Virginia husband Brendan Banfield indicted for love-triangle double slaying of wife, fetish-seeking stranger year after his Brazilian au pair was charged

The Virginia husband entangled in a bizarre love triangle with his wife and their Brazilian au pair has been charged with the murders of his wife and a “fetish-seeking” man inside the couple’s mansion in an elaborate scheme.Brendan Banfield is accused of fatally stabbing his wife, Christine Banfield, 37, and shooting Joseph Ryan, 38, during the early morning love-triangle double slaying on Feb.24, 2024.The Banfields were married and living in the home with their au pair, Juliana Peres Magalhaes, and their then 4-year-old daughter at the time of the murders.The 39-year-old IRS investigator and Magalhaes allegedly shot Ryan who had been summoned to the couple’s million-dollar Herndon home through a sexual fetish online site.Magalhaes, then-23, told investigators that she and Banfield had walked in on Ryan attacking a naked Christine Banfield as her employer shot at the “intruder.” She is accused of taking the fatal shot.When police arrived at the mansion, they found Ryan dead from a gunshot wound, while Christine Banfield was suffering from stab wounds.She was transported to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead.Magalhaes is claiming self-defense.

But prosecutors allege that the entire episode was a ruse orchestrated by Magalhaes to get rid of Christine.They maintain the belief that Ryan was a dupe lured into the sordid plot.Prosecutors have previously revealed that Ryan had made plans to show up at the home with a user who went by the name Annastasia9 on the online sexual dating site “Fetlife.”The profile pictured a petite woman in a one-piece bathing suit, according to the Washington Post.Investigators said there was no evidence to suggest Christine Banfield ever created the profile or knew about its existence, but have not revealed who made it.Fairfax Police arrested Brendan Banfield on Monday at the home where the murders took place after a grand jury indicted him on four charges of aggravated murder and one charge of using a firearm in t...