Officials said on Monday that a Virginia man was indicted in the double homicide case of his wife and another man that occurred the previous year, almost a year after the au pair of the couple was prosecuted.
Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano told reporters that Brendan Banfield, 39, was charged with four counts of aggravated murder and use of a handgun in the commission of a felony in connection with the deaths of Christine Banfield, 37, and Joseph Ryan, 39, on February 24, 2023.
At the press briefing, Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis stated that Brendan Banfield, who had been residing in the suburban home in Northern Virginia where his wife and Ryan were discovered dead, had been apprehended without any problems.
It wasn’t immediately apparent if he was represented by counsel.
Descano stated without giving further information that fresh data found by police detectives was “instrumental” in getting the indictment.
Juliana Peres Magalhaes, the au pair for the Banfields, was charged in October in relation to Ryan’s death. It was unclear if she had made a plea. A request for response from her attorney on Tuesday night was not immediately answered.
According to Descano, Magalhaes’ trial is scheduled to start in November. Descano and Davis were unable to pinpoint a potential reason for the murders. Davis refused to elaborate on Ryan’s relationship with the family.
Authorities called the scene where Christine Banfield and Ryan were discovered in Reston, about 20 miles west of Washington, “appalling” at the time of the killings.
The police department said in a news release at the time that Christine Banfield had been tragically stabbed in an upstairs bedroom. Ryan was found dead from gunshot wounds close by, according to the agency.
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On the morning of February 24, Magalhaes called 911 and reported that a buddy had been harmed, a police official had earlier informed reporters.
Then, identifying to himself as the victim’s husband solely, Brendan Banfield picked up the phone and informed the operator that a “unknown male” had broken into his house and shot them.
This year, Brendan Banfield was asked to appear in court, but when prosecutors questioned him, he primarily used his Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination.
