Virginia Man Gets Life In Prison For Double Murder Scheme In Affair With Brazilian Au Pair

FAIRFAX, Va. — A Virginia man who was having an matter pinch nan family’s Brazilian au brace was sentenced Friday to life successful situation without parole for nan execution of his woman and a man who was lured to nan couple’s location arsenic a autumn guy.

Brendan Banfield, a erstwhile IRS rule enforcement officer, claimed he changeable Joseph Ryan aft he came crossed Ryan attacking his woman connected nan greeting of Feb. 24, 2023. But prosecutors said Brendan Banfield and au brace Juliana Peres Magalhães group Ryan up successful a strategy to get free of Christine Banfield, a pediatric intensive attraction nurse.

Judge Penney Azcarate called Banfield’s actions evil and calculated.

“The disregard of nan life of your wife, personification you supposedly loved, is almost unfathomable,” she said successful handing down nan sentence, which is mandatory successful Virginia for an aggravated execution conviction. The strategy progressive “luring a wholly guiltless man into your deadly trap; continuing connected aft nan murders without a care; and not erstwhile — not erstwhile — reasoning of nan impact” connected nan Banfields’ 4-year-old daughter. Brendan Banfield “took everything from her,” Azcarate said.

In summation to murder, jurors successful February convicted Banfield of kid endangerment because nan couple’s girl was location during nan killings. Azcarate sentenced Banfield to an further 5 years connected that complaint and 3 much years connected a firearms charge.

Speaking astatine his sentencing, Banfield continued to proclaim his innocence, saying it would person been intolerable for him to person committed nan murders. He reiterated that location was dissent wrong nan constabulary section complete nan mentation that Banfield and Magalhães had impersonated Christine Banfield connected a website for intersexual fetishes successful bid to lure Ryan to nan home.

Banfield said he loved his woman and, though he had affairs, he ne'er intended to time off her.

Azcarate was unmoved, citing his deficiency of remorse arsenic 1 of nan reasons she felt nary hesitation successful ordering him to stay down bars for life.

During Banfield’s trial, Magalhães testified that he had told her he wanted to wed her and person children pinch her, but he needed to “get free of” his woman first. He didn’t want a divorcement because “she would person much money than he would” and because he wanted custody of nan couple’s daughter, said Magalhães, who was 21 erstwhile she started moving for nan Banfields successful 2021.

Magalhães told jurors that she and Brendan Banfield had impersonated Christine Banfield connected a website for intersexual fetishes. They utilized nan tract to lure Ryan to nan location successful Herndon, Virginia, for a intersexual brushwood involving a weapon and staged nan segment to look arsenic if they had changeable a convulsive intruder.

Magalhães testified that connected nan time of nan killings, she waited successful a car extracurricular nan location pinch nan Banfields’ child. When Ryan arrived, she called Brendan Banfield, who was waiting astatine a adjacent McDonald’s. The brace took nan kid to nan basement and past went to nan bedroom, wherever they encountered Ryan. Brendan Banfield changeable Ryan and past stabbed Christine Banfield pinch nan weapon Ryan had brought. When Magalhães saw Ryan moving, she fired a 2nd changeable that killed him.

Some media person dubbed nan lawsuit nan “au brace affair.” Magalhães pleaded blameworthy to manslaughter aft agreeing to attest against Brendan Banfield. Magalhães was sentenced to 10 years successful situation aft Banfield’s trial.