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Defense to Begin Case After Judge Denies Dismissal in Banfield Double-Murder Trial

The shift follows forensic testimony on blood patterns that prosecutors say indicate a staged crime scene.

Overview

  • Prosecutors rested Tuesday after blood-pattern analyst Iris Dalley Graff pointed to drops on Joseph Ryan’s forearm that she said were consistent with blood dripping from above.
  • Jurors saw evidence of Christine Banfield’s blood on Brendan Banfield’s jeans and shoe; the defense argued those stains came from attempts to render aid.
  • Prosecutors maintained the scene was staged and suggested Ryan was moved after he was shot, a point the defense challenged through repeated objections.
  • Judge Penney Azcarate rejected a defense motion to dismiss and allowed child endangerment charges to proceed based on testimony about the couple’s 4-year-old being brought into the home before the killings.
  • The defense plans to call four to five witnesses starting Wednesday, with credibility issues surrounding cooperating witness Juliana Peres Magalhães and control of the FetLife account remaining key disputes.