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Opening Statements Start in Brendan Banfield Double-Murder Trial in Fairfax County

Prosecutors are presenting a lure-and-staging theory built on blood analysis rather than the au pair’s testimony.

Overview

  • A 12-person jury with four alternates was seated Monday, and the four-week trial is being covered by a court-approved camera pool.
  • Prosecutors told jurors Banfield and au pair Juliana Peres Magalhães impersonated his wife on a fetish site to lure Joseph Ryan and make the killings look like a home invasion.
  • The state said it will center its case on blood evidence to show Banfield stabbed his wife, signaling limited reliance on Magalhães despite her cooperation deal.
  • Jurors heard two 911 calls from the morning of the deaths, including a recording in which Banfield said, "I shot him," as dispatchers coordinated the response.
  • The defense challenged the catfishing narrative, citing reassigned investigators and a peer‑reviewed digital analysis indicating Christine Banfield may have messaged Ryan herself.