Virginia man charged with killing wife, husband nearly a year after accusations against au pair

Prosecutors allege Brendan Banfield stabbed his wife, Christine Banfield, and shot another man on February 24, 2023, at the couple’s home in Herndon, Virginia.

A Virginia man has been charged in connection with the 2023 murders of his wife and an unrelated man, nearly a year after the married couple’s au pair was charged with one of the killings.

Brendan Banfield, 39, has been indicted by a Fairfax County grand jury on four counts of aggravated murder and one count of use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, the Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office said in a press release shared on Monday, September 16. He is scheduled to be arraigned on Thursday, September 19. PEOPLE could not immediately identify an attorney who could speak on his behalf.

Prosecutors say Banfield stabbed his wife, Christine Banfield, 37, and shot a man named Joseph Ryan, 38, on Feb. 24, 2023, at the married couple’s home in Herndon, Virginia. The charges also come nearly a year after the couple’s au pair, Juliana Peres Magalhaes, 24, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder and a firearm-related offense in Ryan’s shooting death, according to the district attorney’s office.

That morning, around 8 a.m., authorities went to the victim’s home after a 911 call from Peres Magalhaes. She reportedly told police that a friend of hers had been injured, before a man who police said was Banfield’s husband picked up the phone, PEOPLE reported.

Related: Months after man and woman killed in posh Virginia home, au pair who called 911 charged with murder

Inside the home, police said they found Christine, a mother and pediatric nurse, suffering from stab wounds to her upper body and Ryan, suffering from gunshot wounds nearby.

Christine was taken to hospital where she was pronounced dead while Ryan was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police previously said they saw no signs of forced entry and said they did not know why Ryan was in the house that morning, saying only that he was “known” to Christine.

According to NBC Washington, police said the au pair said she and Christine’s husband went out that morning and when she returned home, she saw a car she didn’t recognize. She then called the husband, who came to the house.

Nearly seven months after the murders, in October 2023, Peres Magalhaes, originally from Brazil, was arrested on charges of fatally shooting Ryan. Prosecutors said she has remained in custody since her arrest. Online court records show her criminal trial is scheduled to begin on November 11.

Peres Magalhaes’ attorneys have previously claimed that the victim shot Ryan in self-defense, according to news reports. They have also claimed that the husband ordered her to shoot the man, WUSA reported.

Related: How a fetish website is at the heart of prosecutors’ case against an au pair accused of murder

NBC reported that detectives said the au pair and husband had previously said Ryan was attacking Christine, leading the husband to shoot Ryan.

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So far, no charges have been filed in Christine’s death. The aggravated murder charge against Brendan carries a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole, while the firearm charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of three years behind bars, according to the prosecutor’s office.

“Early last year, a double murder devastated two families and shocked our entire community,” Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano said in the statement. “I will ensure my office presents the strongest possible case at trial and that we continue to seek justice for the victims and their families.”

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or visit rainn.org.

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