A young au pair, Juliana Peres Magalhaes, has admitted her role in the murder of her employer’s wife and another man after initially claiming self-defense. Peres Magalhaes pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the fatal shooting of Joseph Ryan at the Fairfax County, Virginia, home where she worked.
Peres Magalhaes and her employer, Brendan Banfield, initially reported that Banfield’s wife, Christine Banfield, had been fatally stabbed by an intruder. They claimed they shot the man, later identified as Ryan, in self-defense. However, police investigations revealed that Banfield and Peres Magalhaes were having an affair and had plotted together to kill Banfield’s wife.
Brendan Banfield allegedly created a profile on a bondage website to lure Ryan to the house, where he and Peres Magalhaes staged the scene and lied about the killings in a 911 call. Peres Magalhaes was arrested in October 2023 and is now cooperating with authorities in the ongoing investigation of Brendan Banfield, who faces charges of aggravated murder.
According to prosecutors, Banfield and Peres Magalhaes began their affair in August 2022, and Banfield expressed a desire to kill his wife by fall 2023. Banfield created a profile on a bondage website to communicate with Ryan, whom he targeted for the crime. Peres Magalhaes was instructed to pretend to be Banfield’s wife in conversations with Ryan, leading up to the killings.
On the day of the murders, Banfield gave Peres Magalhaes a gun and they carried out the plan in the Banfields’ home, leaving their child in the basement. Banfield shot Ryan in the head, and Peres Magalhaes shot him again when he was still moving. They reported Ryan as an intruder who had stabbed Christine Banfield.
Christine Banfield was declared dead at the hospital, and Peres Magalhaes confessed to shooting Ryan after he had been shot by Banfield. Peres Magalhaes’ plea deal involves cooperating with authorities in the case against Banfield.
Brendan Banfield is scheduled to appear in court in February 2025. The case has shocked the community and raised questions about the dangers of extramarital affairs and the lengths some individuals may go to in order to cover up their actions. The tragic events serve as a reminder of the consequences of deceit and betrayal in relationships.
