Posted at 7:04 AM, June 5, 2026
FAIRFAX, Va. (Court TV) — A former IRS law enforcement officer faces a life sentence when he learns his fate on Friday after his conviction for killing his wife and another man.
Brendan Banfield is seen in court, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, in Fairfax, Va. (Court TV)
Brendan Banfield was found guilty of all charges, including two counts of aggravated murder, in the deaths of his wife, Christine Banfield, and Joseph Ryan. Prosecutors said the murders were part of a larger scheme that was masterminded by Brendan Banfield and his family’s Brazilian au pair, Juliana Peres Magalhães.
Magalhães was a key witness for the prosecution in her lover’s murder trial; she testified that she and Brendan Banfield had posed as his wife, Christine Banfield, on a BDSM website with the intention of luring Joseph Ryan to the family’s home. Ryan, believing that he had been invited to take part in a “consensual-non-consent scene” with Christine Banfield, brought a knife with him to the home.
When Ryan came to the house, Magalhães called Brendan Banfield, who came home and then fatally shot Ryan. Christine Banfield suffered stab wounds, which Brendan Banfield’s defense had alleged were caused by Ryan. At trial, Brendan Banfield’s attorneys argued that he had no knowledge of any murder plot and was simply trying to intervene to save his wife.
Magalhães was arrested first, with her lover arrested nearly a year later. After Brendan Banfield’s arrest, Magalhães pleaded guilty to manslaughter in a deal with prosecutors.
“The details of this case attracted national attention — because it involved an affair, a fetish website and a premeditated plot,” Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano said following the verdict. “But beyond the spectacle, we are here today because of the tragic deaths of two of our community members, Christine Banfield and Joseph Ryan.”
At her sentencing, Magalhães offered an apology, saying the victims’ deaths were a “tragedy I can never take back.” Because she cooperated with the prosecution, Magalhães was sentenced to 10 years in prison, while Brendan Banfield faces a potential life sentence.
Brendan Banfield returned to court after his conviction on Wednesday, when a judge refused to overturn the jury’s conviction. Brendan Banfield’s attorney, John Carroll, argued that factual errors in testimony at trial, left uncorrected by the prosecution, led to the guilty finding, WRC-TV reported. Carroll was also unsuccessful in convincing the judge that the prosecution had acted inappropriately when it pointed to Brendan Banfield’s silence and failure to cooperate with police as evidence of his guilt.
Under Virginia law, the mandatory sentence for aggravated murder is life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
