Juliana Magalhaes Sentenced In Au Pair Affair Murder Case

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA — Juliana Peres Magalhaes, the Brazilian au pair who pleaded guilty to killing a man in a sprawling double homicide scheme involving her former lover, was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Friday.

Magalhaes's sentencing comes a week after a jury found Brendan Banfield guilty of two counts of aggravated murder in the 2023 deaths of his wife, Christine Banfield, and Joseph Ryan, who authorities said were killed at the Banfield family's home in the Hattontown neighborhood in Herndon.

Prosecutors argued the murders were part of a larger scheme between Banfield and Magalhaes, who were having an affair.

Magalhaes was sentenced more than a year after she took a deal offered by prosecutors, in which she pleaded guilty to one count of manslaughter in the death of Ryan. The deal also required her to take the stand against Banfield during his trial.

Before her sentencing, Magalhaes cried as she read a statement to the families of the victims, according to an NBC Washington report.

"I understand that I am to blame and I'm truly sorry for the pain I caused," she said.

Judge Penney Azcarate showed Magalhaes no mercy, however, telling her she did "not deserve anything other than incarceration and a life of reflection on what you have done to the victim and this family."

“The facts of this case demonstrate an intentional and calculated level of violence that is the most serious manslaughter scenario that this court has ever seen,” Azcarate said.

During Banfield's trial, Magalhaes testified that she began working as an au pair in the Banfield home in October 2021, when she would have been 21 years old. She and Banfield began a sexual relationship about 10 months later.

Banfield told her he wanted to marry her and have children with her, but he needed to “get rid of” his wife first, she testified. He didn't want to divorce his wife because “she would have more money than he would” and because he wanted custody of the couple's 4-year-old daughter.

The killings happened at the Banfield home on Feb. 24, 2023. At the scene, police found Christine Banfield with upper-body stab wounds and Ryan suffering from upper-body gunshot wounds. Banfield was taken to the hospital and pronounced dead, while Ryan died at the scene.

Prosecutors previously said Banfield posed as his wife on a fetish website and lured Ryan to the home for what he thought was consensual sex. Banfield then shot Ryan in the bedroom and stabbed his wife, prosecutors have said, while Peres Magalhaes also shot Ryan.

Brendan Banfield was found guilty on Feb. 2 of all charges against him: one count of aggravated murder — two murders within three years; one count aggravated murder — multiple victims in same act; one count use of a firearm in the commission of a felony; and one count child endangerment.

He faces a sentence of life in prison for the aggravated murder conviction. His sentencing is scheduled for May 8.

Letters written by Magalhaes following her arrest were introduced in court during Banfield's trial. In earlier letters, she professed her love for Banfield and the pain she was feeling at not being with him, and how she would steadfastly remain loyal by not giving in to the Commonwealth’s offers of a plea, Court TV reported.

In a letter to Banfield's mother, Magalhaes said she would not testify against him.

"I'd give my life for his and I would never do anything to hurt him or against him. Whatever they're saying, whatever they want to believe, I don't care. I'll take the blame for the both of us," the letter to Banfield's mother read. She wrote the letter while in jail.

As time went by, reports said Magalhaes grew depressed and despondent due to delays in her trial. In other letters to her mother and other family members, she complained about her lawyer and confusion over the timing of a potential trial, NBC Washington reported.

Banfield's mother paid for attorneys to represent Magalhaes until she accepted a plea deal, testimony on Wednesday revealed. She also relied on Banfield and his mother to keep in contact with Magalhaes's mother in Brazil via text, NBC reported.

During Banfield's trial, defense attorneys suggested the threat of cutting off support from her family in Brazil, and a health crisis in October eventually led to the agreement to testify against Banfield, according to Court TV.

While on the stand, Magalhaes said she decided to testify against Banfield because she “wanted the truth to come out."

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