors argued that the second shot was unwarranted as Ryan was already incapacitated after the first shot.
Peres Magalhaes has not been convicted. Instead, a majority of grand jurors, distinct from a trial jury, agree with the judge that there is sufficient evidence to advance her case to trial.
A trial date is expected to be set on Thursday, April 18.
(Updated at 4/3/24) A Fairfax County judge has ruled there’s enough evidence to proceed with charges against a Reston au pair linked to a fatal shooting over a year ago.
Circuit Court Judge Michael Lindner found probable cause yesterday (Monday) to charge Juliana Peres Magalhaes, 23, in the Feb. 24, 2023, deadly shooting of Joseph Ryan, 39, at her employer’s Herndon-area home in the 13200 block of Stable Brook Way.
Police discovered Christine Banfield with stab wounds to her upper body and Ryan with two gunshot wounds to his upper body. Banfield was transported to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Ryan was declared dead at the scene.
Though the shooting and stabbing occurred in February, Peres Magalhaes wasn’t arrested until October. She remained employed by Brendan Banfield, Christine Banfield’s husband, throughout that period. The investigation into Christine Banfield’s death is ongoing, and no charges have been filed yet.
Although the judge determined there was a “fair probability” that Peres Magalhaes had used a firearm to fatally shoot Ryan, yesterday’s hearing was just an initial step to assess whether there was sufficient evidence to warrant a trial.
The hearing
Peres Magalhaes faces charges of second-degree murder, meaning the killing was intentional but not planned. However, at the preliminary hearing, prosecutors outlined events leading to Ryan’s death and introduced new evidence they said suggests the killing might have been premeditated.
Witnessess summoned for the four-hour hearing by Fairfax County Senior Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Eric Clingan included Fairfax County Police Detective Stephen Carter, who testified that, on the morning of Feb. 24, Peres Magalhaes left the Banfield residence to take their 4-year-old daughter to a zoo.
Brendan Banfield left earlier that morning and was allegedly at a nearby McDonald’s when he received a call from Peres Magalhaes. She reported seeing a stranger’s car in the Banfield’s driveway when she returned to the house to get their daughter’s lunch.
Brendan Banfield allegedly drove back home and went inside with Peres Magalhaes. Upon entering the bedroom, they encountered Ryan, who was fully dressed and allegedly holding a knife to an undressed Christine Banfield.
An initial 911 call was made from Peres Magalhaes’s phone at 7:47 a.m. A second call at 8:02 a.m. came from both her and Brendan Banfield, who allegedly told the dispatcher that he shot Ryan after seeing his wife get stabbed multiple times.
According to prosecutors, Banfield shot Ryan in the head before the first 911 call was placed. Peres Magalhaes told investigators that he instructed her to grab another gun from a closet several feet away that she then fired at Ryan. Assistant Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Meghan Kessler confirmed the second gunshot wound was the cause of death.
Peres Magalhaes’s lawyers argue she acted in self-defense. However, Kessler testified that Ryan’s head wound likely left him incapacitated, hindering his movement and vision. Prosecutors contended that, given Ryan’s condition after the first shot, there was no need for a second one. Read More
The man believed to have killed 24-year-old Ana Jurado in West Falls Church over three decades ago had started an entirely new family by the time he got arrested, Fairfax County police say.
Jose Lazaro Cruz arrived and was taken into custody at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center last Thursday, Jan. 18 — 32 years after detectives got a warrant charging him with murdering Jurado on April 30, 1991, officials announced yesterday.
In that time, one of the detectives on the case — Fred Fife — has died, and his partner, Rich Perez, recently retired, according to Police Chief Kevin Davis.
“We’ve never forgotten the family. We’ve never forgotten the seriousness of this senseless crime, and we never stopped,” Davis said. “That’s why we’re so proud to be here today.”
Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano and other FCPD officials also spoke at the press conference.
According to the Fairfax County Police Department, officers were called to the 3100 block of Cofer Road in the evening of April 30, 1991 for a stabbing. Upon arriving, officers found Jurado lying at the street curb with a knife wound to the upper body. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Witnesses reported hearing a scream and seeing a man leave the area who matched a description of Cruz, Jurado’s husband.
Also 24 years old at the time, Cruz and Jurado were in the process of getting a divorce, FCPD Deputy Chief of Investigations Eli Cory said. Jurado had a 4-year-old son, who was with family in El Salvador at the time of her murder, and two daughters — a 3-year-old and a 7-month-old living in the U.S.
Police believe Cruz initially attempted to flee into Canada but got denied entry at the border for using fake identification. Instead, he turned south, crossing the Mexican border from Houston, Texas, with the help of a smuggler and ending up in El Salvador, which didn’t have any extradition procedures.
That country’s lack of extradition held up arrests in nine Fairfax County murder cases over the preceding decade, including Jurado’s, the Washington Post reported in 1998.
“Rich Perez, for years, worked with the El Salvadorean government to get a mechanism put in place,” Cory said.
El Salvador amended its constitution in July 2000 to allow extradition, but police didn’t locate Cruz until he tried to enter Costa Rica on July 29, 2022, possibly to visit family there, Cory said.
According to Cory, the FCPD determined that Cruz remarried and started “an entire new family” with “several children” while living in El Salvador, where he worked as a truck driver.
Because of the lengthy extradition process, it took another 16 months or so for Cruz to be transferred from the custody of Costa Rican authorities to the U.S. Marshals Service, which brought him back to the U.S. so he could be served the felony murder warrant that detectives had obtained on May 10, 1991.
“This really isn’t a traditional cold case,” Davis observed. “It was solved virtually right away. He was on the lam. He was on the run. He avoided accountability for something he did nearly 33 years ago.”
Fife’s son, Aaron Fife, recalled his father as someone who valued collaboration and was committed to his job and advocating for victims of crimes.
Fred Fife retired in 1994 after a 24-year career with the FCPD, including 17 years spent working on homicide cases, according to his son, who now works for the FCPD himself.
“To bring closure to the victims’ families wasn’t just a duty for him, it was a commitment,” Aaron Fife said. “I would just like to use this as a reminder to me to carry on the lessons he taught me about dedication, collaboration and compassion.”
The police investigation into Fairfax County’s first homicide of 2024 has resulted in a murder charge against a 14-year-old.
The teen allegedly stabbed a 17-year-old boy in Annandale at 11:30 p.m. on Saturday (Jan. 13), killing him, the Fairfax County Police Department reported last night (Thursday).
The 14-year-old and an 18-year-old man who tried to intervene were also injured, according to police.
“During the assault, the 14-year-old lost control of the knife and was stabbed by the victim,” the FCPD said. “The 18-year-old heard the commotion, attempted to intervene, and was injured in the process.”
The 14-year-old remains hospitalized and in police custody.
Here’s more on the stabbing in the Fairmont Gardens apartments from the original police report:
At 11:30 p.m. last night, officers responded to the 4200 block of Wadsworth Court in Annandale for a stabbing that occurred outside. Officers found the 17-year-old in a grassy area suffering from stab wounds. Fire and rescue personnel transported him to the hospital where he was pronounced deceased. The 14-year-old was found inside a nearby apartment and was also taken to the hospital, where he remains. As detectives were investigating an 18-year-old entered the hospital and was treated for injuries believed to be related to the stabbing.
Detectives are actively investigating the circumstances that led to the stabbing. This is not domestic related, and both juveniles are known to each other from previous disputes. Detectives believe all parties from this incident are accounted for.
The same apartment complex was the site of a shooting that hospitalized a woman on Tuesday (Jan. 16). In an update released yesterday, the FCPD said the circumstances of the shooting remain under investigation, but detectives don’t believe it was a random act.
“The suspect, accompanied by two other subjects, was briefly allowed into the apartment before discharging shots,” the police department said, noting that the apartment unit is “well-known to area officers.”
Local police are turning to the public for help identifying the person who stabbed and killed a dog in Centreville earlier this month.
A community member found the dead pit bull mix on Dec. 3 near a wooded trail that connects Route 29 and South Barros Court behind the Barros South townhomes, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.
A necropsy determined that the dog had been stabbed multiple times, police say. The dog is described as a young gray and white female.
“Officers believe the dog was likely left in the area for less than 24 hours prior to the community member discovering her,” the FCPD said. “Officers are asking community members who live near O’Day Drive and Barros Drive to review home surveillance footage.”
The police department is also encouraging anyone who might have driven on Route 29 that day and noticed suspicious activity to contact its Animal Protection Police at 703-691-2131.
The FCPD accepts anonymous tips through Crime Solvers, which can be reached online or by calling 1-866-411-TIPS (866-411-8477).
(Updated at 4/3/24) Police have made an arrest in a fatal shooting and stabbing incident that occurred in the Frying Pan area nearly eight months ago.
The Fairfax County Police Department announced today (Thursday) that 23-year-old Reston resident Juliana Peres Magalhaes has been arrested and charged with second-degree murder for allegedly shooting Joseph Ryan, a 39-year-old Springfield man who was killed at a house in the 13200 block of Stable Brook Way on Feb. 24.
The house belonged to the family of 37-year-old Christine Banfield, who was found that day in an upstairs bedroom with stab wounds to her upper body. She later died at a hospital.
The FCPD says officers were greeted by “an appalling scene” when they responded to the house shortly after 8 a.m.
Peres Magalhaes, who worked for the Banfield family as an au pair, and Christine Banfield’s husband had jointly called 911, according to police.
“A 911 call was received where a woman stated her friend was hurt,” the FCPD said in a news release from Feb. 25. “A man then got on the line and stated he shot an unknown man who entered his home and stabbed a woman.”
Contrary to what Banfield’s husband allegedly stated in the 911 call, detectives now believe Peres Magalhaes was responsible for shooting Ryan based on “forensic evidence and multiple interviews,” police said.
Banfield’s stabbing remains under investigation.
An initial tweet alerting the community to the incident indicated that the man who got shot — later identified as Ryan — was the suspect in the stabbing, but the police department now says it’s still working to figure out exactly what happened.
Erin Weeks with the FCPD’s violent crimes division confirmed at a brief press conference today that everyone involved in the case has been identified. Police don’t think Peres Magalhaes knew who Ryan was when she shot him, but he and Banfield were known to each other.
“Detectives continue to conduct interviews and review digital and forensic evidence to determine the circumstances that led up to the fatal stabbing of Christine Banfield,” the FCPD now says.
Peres Magalhaes is in custody at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center without bond, police said.
Updated at 5:45 p.m. on 10/8/2023 — Police have identified the suspect in Friday’s Lorton stabbing as 27-year-old Jorge Andres Esquivel Rivera, the son of the victim.
Updated at 10:25 a.m. on 10/7/2023 — The man suspected of stabbing a woman in Lorton was arrested by the Florida Highway Patrol in Jacksonville last night (Friday), the Fairfax County Police Department announced today.
“He is now facing a charge of Aggravated Malicious Wounding and will be extradited back to Fairfax County,” the FCPD said in a tweet.
Earlier: A woman has been hospitalized with potentially life-threatening injuries after a person stabbed her at a home in Lorton.
Emergency medical services were dispatched to the 9200 block of Cardinal Forest Lane in the Gunston Corner Condominiums around 12:56 p.m., according to scanner traffic on Open MHz.
A dispatcher told responding officers that the victim was reported to be bleeding and appeared to have been beaten up, leading police to believe that the stabbing is a case of domestic violence.
The Fairfax County Police Department says the suspect is believed to have fled the scene in a vehicle.
“The victim remains hospitalized,” the FCPD said in a tweet. “The suspect is believed to have left the area. Detectives continue to investigate.”
The victim remains hospitalized. The suspect is believed to have left the area. Detectives continue to investigate. Follow our blog for available information. https://t.co/9NaOOFJFZa
— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) October 6, 2023
Four people — all teenagers — now face charges in connection to a fatal stabbing and shooting at the Tysons View Apartments in Idylwood on Memorial Day (May 29).
The Fairfax County Police Department announced today (Monday) that detectives have arrested a 17-year-old and an 18-year-old man from Falls Church as well as an 18-year-old from Vienna as suspects in the double homicide, which left 20-year-old Ashburn resident Jonas Skinner and 18-year-old Braden Deahl from Arlington County dead.
The Vienna teen had already been charged with robbery resulting in death in May. A juvenile at the time of the crime, he has now also been charged with felony murder and conspiracy to commit robbery “for his involvement” in Skinner’s fatal shooting, police say.
The 17-year-old Falls Church resident has been charged with second-degree murder, felony murder, conspiracy to commit murder and four firearms-related charges.
The 18-year-old from Falls Church, who was a juvenile at the time, faces the same firearms charges as well as robbery causing death, principle in the second-degree murder, felony murder and conspiracy to commit robbery.
Back on May 30, the FCPD announced that Vladimir Garcia Montes, 18, of Falls Church had been arrested and charged with robbery causing death. As the only person who was an adult when the homicides occurred, he is the only one of the four suspects who has been publicly named.
Police have said the incident started as an attempted drug robbery, stating that “a significant amount of marijuana” was found near the scene by K9 officers.
Skinner was found with gunshot wounds to his upper body in the laundry room of the Tysons View Apartments, where officers were called at 3:37 p.m. on May 29. Police then found Deahl with stab wounds in the apartment complex’s parking lot.
Deahl was transported to a hospital, where he died.
Two other juveniles were taken to a hospital with non-fatal stab wounds. The FCPD didn’t immediately respond when asked if either of those individuals have now been identified as suspects.
All four teens are in custody at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center without bond.
Image via Google Maps
(Updated at 3:10 p.m.) A man who died by suicide in Richmond today (Monday) was responsible for a shooting, stabbing and carjacking in Reston yesterday, Fairfax County police say.
Officers were dispatched to a home in the 12000 block of Thunder Chase Drive at 1:58 a.m. yesterday, where they found one person inside with “multiple gunshot wounds,” according to the Fairfax County Police Department.
“Officers immediately rendered medical aid and the victim was taken to the hospital for serious but non-life-threatening injuries,” police said.
A second person was found in a nearby car “suffering from a stab wound to the arm and trauma to the face,” police said. That person was also taken to a hospital with injuries not considered life-threatening.
According to the FCPD, the person who got stabbed had been assaulted and abducted in Henrico County by 45-year-old Dana Paul Roman, a Richmond resident. The woman told police that Roman drove her to Reston at gunpoint and tied her to the car seat by a belt, according to scanner traffic.
“When Roman and the victim arrived at the Thunder Chase Drive address, Roman got out of the car and began shooting,” hitting the person later found inside the home multiple times before fleeing, police said.
The FCPD searched the area with help from a K9 unit, helicopter and Virginia State Police to no avail.
According to police, Roman apparently carjacked and abducted a third individual in Reston and forced them to drive to Henrico County.
Henrico County Police reported at 10:24 a.m. that its officers had located Roman and “pursued him into the City of Richmond, where he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound” at North 35th Street and East Marshall Avenue.
The FCPD says the shooting and stabbing victims were known to Roman. Before his death, detectives had obtained warrants charging him with abduction by force, carjacking, two counts of use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, malicious wounding, and assault.
Henrico police had also gotten warrants for malicious wounding and robbery.
“Detectives continue to actively investigate the circumstances that led up to the violent encounters,” the FCPD said.
Henrico Police were able to locate Roman and pursued him into the City of Richmond where he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Richmond and Henrico Police forensics units are on site at 35th Street and E. Marshall Ave processing the scene.
More details to come shortly.
— Henrico Police (@HenricoPolice) June 12, 2023
(Updated at 5:25 p.m. on 5/31/2023) The double homicide in Idylwood on Memorial Day started as a drug-related robbery, Fairfax County police say.
Two people — a 17-year-old and an 18-year-old — were charged on Tuesday (May 30) with robbery resulting in death, a Class 2 felony in Virginia, the Fairfax County Police Department announced. Additional charges are expected in the case, which involved a shooting and multiple stabbings.
Police identified the 18-year-old as Vladimir Garcia Montes of Falls Church.
“During a search of the area, K9 officers located a significant amount of marijuana nearby believed to be connected to the homicide,” the FCPD said. “All individuals involved are believed to be known to each other and this is not a random act of violence.”
The FCPD identified the two people killed as Jonas Skinner, 20, of Ashburn and Braden Deahl, 18, of Arlington County. Deahl was a student at Washington-Liberty High School, which informed the community of his death this afternoon.
Officers called to the Tysons View Apartments on Pimmit Run Lane at 3:37 p.m. yesterday found Skinner in a laundry room of an apartment building. He had been shot in the upper body and was declared dead at the scene.
Deahl was found in a parking lot with wounds to the upper body. He was transported to a hospital, where he died. Though police previously said that both of the people who died had been shot, the FCPD now says Deahl had stab wounds.
A knife was found at the scene, the FCPD said yesterday.
Autopsies to confirm the manner and cause of death will be conducted by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner “in the coming days,” police said.
Two other people — both juveniles — were found in the parking lot with stab wounds to the upper body and taken to the hospital. Their injuries weren’t considered life-threatening, but one of them remains hospitalized.
Image via Google Maps
