FAIRFAX, Va.
A Brazilian au pair who admitted to shooting her lover’s wife while the husband fatally stabbed another man in the couple’s bedroom was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison, despite prosecutors recommending she go free for her cooperation.
Juliana Peres Magalhães, 24, wiped away tears as she addressed the court before the sentencing, apologizing for her role in the gruesome February 2023 killings of Christine Banfield and Joseph Ryan.
“I know my remorse cannot bring you peace,” Magalhães told the victims’ families, her voice breaking with sobs. “I hope you can someday understand that I really did not believe his plan would actually happen.”
The case unraveled a deadly love triangle. Magalhães had been carrying on an affair with her employer, Brendan Banfield. According to court testimony, the pair conspired to kill Banfield’s wife, Christine, and Ryan, another man, in what prosecutors described as a coordinated attack.
Magalhães pleaded guilty to a downgraded charge of manslaughter and became the star witness for the prosecution. She testified that she fatally shot Joseph Ryan while Brendan Banfield stabbed his wife, Christine, in the couple’s home.
Brendan Banfield was convicted by a jury earlier this month of aggravated murder in the deaths of his wife and Ryan.
Despite her cooperation, prosecutors had recommended Magalhães walk free, citing her testimony as crucial to securing Banfield’s conviction. But Judge Penney Azcarate rejected that recommendation, handing down the maximum possible sentence.
“Let’s get it straight: You do not deserve anything other than incarceration and a life of reflection on what you have done to the victim and his family,” the judge said. “May it weigh heavily on your soul.”
The sentence ensures Magalhães, a Brazilian national, will spend a decade in prison before facing potential deportation proceedings.
By James Kisoo
