Former Brazilian au pair testifies her ex-lover plotted to kill his
wife, though lacks some details
[January 15, 2026]
By OLIVIA DIAZ
FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) — A former Brazilian au pair testified on Wednesday
that she turned against her former lover in a sprawling double homicide
scheme involving his wife because she “wanted the truth to come out.”
For more than a year, Juliana Peres Magalhães did not speak with
officials about the 2023 killings of Christine Banfield and Joseph Ryan,
or about Brendan Banfield’s alleged involvement. But attorneys say that
days before her own criminal trial, the former au pair changed her mind
and began to talk.
Now, Brendan Banfield is facing a trial in the aggravated murder of his
wife and Ryan, and Magalhães’ testimony has become a key component of
prosecutors’ case. Banfield, who has pleaded not guilty, could face life
in prison if convicted.
The way officials tell it, Banfield and Magalhães lured Ryan to their
house. The two then shot him, staging the scene to look as if Ryan had
been a predator stabbing Christine Banfield.
“I just couldn’t keep it to myself, the feeling of shame and guilt and
sadness,” she said in court of the ruse. The former au pair was
initially charged with second-degree murder in Ryan's killing, but has
since pleaded guilty to a downgraded manslaughter charge.
In court, the former au pair testified that she and Banfield had created
an account in Christine Banfield’s name on a social media platform for
people interested in sexual fetishes. There, Ryan connected with the
account, and the users made plans to meet for a sexual encounter
involving a knife.
In testimony, she described Banfield’s plan to kill his wife and spend
the rest of his days with Magalhães, with whom he had an affair. She
testified to the months he had spent plotting their scheme, and the
steps he took to manufacture their alibis.
John Carroll, Banfield’s attorney, spent much of Wednesday scrutinizing
her initial testimony and her motives behind pleading guilty.
He pressed her on who created the email address connected to the social
media account and where she and Brendan Banfield were on the day it had
been procured. She testified that she did not remember who made the
account or what room in the Banfield home they had been in.
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Juliana Peres Magalhães is escorted into the courtroom before
continuing her testimony, during the double murder trial for Brendan
Banfield in Fairfax County Circuit Court, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026,
in Fairfax, Va. (AP Photo/Tom Brenner, Pool)
The defense attorney repeatedly pressed her on specific messages
sent on the social media account in Christine Banfield’s name.
Magalhães, seemingly annoyed, repeatedly testified that she had been
unsure who had sent what. At one point, she testified to Carroll: “I
am not going to do this.”
Carroll also asked Magalhães to read portions from letters she had
written from jail to Brendan Banfield and others. They expressed
depression and frustration with her situation. “No strength. No
courage. No hope,” she wrote at one point.
Magalhães testified that her health in jail and isolation from loved
ones also pushed her to turn on Banfield.
Wearing a gray suit and a striped tie, Banfield would occasionally
glance up as Magalhães gave her testimony. The former au pair did
not appear to look back noticeably.
Magalhães will be sentenced at the conclusion of Banfield’s trial.
Depending on her cooperation with authorities, attorneys have said
she could be sentenced to the time she has already served.
Banfield, whose then-4-year-old daughter was at the house on the
morning of the killings, is also charged with child abuse and felony
child cruelty in connection with the case. He will face those
charges during the trial.
___
Associated Press writer Travis Loller in Nashville, Tennessee,
contributed.
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