Former Au Pair Receives Maximum Sentence in Gruesome Double Murder Case
A former Brazilian au pair has been sentenced to the maximum possible term of 10 years in prison for her role in a chilling double murder plot orchestrated with her married employer-turned-lover. Juliana Peres Magalhaes, 25, was handed the sentence by Fairfax Chief Circuit Court Judge Penney Azcarate on Friday, February 13, 2026, after a case that involved a fetish website catfishing scheme leading to two deaths.
Details of the Crime and Sentencing
Magalhaes conspired with Brendan Banfield, 40, an IRS agent, to murder his wife, Christine Banfield, and a stranger, Joseph Ryan, in February 2023 at the couple's home in northern Virginia. According to trial testimony, the pair used Christine Banfield's laptop to create an online account on a sexual fetish website under her name, luring Ryan with the promise of a fake-rape fantasy involving a knife.
When Ryan arrived at the home, Magalhaes shot him dead while Banfield fatally stabbed his wife. Magalhaes admitted in court that after seeing Ryan moving, she fired a second shot at point-blank range to ensure his death. The plotters had initially planned to claim self-defense, telling police they shot Ryan after he stabbed Christine Banfield.
Judge Azcarate rejected a sentencing recommendation of time served, calling it the "most serious manslaughter scenario" the court had ever seen. She emphasized that the plan "did not work without your full involvement" and told Magalhaes she deserved "incarceration and a life of reflection on what you have done to the victim and his family."
Legal Proceedings and Aftermath
Magalhaes was arrested eight months after the murders and only agreed to cooperate with prosecutors as her trial date approached. In 2024, she struck a deal with prosecutors, accepting a downgraded charge of manslaughter in exchange for testifying against Banfield. However, instead of being released as she might have hoped, she received the maximum sentence.
In a statement to the victims' families, Magalhaes expressed remorse, saying, "I lost myself in a relationship, and left my morals and values behind. I hope someday I can be forgiven, as I hope to be able to forgive myself." Prosecutors revealed that she and Banfield continued their affair for months after the killings.
Brendan Banfield was found guilty earlier this month of the aggravated murder of his wife and Joseph Ryan and could spend the rest of his life in prison. The case has left lasting scars, with Ryan's mother, Deidre Fisher, stating that her son's life "was used and thrown away, seen as worthless and utterly disposable."
