A Virginia man on trial for killing his wife and another man took the stand in his own defense on Thursday, January 29, and told jurors he loved his wife and was happy in his marriage, even though he was having an affair with his family’s au pair.
Brendan Banfield, 40, took to the witness stand in a Fairfax courtroom and admitted he started cheating on his late wife, Christine Banfield, who was 37 when she was murdered in February 2023. But he went on to describe his love affair with Brazilian au pair Juliana Peres Magalhães, now 25, as casual.
Brendan, who formerly worked as an IRS agent, began having an affair with Peres Magalhães in August 2022, after she started working for him and his wife in late 2021.
Banfield testified that it was Peres Magalhães who initiated the affair, one night while his wife was out of town. He told the court the younger woman followed him into his bedroom, and that he did nothing to stop her advances.
Banfield denied he and his lover plotted to kill his wife, as prosecutors insist. State investigators alleged the two of them lured BDSM enthusiast Joe Ryan to the home with the promise of rough sex and shot him to death. Christine was then stabbed to death, and the crime scene was allegedly staged so that it appeared Ryan attacked Banfield’s wife — and that he rushed in and shot Ryan to stop him.
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“I think that it’s an absurd line of questioning for something that is not serious, that a plan was made to get rid of my wife,” he testified when asked about the state’s theory. “That is absolutely crazy.”
Banfield said February 24, 2023, the day of the killings, he went to the upstairs bedroom because he heard moans and found his wife with Ryan. “Brendan, he has a knife,” Banfield said his wife shouted.
Banfield ordered Ryan to drop the knife, he testified. But Ryan “said that she was his, and that, ‘She gave herself to me,’” Banfield testified. “And Christine kind of yelled, moaned. I did not want to shoot him. I wanted him to let her go.”
Banfield said he was tending to his wife’s stabbing injuries when Peres Magalhães shot Ryan.
“I was stunned,” he testified.
Banfield is facing life in prison if convicted on the four aggravated murder counts he’s charged with.
Peres Magalhães pleaded guilty to manslaughter in October 2024 in connection with Ryan’s killing. Earlier this month, Peres Magalhães provided testimony as a state’s witness.
Peres Magalhães testified she and Banfield created an account in Christine’s name on a fetish dating app. Ryan connected with the fake account, and prosecutors allege plans were made to meet for a sexual encounter. Ryan was told to bring a knife.
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She testified Banfield wanted the mother of his only child dead so they could carry on with their love affair. She said the plan was fine-tuned over months.
But on the stand Thursday, Banfield testified “there was no plan,” and noted he and his wife cheated on each other often.
Banfield’s attorney, John Carroll, pointed out inconsistencies in the au pair’s testimony, and questioned her motives, noting how she’s met with a true-crime author and Netflix producers to profit from the experience.
Asked if he loved his wife, Banfield told his lawyer, “Very much,” he said. Did he want to continue being married to Christine? “Yes,” Banfield testified.
Closing arguments are expected to be delivered Friday, January 30.
