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

[ch_13]

Plea deal.

Hearing tomorrow.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/10/28/magalhaes-pleads-guilty-banfield-herndon/

Looks like she’s flipped against BB. I’m glad she was finally brought to her senses.

 

[LifeIsAMystery]

Not clear if she will testify against him per this

Au pair to take a plea in Virginia double homicide

An au pair accused in a double homicide in Northern Virginia will take a plea deal in the case, according to court documents.

www.nbcwashington.com

 

[ch_13]

Not clear if she will testify against him per this

Au pair to take a plea in Virginia double homicide

An au pair accused in a double homicide in Northern Virginia will take a plea deal in the case, according to court documents.

www.nbcwashington.com

I’m not sure what you’re seeing in that article that leads you to think she won’t testify. However, the fact is that to plead guilty she has to allocute to her crimes. And then the state can subpoena her to testify at any subsequent trial. She doesn’t get a choice in the matter.

(And for that matter, I doubt the state would have agreed to the plea if she did have the option of not testifying.)

 

[LifeIsAMystery]

Plea deals don’t necessarily involve testimony, only a plea. We will know more re the terms of this plea tomorrow.

What I am seeing in the article is this quote: “It's unclear whether Peres Magalhaes will cooperate in the case against Brendan Banfield.”

 

[LifeIsAMystery]

Also, from WP article,

“The specifics of Magalhães’s plea were not immediately available, and it was not clear Monday to what specific charges and facts she would admit, or what benefit she could receive for doing so. The plea, and any negotiated deals, must be accepted by a judge.”

 

[LifeIsAMystery]

Au Pair accused in love triangle murder to appear in court for plea hearing

Juliana Peres Magalhaes is scheduled to appear in court for a plea hearing Tuesday morning.

www.wusa9.com

 

[Soulmagent]

Looks like she’s flipped against BB. I’m glad she was finally brought to her senses.

It was as expected , I believe. Such a shame she flipped on wifey , had she not flipped once ,there would be absolutely no need for her to flip again .

 

[IDK]

“In court Tuesday, a judge accepted terms of Peres Magalhaes' plea deal. Under the terms of the deal, she pleaded guilty to manslaughter and will cooperate in the prosecution of Brendan Banfield.”

“The commonwealth's attorney is recommending Peres Magalhaes' sentence be capped at time served at the time of her sentencing — and also is asking the judge to wait to sentence her until after Banfield’s trial, to ensure she continues to cooperate.”


“That means she could stay in jail long enough for his trial, then would be released.”

Au pair takes plea in Herndon killings, will cooperate with prosecutors

Under the terms of the deal, she pleaded guilty to manslaughter and will cooperate in the prosecution of Brendan Banfield.

www.nbcwashington.com

 

[ch_13]

“The commonwealth's attorney is recommending Peres Magalhaes' sentence be capped at time served at the time of her sentencing — and also is asking the judge to wait to sentence her until after Banfield’s trial, to ensure she continues to cooperate.”

So, she'll only get something like 1 1/2 to 2 years in jail? Presumably she'll be deported right afterwards, but still that's quite the sweetheart deal. The prosecutors must feel her testimony is vital.

Edit - It also occurs to me that once she's returned to Brazil, they won't be able to get her back. So if there's a successful appeal / retrial, she won't be around to testify a second time.

 

[LifeIsAMystery]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/10/29/au-pair-manslaughter-plea-banfield-herndon-slaying/

This proposed sentence has to be difficult for Joe Ryan’s friends and family.

 

[ch_13]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/10/29/au-pair-manslaughter-plea-banfield-herndon-slaying/

This proposed sentence has to be difficult for Joe Ryan’s friends and family.

According to the WaPo article, the DA provided a more extensive timeline of events at the plea hearing than anything we've heard before.

• BB created the account at the fetish website and masqueraded as Christine
• JM spoke over the phone with Ryan in the days prior to the murders using the Telegram app (I assume she was pretending to be Christine.)
• BB was the first person to shoot Ryan, JM shot him later when she saw him moving
• BB stabbed Christine
• Christine died at the hospital with BB at her side

BB is still only charged with Ryan's murder but not yet with the death of Christine. Maybe they will finally charge him for that murder as well, since they now have an eyewitness.

 

[LifeIsAMystery]

BB was charged in both deaths a few weeks ago, more at link. Brazilian au pair takes plea deal, cooperates in Virginia double-murder case against former boss

 

[ch_13]

BB was charged in both deaths a few weeks ago, more at link. Brazilian au pair takes plea deal, cooperates in Virginia double-murder case against former boss

Hmm, that's what I originally remembered, but the Post article says, "No one has been charged in Christine Banfield’s death."

Edit - I'm looking for the actual charging documents online, but all I can find are news articles that say BB was charged with multiple counts in a double-homicide. But no specificity on what the actual charges are. I'd be gratified if anyone can point me to the primary sources.


Edit 2 -
Found this on the Fairfax County website. I can't link directly to it but the case number is FE-2024-0000666 and I've attached a screenshot.

So it looks like the Post is incorrect and he was indeed charged with both murders. Sloppy reporting from a paper that should know better.

 

[LifeIsAMystery]

Virginia man indicted in killing of wife and another man nearly a year after au pair was charged in case

A grand jury indicted Brendan Banfield on the charge of aggravated murder in the February 2023 killings of Christine Banfield and Joseph Ryan.

www.cbsnews.com

 

[LifeIsAMystery]

It is just an error, WP covered Banfield’s indictment in September.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/09/19/brendan-banfield-juliana-magalhes/

 

[Tortoise]

I am concerned that it could be argued by BB's lawyers that without a reason for reduced culpability on her part, such as his coercive control, for example, and receiving no punishment, she had had a very great incentive to lie to implicate BB.

And what about her part in Christine's murder?

 

[petunia5743]

They have released police bodycam footage that shows Juliana that day... warning that you also see BB walk out (disturbing as he is bloody).

Au pair pleads guilty to manslaughter in Virginia double-murder case

An au pair in Virginia has pleaded guilty to manslaughter in a double-murder case that prosecutors say was a ruse to frame another man for murder.

apnews.com

 

[vls12345]

Nanny Pleads Guilty to Manslaughter in Double Homicide, Agrees to Cooperate Against Ex-Lover

Juliana Peres Magalhaes, 24, was originally charged with second-degree murder in connection with her alleged role in the double murders.

people.com

 

[vls12345]

Au pair takes guilty plea in alleged fetish plot killings, will cooperate with Virginia prosecutors

An au pair accused in a double homicide in Northern Virginia pleaded guilty Tuesday and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors against her alleged accomplice in the crime.

www.nbcwashington.com

 

[LifeIsAMystery]

There is a 6+ minute video of body cam footage on YT. Not sure if allowed to post. Warning, there is a shot of BB with bloody hands.