A 24-year-old Brazilian au pair, Juliana Peres Magalhaes, is facing charges in a bizarre double murder case at a Virginia mansion that has captivated true-crime buffs worldwide. Magalhaes was allegedly involved in an affair with her 39-year-old employer, IRS investigator Brendan Banfield, when the tragic events unfolded on February 24th, 2023.
In a recent email to her mother from Fairfax County Jail, Magalhaes expressed her frustration and unhappiness with her current situation: “I am tired of this place, this situation.” She longs to return home to Brazil and be with her family.
The case took an odd twist when Brendan Banfield’s wife, Christine, was allegedly stabbed to death by Joseph Ryan, a fetish-seeking stranger who had been lured to the million-dollar mansion through a sexual fetish online site. Magalhaes and her lover, Brendan, reportedly walked in on the grisly scene.
Brendan fired at Ryan but it was Magalhaes who ultimately unleashed the fatal shots after grabbing another gun stashed in the house. She is now claiming self-defense, while prosecutors argue that the entire episode was a ruse orchestrated by Magalhaes to eliminate Christine from the picture. They believe Ryan was lured into the scheme under false pretenses.
Investigators have not yet determined who created an account on the sick-sex dating app allegedly linked to Christine under the name Annastasia9, which led Ryan to the Banfield residence. There are also questions surrounding Magalhaes’ seemingly spontaneous decision to leave for a day at the zoo with the Banfields’ young child, only to return after “forgetting” their lunches.
Despite the numerous questions and oddities in this case, Brendan has not been charged and pleaded the Fifth when questioned in court. No one has been accused of Christine Banfield’s death yet, while Magalhaes remains charged only for the shooting death of Joseph Ryan. Her mother continues to maintain her daughter’s innocence.
