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

[Kysoze]

Oh so she didnt say to Brendan “ I’m sorry, I love you/“
What a complete joke that was. Pathetic, that he would even have the balls to say that in court.

Don’t forget “I’m bleeding out.” He must have made this BS up on the spot while on the stand. No way his attorney would have agreed to have him say all that.

 

[Lawnguylander1964]

Oh so she didnt say to Brendan “ I’m sorry, I love you”
What a complete joke that was. Pathetic, that he would even have the balls to say that in court.

It would not surprise me that those words were what he said to her as he was killing her.

 

[sunspun]

Oh so she didnt say to Brendan “ I’m sorry, I love you”
What a complete joke that was. Pathetic, that he would even have the balls to say that in court.

He said that she said that to him as she was dying?

Disgusting.

And he still didn't cry when he told that lie on the stand?

 

[tricia]

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Tricia

 

[Izzylizzy]

That would have been a great idea to have a medical expert testify on how it’s not natural to be able to speak with seven stab wounds in the neck.

I found the prosecution's strategy strange and her delivery weak.
I'm curious why she was chosen to prosecute JM & BB?
imo

 

[sunspun]

So I know what BB said happened was all complete BS. What about JMs version of the events? Does it sound to most that she ended up telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?

What did BB and his attorney say was her motive? Just to get herself out of trouble obviously. But if the events happened the way BB testified they did, she wouldn't have been in any trouble.

So I guess they basically convinced her that they didn't believe his story, and that they were gonna have to charge both of them with murder, unless she told them the truth about his involvement?

 

[Inthedetails]

I found the prosecution's strategy strange and her delivery weak.
I'm curious why she was chosen to prosecute JM & BB?
imo

I've been trying to pinpoint what I didn't like, and I think it comes down to treating a double murder as casually as a lesser crime like stealing a bike or something. The weight of the case didn't seem heavy in the way it was handled.

jmopinion

 

[sunspun]

I found the prosecution's strategy strange and her delivery weak.
I'm curious why she was chosen to prosecute JM & BB?
imo

Maybe because it looked like an easy win?

 

[Luna20]

Oh so she didnt say to Brendan “ I’m sorry, I love you”
What a complete joke that was. Pathetic, that he would even have the balls to say that in court.

The reason why he said that was to make Valerie think that her mother was the guilty one. We know an apology means that you have done something wrong. So that’s for his benefit in Valerie’s life. Imo

Whether he is convicted or not he is leaving something behind for Valerie to see on his behalf. That’s all that he has left, he is going full circle in damage recovery.

 

[Kysoze]

So I know what BB said happened was all complete BS. What about JMs version of the events? Does it sound to most that she ended up telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?

What did BB and his attorney say was her motive? Just to get herself out of trouble obviously. But if the events happened the way BB testified they did, she wouldn't have been in any trouble.

So I guess they basically convinced her that they didn't believe his story, and that they were gonna have to charge both of them with murder, unless she told them the truth about his involvement?

I think she told the true version of how it was set up and went down but definitely skewed it in her favor and downplayed her involvement for sure.

 

[sunspun]

How much time elapsed after JR entered the bedroom, before BB appeared?

Would CB possibly still have been asleep up to that point? I thought JR might have sat there in the room for a little bit, trying to get his nerve up or whatever. Before he woke her up pretending to be her fantasy rapist with a knife.

I do recall CB, according to JM, said, "Brendan, he has a knife!"

So obviously she was awake long enough to know there was a strange man in her bedroom, and he had a knife. And I assume he was saying what to her would have been bizarre things, or maybe he was playing the stranger rapist role so well, that that's all she thought he was. A home intruder with a knife, talking about doing awful things to her.

Was she naked just because she slept in the nude, or was that part of BBs staging?

It does seem weird to me that JR had only barely arrived, and already he must have had his knife out, brandishing it as they say. No time for small talk or foreplay etc, I guess. Well, that was part of what they discussed online before he went there, wasn't it? They must have told him that she didn't want any small talk, I bet. They probably had "her" telling him to stay in character so as to not break the mood, right?

Had to be like that, cuz otherwise I can't see him already with his knife out, only minutes after he got there.

Was she probably asleep when he walked in? Did they know if he actually woke her up, or if she woke up because she heard someone come in?

 

[ttjo]

The reason why he said that was to make Valerie think that her mother was the guilty one. We know an apology means that you have done something wrong. So that’s for his benefit in Valerie’s life. Imo

Whether he is convicted or not he is leaving something behind for Valerie to see on his behalf. That’s all that he has left, he is going full circle in damage recovery.

Ah ok, so Valerie will think the mom had something to apologize for.
Between his head bowed down and his baggy eyes looking up like a lost puppy, i can barely stand to watch.
Not to mention that I actually checked to make sure my wifi wasnt buffering when he spoke.
One word at a time “ i… uh…. Had ….a …. Meeting….” Come on buddy spit it out.

 

[Izzylizzy]

Maybe because it looked like an easy win?

I think there was enough circumstantial evidence to have convicted them both and the plea deal the CW gave JM wasn't necessary and really muddied the waters for them.
My favorite legal head Peter @ LYK said yesterday that more and more he's convinced the CW did need JM's testimony.

And here I am with no legal degree in disagreement with both.

 

[Izzylizzy]

How much time elapsed after JR entered the bedroom, before BB appeared?

Would CB possibly still have been asleep up to that point? I thought JR might have sat there in the room for a little bit, trying to get his nerve up or whatever. Before he woke her up pretending to be her fantasy rapist with a knife.

I do recall CB, according to JM, said, "Brendan, he has a knife!"

So obviously she was awake long enough to know there was a strange man in her bedroom, and he had a knife. And I assume he was saying what to her would have been bizarre things, or maybe he was playing the stranger rapist role so well, that that's all she thought he was. A home intruder with a knife, talking about doing awful things to her.

Was she naked just because she slept in the nude, or was that part of BBs staging?

It does seem weird to me that JR had only barely arrived, and already he must have had his knife out, brandishing it as they say. No time for small talk or foreplay etc, I guess. Well, that was part of what they discussed online before he went there, wasn't it? They must have told him that she didn't want any small talk, I bet. They probably had "her" telling him to stay in character so as to not break the mood, right?

Had to be like that, cuz otherwise I can't see him already with his knife out, only minutes after he got there.

Was she probably asleep when he walked in? Did they know if he actually woke her up, or if she woke up because she heard someone come in?

IIRC:
@ 7:20 am JM saw JR in the driveway or entering the house and called BB and BB said he rushed ( video proved he didn't) and it took him about 10 mins to get home.

Wouldn't Lily the dog be barking when JR entered the house?

Then the long round about tale from BB what he did before kicking/pushing open the upstairs bedroom door.



????

 

[Kellygirl2013]

I found the prosecution's strategy strange and her delivery weak.
I'm curious why she was chosen to prosecute JM & BB?
imo

If you google Eric Clingan, another Deputy Commonwealth’s attorney, you’ll get your answer. He was originally supposed to be handling this trial.

 

[ttjo]

IIRC:
@ 7:20 am JM saw JR in the driveway or entering the house and called BB and BB said he rushed ( video proved he didn't) and it took him about 10 mins to get home.

Then the long round about tale from BB what he did before kicking the upstairs bedroom door open.

????

Ok well didnt he testify that he usually leaves around 730am but that day he left early. So what wife books a fetish fling before her husband is even scheduled to leave, and in her own house. Come on…

 

[ttjo]

I found the prosecution's strategy strange and her delivery weak.
I'm curious why she was chosen to prosecute JM & BB?
imo

What about when the judge had to ask her to spit out her gum,

 

[Luna20]

I found the prosecution's strategy strange and her delivery weak.
I'm curious why she was chosen to prosecute JM & BB?
imo

I’m trying to be open minded about the strategy but I keep finding lost opportunities. Not just little things but major things. Why not have a friend testify on Christine’s behalf? Why not have realistic visuals to mark exactly where the bodies were? ‘BB would have been standing here to see the knife, for that to happen that would mean A B C or D’. Paraphrasing.

Who was the marriage counselor that they were seeing? What would they have to say about their relationship? Did Christine ever tell the counselor that she had affairs and was a fet life fan? What did her colleagues or friends hear about?

Why didn’t Christine have anymore activity on her fetish account after the murder? What else wasn’t on Christine’s phone? Show her actual work schedule at that time, what were her typical days and shifts like. What did she do on the weekends with Valerie if BB wasn’t around?

 

[sunspun]

I guess I still don't understand why JR had to be killed. Couldn't he have done all the same fake catfishing online pretense back and forth, and when they finally found someone to agree to come over and do whatever they talked about, couldn't BB have burst in as a cop and cuffed the guy, then maybe led him down to the basement while BB "took care" of Christine, then blame it all on JR?

Surely he wasn't worried that anyone would believe JRs word over his?

 

[Luna20]

I found it strange and weak when the judge had to ask her to spit out her gum,

Yes another thing, yuck!!! That is basic common sense. And she wasn’t dressed appropriately on more than a couple of days. Her hair looked dirty. Seriously, it’s not a good representation.

ObJECtion LEADing

Way too many head scratchers