The Virginia IRS agent accused of murdering his spouse in a twisted rape-fantasy plot admitted to sleeping together with his Brazilian au pair turned alleged confederate — and likewise owned as much as having affairs with two different girls.
Brendan Banfield, 40, copped to the adultery however referred to as the lurid accusations towards him “completely loopy,” whereas testifying in his personal protection Wednesday in a trial stuffed with twists and turns.
“I had earlier affairs,” Banfield advised jurors.
He additionally stated his 37-year-old spouse, Christine Banfield, was conscious that he engaged in two prior affairs — however she was clueless about his relationship with the household nanny, 25-year-old Juliana Peres Magalhães.
Inside months of Banfield starting to sleep with Magalhães, Christine can be lifeless from stab wounds after a person snuck into their Herndon house in February 2023 and allegedly tried to rape her — a supposed assault prosecutors declare was really a part of an elaborate plot the daddy and nanny concocted to do away with Christine and run off collectively.
Banfield referred to as these allegations “completely loopy,” and testified as a substitute that he’d tried early on to throw chilly water on his relationship with Magalhães — who he claimed began the entire thing.
“I’ve had affairs beforehand, and there may be nothing that adjustments in mine and Christine’s relationship,” he recalled telling Magalhães shortly after they started sleeping collectively in Aug. 2023. “This was simply an affair.”
Magalhães made her advances whereas Christine was away and the 2 had been alone on the home, Banfield testified, claiming she began complaining about her love life and started exhibiting him males she was speaking to on a relationship app.
“The those that had been within the Hinge app all had related names to me — their names had been Brendan, and Brandon, and Brennan,” he stated, explaining they ended up speaking intimately for 2 hours.
“She described individuals she was considering — those that had been taller, those that had been older — and it appeared to me, together with the images of the screenshots of those that she had matched with, that she was mainly describing me,” he stated.
“She scooted her seat nearer to mine a pair instances,” he added. “I didn’t cease her advances.”
Banfield additionally claimed that his spouse had her share of infidelities, and that they nonetheless cherished one another and had been going to remedy to work it out.
“I used to be additionally conscious that she had affairs,” he stated on the stand.
Magalhães — who struck a plea deal after her 2023 arrest — advised a a lot completely different story in regards to the double homicide when she testified earlier this month.
She claimed Banfield determined he needed to kill Christine by October 2023 — simply two months after the affair started — and hatched an elaborate scheme to make a phony account on a fetish web site and lure a patsy to their house as a part of a rape-fantasy romp, who they’d then kill and body for the homicide.
They allegedly pretended to be Christine on the positioning, and despatched images of her to Joseph Ryan, 38, whereas describing how she needed him to assist her stay out a fantasy of being raped, the previous au pair advised jurors.
The X-rated meet up was set for Feb. 24, 2023 on the Banfield’s suburban house, Magalhães stated.
“The door will probably be unlocked. Christine will probably be asleep in mattress. Come straight upstairs, lower off her clothes, tie her, rape her. Easy and enjoyable,” prosecutor Jenna Sands stated Brendan advised Ryan
The morning of the killings, the nanny stated she waited in a automotive with the Banfields’ younger daughter, and when Ryan arrived she referred to as Christine’s telephone – which she knew Brendan had turned off. The au pair then referred to as Brendan to inform him somebody was breaking into his house, she testified.
The dishonest duo then allegedly left the daughter within the basement and went upstairs the place Christine – a former nurse for sexual assault victims – believed she was really being raped by a person with a knife, the ex-nanny stated.
Brendan then shot Ryan together with his service gun to make it seem as if he’d valiantly saved Christine’s life, Magalhães testified.
He additionally stabbed Christine within the neck and face, killing her, prosecutors claimed.
The husband didn’t need to foot the invoice for an expensive divorce and believed Christine was a “horrible” mother so he determined to off her, prosecutors claimed.
Brendan wasn’t arrested till over a yr later in September 2024.
Magalhães pleaded responsible to manslaughter in October 2024 and is ready to be sentenced after Brendan’s trial wraps.
Banfield has pleaded not responsible to homicide and gun possession expenses.
