Husband indicted in Virginia double homicide nearly a year after au pair’s arrest
HERNDON, Va. - Fairfax County authorities have arrested a man in connection with the deaths of his wife and another man, almost a year after the family’s au pair was charged in the case.
READ MORE: Husband indicted in Virginia double homicide as au pair faces murder charge
A grand jury has indicted Brendan Banfield on charges of aggravated murder for the deaths of Christine Banfield and Joseph Ryan. Banfield also faces a felony firearm use charge.
Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis announced at a news conference that Banfield was apprehended while driving in Fairfax County. Authorities conducted a search of his home on Monday.
Fairfax County detectives say they recently uncovered new information in this 19-month-old case. The incident occurred on February 24, 2023, when police responded to a 911 call at the Banfield residence on Stable Brook Way in Herndon.
Upon arrival, officers found Christine Banfield, 37, with multiple stab wounds, and Joseph Ryan, 39, with gunshot wounds. Ryan was pronounced dead at the scene, while Christine died shortly after being taken to the hospital.
READ MORE: Au pair charged with murder in Herndon double homicide: police
Initially, Brendan Banfield, 39, told dispatchers that Ryan had broken into their home, stabbed his wife, and that he had shot Ryan in self-defense. However, on Monday, Brendan Banfield was arrested and now faces charges of aggravated murder for the deaths of his wife and Joseph Ryan.
Banfield’s arrest follows nearly a year after Juliana Peres Magalhães, the family’s au pair, was charged with second-degree murder in Ryan’s death. Magalhães is set to stand trial in November.
FOX 5’s Melanie Alnwick says reports suggest Ryan was lured to the Banfield home that day. During search warrants executed at the home on Stable Brook Way, detectives recovered two guns and a knife. Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis stated that there is digital and forensic evidence to support the case.
Banfield is scheduled for a court appearance this Thursday, September 19. He was being held without bail at the Fairfax County jail.