VA - Herndon, Joseph Ryan shot, Christine Banfield stabbed, both deceased, in home - Feb 2023

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LifeIsAMystery said:
There was another bond hearing for Juliana this past week. A few more facts came out. She is still being held.
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I read the article, but I'm still not sure of the actual facts of the case. It's unclear if the article is just badly written, the prosecutors are being cagey about what actually occurred, or if LE is still uncertain of the details.

The big unanswered question is who stabbed Christine? If it wasn't Joseph Ryan, then why hasn't the perpetrator been charged? And if it was Joseph (and this was indeed his first time at the house) then how was he convinced to do what he did based on an internet ad on a fetish website?

Also, if the prosecution thinks there was some kind of conspiracy between Brendan and Juliana, then why haven't they arrested him?

Edit - it's odd that WP is the only site with an article on the bond hearing. Is there no other DC media covering it?
 
ch_13 said:
I read the article, but I'm still not sure of the actual facts of the case. It's unclear if the article is just badly written, the prosecutors are being cagey about what actually occurred, or if LE is still uncertain of the details.

The big unanswered question is who stabbed Christine? If it wasn't Joseph Ryan, then why hasn't the perpetrator been charged? And if it was Joseph (and this was indeed his first time at the house) then how was he convinced to do what he did based on an internet ad on a fetish website?

Also, if the prosecution thinks there was some kind of conspiracy between Brendan and Juliana, then why haven't they arrested him?

Edit - it's odd that WP is the only site with an article on the bond hearing. Is there no other DC media covering it?
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Per the article, Ryan did. I don’t think I have seen any reporting anywhere that suggests someone else stabbed her, though I could imagine two scenarios that might explain the chain of events:

If the fetish website ad allegedly placed by Christine indicated she liked “knifeplay” (the public hasn’t yet been told what that ad said) then that would explain why he might’ve been seen holding a knife to her when the husband and au pair encountered JR and CH. I wonder if, at that point, BH or the au pair drew their weapons on JR and ordered him to stab CH or they’d shoot and kill him. JR would still be responsible for CH’s death, of course, but that might explain how a stranger ended up stabbing to death a woman he’d just met and towards whom he probably had no anger.

Alternatively, the husband might’ve drawn his weapon upon encountering JR and CH, and then forced JR to give him the knife, and then the husband stabbed CH himself and shot JR.

That’s all just my conjecture, though. IMO it is puzzling that the husband seems to have escaped any blame for these two deaths, yet the au pair with whom he was having an affair (and after his wife’s death, an ongoing relationship) has been charged.
 
realanastasia said:
Per the article, Ryan did. I don’t think I have seen any reporting anywhere that suggests someone else stabbed her, though I could imagine two scenarios that might explain the chain of events:

If the fetish website ad allegedly placed by Christine indicated she liked “knifeplay” (the public hasn’t yet been told what that ad said) then that would explain why he might’ve been seen holding a knife to her when the husband and au pair encountered JR and CH. I wonder if, at that point, BH or the au pair drew their weapons on JR and ordered him to stab CH or they’d shoot and kill him. JR would still be responsible for CH’s death, of course, but that might explain how a stranger ended up stabbing to death a woman he’d just met and towards whom he probably had no anger.

Alternatively, the husband might’ve drawn his weapon upon encountering JR and CH, and then forced JR to give him the knife, and then the husband stabbed CH himself and shot JR.

That’s all just my conjecture, though. IMO it is puzzling that the husband seems to have escaped any blame for these two deaths, yet the au pair with whom he was having an affair (and after his wife’s death, an ongoing relationship) has been charged.
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Yeah, they kind of imply Ryan was the stabber, but they don't actually come out and say it.

And it's puzzling. Hypothetically speaking, if you were to hold a gun at someone and tell them to stab a third party, there's no way to foresee what would happen. They're just as likely to rush at you instead. It doesn't seem like a viable plan. Especially with a kid in the house which adds another element of uncertainty.
 
AmandaSkis said:
Ugh, I cannot open the article unless I subscribe.
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<snip>

In January, amid the affair, someone used Christine Banfield’s laptop to create an account “on a website that catered to individuals involved in various sexual fetishes,” Gill said. Gill did not specify who created the account but said Ryan responded to the user’s profile and agreed to go to the Banfield home on Stable Brook Way.
Ryan Campbell, Peres Magalhaes’s attorney, said prosecutors’ claim that someone used the wife’s computer as a ruse to kill her lacked evidence and more so lacked a connection to the au pair. To Campbell, it would make more sense that Christine Banfield created the profile to engage in an extramarital affair.
“The inference that [prosecutors were] trying to make was that it wasn’t Christine Banfield” who was on the website, he said. “It just seems like a difficult thing for me to accept that somebody other than Christine would be going on her computer.”

<snip>
 
Was Ryan known to have frequented (and responded to) fetish websites? Were there further communications between him and Christine about when to arrive? (She would need to make sure nobody else would be home, I would think.) Are there any relatives or friends advocating for Ryan, trying to find out what happened as to why he was murdered and also (perhaps) framed for Christine's murder?

I could see that someone else might have used Christine's computer to set up the fetish account and post. If so, I think it likeliest the husband did that. Imo.

Where was the child during this? Were they in the car since supposedly the au pair ran back to grab a forgotten lunch? Did the child stay in the car the entire time? Was there a packed lunch sitting in the house? Did the au pair sit in the car with the child and wait until the husband showed up? Was she waiting in the driveway? I would think the husband took at least a few minutes to get there. What if the man with the bag had come back outside while she waited on the husband to arrive? Why would the au pair or husband not called 911 at that time? Did the au pair see Christine let the man in the house?

I have so many questions. Moo.
 
ch_13 said:
I read the article, but I'm still not sure of the actual facts of the case. It's unclear if the article is just badly written, the prosecutors are being cagey about what actually occurred, or if LE is still uncertain of the details.

The big unanswered question is who stabbed Christine? If it wasn't Joseph Ryan, then why hasn't the perpetrator been charged? And if it was Joseph (and this was indeed his first time at the house) then how was he convinced to do what he did based on an internet ad on a fetish website?

Also, if the prosecution thinks there was some kind of conspiracy between Brendan and Juliana, then why haven't they arrested him?

Edit - it's odd that WP is the only site with an article on the bond hearing. Is there no other DC media covering it?
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There will be more coverage when she has a hearing in January.

LE has consistently referred to Joe Ryan and Christine as "victims" and spoke of holding the killers "accountable" so I do not think that indicates they see Ryan as a suspect. JMOO. From the day of the killings they referred to AP and BB as "present and involved" and said all parties were known to them, no mysterious other killer.

Their strategy seemed to be to try to get AP to flip on BB for a plea deal by overcharging her a bit and taking her into custody in October. It does not appear that is going to happen, hope to be wrong. Hope they have enough of a case without her testimony against him.

There were other articles after prior bond hearings that should be linked upthread, they were written a bit more clearly.
 
vls12345 said:
Was Ryan known to have frequented (and responded to) fetish websites? Were there further communications between him and Christine about when to arrive? (She would need to make sure nobody else would be home, I would think.) Are there any relatives or friends advocating for Ryan, trying to find out what happened as to why he was murdered and also (perhaps) framed for Christine's murder?

I could see that someone else might have used Christine's computer to set up the fetish account and post. If so, I think it likeliest the husband did that. Imo.

Where was the child during this? Were they in the car since supposedly the au pair ran back to grab a forgotten lunch? Did the child stay in the car the entire time? Was there a packed lunch sitting in the house? Did the au pair sit in the car with the child and wait until the husband showed up? Was she waiting in the driveway? I would think the husband took at least a few minutes to get there. What if the man with the bag had come back outside while she waited on the husband to arrive? Why would the au pair or husband not called 911 at that time? Did the au pair see Christine let the man in the house?

I have so many questions. Moo.
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Per articles linked upthread they took the child into the house and left her in the basement (guessing that is the au pair suite). And per friends, yes to your question re: Ryan.
AP's preliminary hearing is soon, January 17th, 2pm.
 
alexwood said:
It was a little early to be heading out to the petting zoo, wasn't it? I don't believe anything about this entire story. Total collusion between the two suspects and why hasn't there been another arrest?
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They were allegedly going to the National Zoo, in DC, so somewhat of a drive.
 
asmi106082 said:
<snip>

In January, amid the affair, someone used Christine Banfield’s laptop to create an account “on a website that catered to individuals involved in various sexual fetishes,” Gill said. Gill did not specify who created the account but said Ryan responded to the user’s profile and agreed to go to the Banfield home on Stable Brook Way.
Ryan Campbell, Peres Magalhaes’s attorney, said prosecutors’ claim that someone used the wife’s computer as a ruse to kill her lacked evidence and more so lacked a connection to the au pair. To Campbell, it would make more sense that Christine Banfield created the profile to engage in an extramarital affair.
“The inference that [prosecutors were] trying to make was that it wasn’t Christine Banfield” who was on the website, he said. “It just seems like a difficult thing for me to accept that somebody other than Christine would be going on her computer.”

<snip>
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At a prior bond hearing, the Commonwealth of VA said Ryan was shot while BB was out of the house, which, if can be proved, blows up the entire tale told by AP's defense attorney of a scene with all 4 in the room at the same time as shots fired at Ryan.
 
I’ve been trying to understand why there were two calls made to 911.

My current theory is that they thought both Mrs. Banfield and Ryan were dead and the staging of the scene was complete. So they made the call. Then they realized that something in the scene needed to be fixed, so they hung up.

I think the next call was made 13 minutes later when the au pair and Banfield took care of whatever came up.

I would also like to know what condition Mrs. Banfield was in at the house. And what I mean is that everything I have read says that she died later of her injuries. But I wonder if, even though she was still alive, or her injury so bad, there was no way she was going to pull through.
 
AmandaSkis said:
I’ve been trying to understand why there were two calls made to 911.

My current theory is that they thought both Mrs. Banfield and Ryan were dead and the staging of the scene was complete. So they made the call. Then they realized that something in the scene needed to be fixed, so they hung up.

I think the next call was made 13 minutes later when the au pair and Banfield took care of whatever came up.

I would also like to know what condition Mrs. Banfield was in at the house. And what I mean is that everything I have read says that she died later of her injuries. But I wonder if, even though she was still alive, or her injury so bad, there was no way she was going to pull through.
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Can you explain what you mean by your last sentence?

I think it's possible Christine was attacked and stabbed shortly before Ryan arrived at the home. The question is who stabbed her?
 
Ladyotm said:
Can you explain what you mean by your last sentence?

I think it's possible Christine was attacked and stabbed shortly before Ryan arrived at the home. The question is who stabbed her?
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I was trying to figure out a clear way to write what I was thinking.

I was thinking about other cases where the victim was attacked, and did not die right away; however, the attack was so brutal that the victim was in a coma, or never regained consciousness. For example, Liz Barraza. She did not die at the scene, but she never regained consciousness.
 
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