Overview
- Jury selection starts Monday in Fairfax County, with the trial expected to run about four weeks.
- Banfield has pleaded not guilty to aggravated murder in the 2023 killings of his wife, Christine Banfield, and Joseph Ryan at the family’s Herndon home.
- Juliana Peres Magalhães pleaded guilty in 2024 to involuntary manslaughter for shooting Ryan and agreed to cooperate, and she is expected to testify for the prosecution.
- Prosecutors say Banfield used a Fetlife account to lure Ryan, trained the au pair with firearms, and orchestrated staged 911 calls, and police reported no sign of forced entry.
- The defense highlights disputed digital-forensics findings suggesting Christine Banfield contacted Ryan, and personnel moves in the police forensics unit have been questioned.