Office of the Fairfax Commonwealth's Attorney

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703-246-2776 TTY 711
4110 Chain Bridge Road, Suite 114
Fairfax, VA 22030
Steve T. Descano
Fairfax Commonwealth's Attorney

BRENDAN BANFIELD CONVICTED OF KILLING WIFE, STRANGER IN “AU PAIR MURDER”

Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano announced that Brendan Banfield was convicted by a jury of aggravated murder for killing his wife, Christine Banfield, 37, and Joseph Ryan, 39, in the Banfield’s Reston home on February 24, 2023. The jury convicted Banfield of four felonies: two counts of aggravated murder, one count of use of a firearm in commission of a felony, and one count of child endangerment. The killings were part of an elaborate plot concocted by Brendan, 40, and the family’s au pair, Juliana Peres Magalhaes, 25, who were having a romantic affair.


Read the press release here.

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