{"id":338375,"date":"2026-02-13T13:07:10","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T18:07:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.etrafficlane.com\/60dollarmiracle\/au-pair-in-virginia-double-murder-sentenced-to-10-years-in-prison"},"modified":"2026-02-13T13:07:14","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T18:07:14","slug":"au-pair-in-virginia-double-murder-sentenced-to-10-years-in-prison","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.etrafficlane.com\/60dollarmiracle\/au-pair-in-virginia-double-murder-sentenced-to-10-years-in-prison","title":{"rendered":"Au pair in Virginia double homicide sentenced to 10 years in jail"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Brazilian au pair Juliana Peres Magalh\u00e3es, who went along with former IRS agent Brendan Banfield in a northern Virginia double murder plot<\/a>, was sentenced to 10 years in prison with two years of probation.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

On Friday morning, Fairfax County Judge Penney Azcarate decided to give the 25-year-old the maximum sentence, which was up to 10 years on a manslaughter charge for which she pleaded guilty in 2024.<\/p>\n

“Your actions were deliberate, self-serving, and demonstrated a profound disregard for human life,” Azcarate said in delivering her ruling. “So, let’s get straight: You do not deserve anything other than incarceration and a life of reflection on what you have done to the victim and this family.”<\/p>\n

A new “20\/20” episode about the case, “The Au Pair, The Affair and Murder” is scheduled to air Friday, Feb. 20, at 9 p.m. ET on ABC and streaming the next day on Disney+ and Hulu.<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

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\"African<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>
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Juliana Peres Magalhaes is escorted into the courtroom before continuing her testimony, during the double murder trial for Brendan Banfield in Fairfax County Circuit Court, on Jan. 14, 2026, in Fairfax, Va.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Tom Brenner, Pool via AP, FILE<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Magalh\u00e3es and Banfield were separately arrested over their roles\u00a0in\u00a0the Feb. 24, 2023,\u00a0murders of Joseph Ryan and Banfield’s wife, Christine Banfield,\u00a0which were committed inside the Banfield home.<\/p>\n

Early in the investigation, detectives discovered evidence suggesting that Banfield and Magalh\u00e3es were having an affair\u00a0—\u00a0and that they had plotted to kill his\u00a037-year-old\u00a0wife.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Part of that plot, according to prosecutors and Magalh\u00e3es’ testimony, involved covertly creating a profile for, and thus masquerading as, Christine on a social media site for sexual fetishes.<\/p>\n

Ryan, 39,\u00a0took the bait in what prosecutors called the “catfishing” scheme. Ryan communicated back and forth with the profile account that was allegedly posing as Christine, as they together crafted a rape fantasy scenario using a knife,\u00a0chains\u00a0and rope.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

“I have caused pain that cannot be measured. I pray for forgiveness from the Benson family, and from the Joseph Ryan family,” Magalh\u00e3es said during Friday’s sentencing hearing.<\/p>\n

“There is nothing I could possibly do to make it up to you, for your loss. There are so many regrets, this is my biggest. It’s a tragedy I have been carrying with me, and I know I can never take back the devastation of what I have done,” she added.<\/p>\n

Saying she lost herself in the relationship with Banfield, Magalh\u00e3es said she has changed in jail over the past three years.<\/p>\n

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\"Benson\"<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>
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Christine Banfield is seen in an undated photo.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Obtained by ABC News<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

At the time, Magalh\u00e3es and Banfield told police they came home to find Ryan\u00a0—\u00a0a stranger to them\u00a0—\u00a0stabbing Christine Banfield to death. Banfield and Magalh\u00e3es each\u00a0fired\u00a0a shot,\u00a0killing Ryan, they said both in their 911 call and to responding officers\u00a0at\u00a0the scene.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

In October 2023, Magalh\u00e3es was charged <\/a>with the second-degree murder of Ryan, as\u00a0she\u00a0had\u00a0admitted to\u00a0firing the second, fatal shot.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

One year later, Magalh\u00e3es took a plea deal with prosecutors, turning on\u00a0Banfield\u00a0in\u00a0exchange for a lesser charge of manslaughter. Prosecutors also promised to recommend to the judge upon sentencing that Magalh\u00e3es only get time served.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

With that agreement, Magalh\u00e3es sat for\u00a0nearly four\u00a0hours of interviews with prosecutors,\u00a0largely confirming\u00a0the theory detectives\u00a0had\u00a0developed\u00a0about\u00a0their scheme.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Magalh\u00e3es also took the stand in the trial against Banfield in January, as\u00a0he\u00a0maintained\u00a0his innocence. During his three-week-long trial, Banfield even took the stand, testifying in his own defense.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

After two days\u00a0—\u00a0nearly nine\u00a0hours\u00a0total\u00a0—\u00a0of deliberations in the trial, the jury reached a verdict on Feb. 2. The jury found Banfield guilty<\/a> on all four counts, which included two counts of aggravated murder, one count of child endangerment, and possession of a firearm in commission of a felony.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\"Christine<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>
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In this image taken from video, Brendan Banfield, charged with aggravated murder in the 2023 killings of Christine Banfield and Joseph Ryan, appears in court during opening statements on Jan. 13, 2026 in Fairfax, Va.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Court TV, Pool via AP, FILE<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Family and friends of Christine Banfield and Joseph Ryan filled the courtroom Friday morning for Magalh\u00e3es’ sentencing.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Joining remotely online from Florida,\u00a0Ryan’s mother, Deirdre Fisher,\u00a0delivered\u00a0her victim impact\u00a0statement.\u00a0She\u00a0said her son was born two days before Christmas, making it a special holiday for them. Since Ryan’s murder, she has not been able to take down her Christmas tree, which sits behind the urn holding her son’s ashes.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

“I say good morning to him each day when I turn on the tree’s lights, and I tell him I love him each night when I turn off the lights,” Fisher told the court.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Fisher said she has missed so many milestones now, including the chance to be a grandmother. There have been many times, Fisher said,\u00a0when\u00a0she’s\u00a0reached for the phone to call her son, only to remember that he\u00a0can’t\u00a0and\u00a0won’t\u00a0answer.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ryan’s aunt, Sangeeta Ryan, delivered her impact statement from the courtroom, pausing periodically between sobs.<\/p>\n

“He was fun-loving and loved from the beginning. He was inquisitive, curious, smart, charming, and so dang talkative,” she said.<\/p>\n

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Joseph Ryan is seen in an undated photo.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Obtained by ABC News<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Ryan’s aunt described her nephew’s love for animals and the environment, noting that he often rescued and adopted dogs.<\/p>\n

Sangeeta Ryan, added that he also was a dedicated member of their family, especially in taking care of his grandmother, who, she said, sold her home in wake of Ryan’s murder to “dodge memories, grief, and reporters.”<\/p>\n

Acknowledging that Magalh\u00e3es did eventually come forward with the truth, Sangeeta Ryan said that this still was not an act of heroism on Magalh\u00e3es’ part.<\/p>\n

“This could have been a very different ending where Juliana saved two lives,” she said could have been the case if Magalh\u00e3es had not gone along with Banfield’s plot.<\/p>\n

As Magalh\u00e3es was charged only in Ryan’s murder, Judge Azcarate ruled that prosecutors could not include victim impact statements that Christine Banfield’s family members had prepared.<\/p>\n

The death penalty was abolished in Virginia in 2021, meaning that, following his conviction, Banfield\u00a0is\u00a0facing life in prison without parole.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

His sentencing hearing is set for May 8.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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Brazilian au pair Juliana Peres Magalh\u00e3es, who went along with former IRS agent Brendan Banfield in a northern Virginia double murder plot, was sentenced to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":338378,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[3483,16425,9148,1653,9143,5772,13828,9524,16340,16424,412],"class_list":["post-338375","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-african-union","tag-benson","tag-christine-banfield","tag-disney","tag-fairfax","tag-internal-revenue-service","tag-juliana-peres-magalhaes","tag-juliana-peres-magalhes","tag-penney-azcarate","tag-sangeeta-ryan","tag-virginia"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.etrafficlane.com\/60dollarmiracle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/338375","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.etrafficlane.com\/60dollarmiracle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.etrafficlane.com\/60dollarmiracle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.etrafficlane.com\/60dollarmiracle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.etrafficlane.com\/60dollarmiracle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=338375"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.etrafficlane.com\/60dollarmiracle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/338375\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":338377,"href":"https:\/\/www.etrafficlane.com\/60dollarmiracle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/338375\/revisions\/338377"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.etrafficlane.com\/60dollarmiracle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/338378"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.etrafficlane.com\/60dollarmiracle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=338375"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.etrafficlane.com\/60dollarmiracle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=338375"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.etrafficlane.com\/60dollarmiracle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=338375"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}