A Virginia man who plotted to kill his wife and a random other man with his au pair was sentenced to life in prison Friday. File Photo by Mike Theiler/UPI | License Photo
Brendan Banfield, a Virginia man convicted of killing his wife and a stranger in a plot with an au pair, was sentenced Friday to life in prison without parole.
“The level of cruelty, calculation and inhumanity in this case reflects something far deeper than anger or impulse — it reflects evil, which is why I carry no burden and find no hesitation in sentencing you to life,” CNN reported Judge Penney S. Azcarate said.
Banfield, 40, and au pair Juliana Peres Magalhães, 26, were having an affair. They lured a stranger, Joseph Ryan, to participate in a rape fantasy in the couple’s home, and when he arrived and startled Christine Banfield, 37, Brendan Banfield shot him and then stabbed his wife to death.
Peres Magalhães, from Brazil, helped him with the plot and watched the killings happen. She accepted a plea deal in 2024 to involuntary manslaughter for her testimony against Brendan Banfield. While the deal was for time served, Azcarate sentenced her to 10 years, the maximum.
“Your actions were deliberate, self-serving and demonstrated a profound disregard for human life,” Azcarate said. “So let’s get 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. May it weigh heavily on your soul.”
Brendan Banfield maintained his innocence throughout the trial. He testified that he was only protecting his wife, who was being stabbed by Ryan. He was also given two consecutive prison sentences for a firearms offense and child endangerment because the couple’s 4-year-old daughter was in the basement at the time.
Peres Magalhães testified that Brendan Banfield wanted to be with her but he didn’t want to pay for a divorce or share custody of their daughter.
Danielle, Christine Banfield’s sister, gave a victim impact statement.
“He could have divorced and moved on, but divorce would have required relinquishing control, and control was always the priority. His actions were not driven by love, but a desire for power, deception, and a complete disregard for the lives he destroyed.”
Joseph Ryan’s mother, Deirdre Fisher, spoke in the court virtually for medical reasons, NBC News reported.
“Brendan will remain known as an abusive father, the brutal murderer of his dedicated and compassionate, beautiful wife, and a narcissistic killer of an innocent man,” she said.
