VA - Joseph Ryan shot, Christine Banfield stabbed, both deceased, in home - Herndon 24 Feb 2023

[MarciB]

Wow, I’ve missed that testimony. I wasn’t aware of his philandering and deceptive history.

What do you mean by “when he isn’t blaming Christine”?

I haven't been able to catch up on this trial. What point is the trial at? still the defense case? TIA

 

[alexwood]

I haven't been able to catch up on this trial. What point is the trial at? still the defense case? TIA

Still the defense. He is waging a losing battle. We are underwhelmed by his lackluster performance.

 

[Chimera]

Haven't followed this case as much as the rest of you all here, but am aware of the specifics.
What a selfish act to take those two lives and to deprives that young girl of both parents.

Rest in peace, Joseph and Christine !
Omo.

 

[LifeIsAMystery]

Wow, I’ve missed that testimony. I wasn’t aware of his philandering and deceptive history.

What do you mean by “when he isn’t blaming Christine”?

The defense’s case is that his wife, who investigators found had no history of even looking at porn, joined Fetlife and arranged for a stranger to come to the family house for violent rape simulation (despite her being a former SANE nurse) and knife play, despite her blood clotting disorder. And that she put her phone off and in a drawer in the kitchen so she could not summon help if needed or answer if au pair or preschooler had an accident, etc.

They are trying to cast Brendan as the virtuous hero despite his documented affairs and statements to JPM and a prior affair partner that he wanted to kill his wife. In his telling, Christine put all this in motion. Jmooo.

 

[Luna20]

The defense’s case is that his wife, who investigators found had no history of even looking at porn, joined Fetlife and arranged for a stranger to come to the family house for violent rape simulation (despite her being a former SANE nurse) and knife play, despite her blood clotting disorder. And that she put her phone off and in a drawer in the kitchen so she could not summon help if needed or answer if au pair or preschooler had an accident, etc.

They are trying to cast Brendan as the virtuous hero despite his documented affairs and statements to JPM and a prior affair partner that he wanted to kill his wife. In his telling, Christine put all this in motion. Jmooo.

Got it, thanks. I saw the photo of her in the bathing suit and there is no way she would have used that photo for a fet site.

 

[Luna20]

My thoughts are that BB wants to testify so that he can script the narrative for himself. He wants to deny what JM has said about him and he just can’t accept that someone else has described him.

I believe that is his sole purpose, to present himself in a positive light. Too bad because he isn’t believable.

Have there been any character witnesses for him so far? Any friend or colleague to say how great he is?

 

[Megnut]

I'm 60-40 he won't.

I can see his defense attorney, at the last second, notifying the Court his client won't be testifying.

If he opens his mouth, he'll destroy his own credibility, if he has any.

JMO

 

[LooksSusToMe]

I’m glad I’m not the only one who has noticed the prosecutor’s outfit choices. Did you hear the judge tell her to get rid of her gum? She was annoyed!

 

[Megnut]

Finally listened to the afternoon in full. You're not kidding, the judge schooled the Defense handily.

Ouch.


8:18.30

 

[Tortoise]

Juliana's testimony about the dog, and about the sound in the background of the 911 call.

timestamp 6.50.42

Q. Do you recall if their dog was in the basement when you went inside?

A. I saw her, in a flash, and also because I knew she was going to be there, in the basement, but what happened with her after that I don't know.

Q. Did she go upstairs with you?

A. Uh, what was it?

Q. I'll move on.




timestamp 6:54:46

Q. Did anyone say anything when the two of you went into the bedroom?

A. Yeah. Brendan got to the bedroom, Brendan said, uh he yelled, 'police officer', and Christine's reaction, that was the first time I heard she said anything at that point, and she yelled back at Brendan saying 'Brendan he has a knife'. And that's when Brendan first shot Joe.

Q. Did you see Joe before he was shot?

A. Yeah.

Q. What did he look like when he saw Brendan?

A. Shocked.

Q. After Brendan shot Joe, did anyone say anything?

A. If anyone said anything?

Q. Yes. Did anyone say anything in the room at that point?

A. Yeah, because Brendan ran to Christine, she was still on the floor, and I, at that point she had, she had seen me, and she said, she asked 'what did you do?' to Brendan, I think regarding to he shot Joe, and she said my name, she told me 'Juliana call 911'.

Q. And what did you do?

A. I called 911.

Q. And what happened after you called 911?

A. Um at that point Joe was already shot, so that's the, that's the sound in the background, and Brendan looked at me and just in a way for me like to um, to hang up the call.

Of course Brendan is going to say it was the dog in the background of the hung up 911 call, because if it was Joe, after being shot behind his eye, they didn't call 911 again for another 13 minutes, when according to him Christine had already been stabbed by Joe. So there's no excuse he can give for not summoning emergency help for her. How creative, bringing in the dog defense.

It sounds like a man who's in agony to me.

I also remember testimony about one of the messages to Joe saying the dog would be locked in the basement, and she was friendly, still looking for the timestamp on that. Does anyone remember if there was any testimony from first responders about seeing where the dog was?

 

[Megnut]

Juliana's testimony about the dog, and about the sound in the background of the 911 call.

timestamp 6.50.42

Q. Do you recall if their dog was in the basement when you went inside?

A. I saw her, in a flash, and also because I knew she was going to be there, in the basement, but what happened with her after that I don't know.

Q. Did she go upstairs with you?

A. Uh, what was it?

Q. I'll move on.




timestamp 6:54:46

Q. Did anyone say anything when the two of you went into the bedroom?

A. Yeah. Brendan got to the bedroom, Brendan said, uh he yelled, 'police officer', and Christine's reaction, that was the first time I heard she said anything at that point, and she yelled back at Brendan saying 'Brendan he has a knife'. And that's when Brendan first shot Joe.

Q. Did you see Joe before he was shot?

A. Yeah.

Q. What did he look like when he saw Brendan?

A. Shocked.

Q. After Brendan shot Joe, did anyone say anything?

A. If anyone said anything?

Q. Yes. Did anyone say anything in the room at that point?

A. Yeah, because Brendan ran to Christine, she was still on the floor, and I, at that point she had, she had seen me, and she said, she asked 'what did you do?' to Brendan, I think regarding to he shot Joe, and she said my name, she told me 'Juliana call 911'.

Q. And what did you do?

A. I called 911.

Q. And what happened after you called 911?

A. Um at that point Joe was already shot, so that's the, that's the sound in the background, and Brendan looked at me and just in a way for me like to um, to hang up the call.

Of course Brendan is going to say it was the dog in the background of the hung up 911 call, because if it was Joe, after being shot behind his eye, they didn't call 911 again for another 13 minutes, when according to him Christine had already been stabbed by Joe. So there's no excuse he can give for not summoning emergency help for her. How creative, bringing in the dog defense.

It sounds like a man who's in agony to me.

I also remember testimony about one of the messages to Joe saying the dog would be locked in the basement, and she was friendly, still looking for the timestamp on that. Does anyone remember if there was any testimony from first responders about seeing where the dog was?

And CB did all this formal talking after all the stabbing was complete? Or, are we to imagine that, after JR'd been shot, while both Brendan and Juliana were in the room, JR kept stabbing CB? They've got a major timeline problem. But then untruths have a way of doing that.

I remain shocked by the depraved indifference displayed by both of them.

JMO

 

[mrjitty]

How creative, bringing in the dog defense.

RSBM.

Yes. I recall we discussed after opening that it was going to be a lot easier for legal content creators to make the CW case seem 'suss' than it would be for the poor old defence attorney to assemble any coherent explanation for known events - especially the aborted 911.

So it proved ...

It's an interesting example of logical fallacy that the CW case is so wild, and the deal for the au pair as 'snitch' so morally offensive, that everything is in question.

The reality is that the 'wild parts' are agreed facts. Someone did in fact organise a rape fantasy gone wrong. It's priced in - and we know that person was not the victim. It's also implausible that Joe randomly decided to murder the victim for real. So what is left?

The au pair was needed to prove the scheme. Otherwise the CW can only ask the jury to infer it. That's all that we are left with, morality aside.

The case is shocking, but not mysterious. I don't blame the defence attorney for not being able to stand up any substantial alternative theory. He's highlighted evidential and credibility problems, as he should. I don't personally see it as his job to deliver the 'dog defence' with stirring oratory. This is the reasonable limits of criminal defence.

All my view, based on testimony and evidence.

 

[jeff2034]

What I found particularly interesting was the fact that whoever set up the fetlife account and made the arrangements for this encounter did not want to meet in-person beforehand. I believe I heard testimony that many of the people who responded to CBs fetlife request assumed that she wanted to meet with them in person first for safety reasons. Of course whoever was managing her fetlife account responded with "I'm not interested having a date" and refused to meet in person before hand. I believe one of the respondents to her request refused to proceed since she did not want to meet in person ahead of time (smart man). So we are to believe that a suburban mother of a small child, well educated and an RN, with no history of this kind of activity in the past, suddenly is okay with having a complete stranger come into her house when she is by herself without her phone and perform this fantasy with her? That seems a little far-fetched.

 

[Lawnguylander1964]

Yes, the prosecution went through what felt like a ton of connections on FetLife and had JM say why they didn't connect with them and each of them had wanted to meet in public first to get to know each other. JR was the only one who agreed to talk on the phone and then meet at the house.