Husband indicted in Virginia double homicide as au pair faces murder charge
A Herndon man has been indicted in connection with a double homicide that claimed the lives of his wife and another man in 2023.
Husband indicted in 2023 double homicide that left wife, man dead
Months after his wife and another man were found dead in his home, a Herndon man has been indicted in their murders. Brendan Banfield has been charged with aggravated murder. Joseph Ryan was found shot and killed in the Banfield home. Banfield's wife, Christine, was found with stab wounds and died a short time later. The couple's au pair was indicted in the shooting death of Ryan.
Brendan Banfield now faces charges of aggravated murder following the deaths of his wife, Christine Banfield, and Joseph Ryan, who was found shot in the Banfield home.
Brendan Banfield, 39, of Herndon, Va. Photo via Fairfax County Police Department
The incident occurred on February 24, 2023, when police responded to a 911 call at the Banfield's Herndon residence on Stable Brook Way.
Au pair charged with murder in Herndon double homicide: police
A 23-year-old au pair has been charged with shooting one of the victims of a brutal double homicide that took place at a Herndon home in February of this year, Fairfax County police say.
Officers arrived to find a gruesome scene: Christine Banfield, 37, with multiple stab wounds, and Joseph Ryan, 39, suffering from gunshot wounds.
Ryan was pronounced dead at the scene, while Christine died shortly after being taken to the hospital.
Initially, Brendan Banfield told dispatchers that Ryan had broken into their home, stabbed his wife and that he had shot Ryan in self-defense.
A framed photo of Brendan Banfield and Juliana Magalhaes and the mistress's lingerie were found in the room where the double homicide occurred, according to prosecutors. (Fairfax County Commonwealth Attorney's Office)
However, a seven-month investigation led to the indictment of Juliana Peres Magalhaes, the Banfields' 23-year-old au pair, for the shooting of Ryan.
Peres Magalhaes has been charged with second-degree murder.
Herndon double homicide under investigation
More than 12 hours after two people were mysteriously killed inside a Herndon home, there's a very active police scene in the neighborhood. A woman was stabbed to death and a man was shot and killed. The woman's husband who talked to 911 operators was inside the home at the time. FOX 5's Adrienne DiPiazza reports from Fairfax County with the latest from police.