Photos reveal Virginia nanny took slain wife’s place in master bedroom weeks after love triangle murders

WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT

The Virginia proceedings of Brendan Banfield, the ex-IRS cause accused of sidesplitting his woman and a alien arsenic portion of an elaborate strategy to screen up his extramarital matter with the family’s nanny, entered its 3rd time of grounds connected Thursday, with jurors proceeding however the hubby and begetter rapidly moved his mistress into the couple’s chamber soon aft the deaths. 

Banfield is charged with aggravated execution successful the February 2023 killings of his wife, Christine Banfield, and Joseph Ryan wrong their location successful Herndon, Virginia, an affluent suburb of Washington, D.C. Prosecutors allege helium orchestrated the killings to screen up his narration with the family’s au pair, Juliana Peres Magalhães. 

Magalhães has since pleaded blameworthy to the lesser complaint of manslaughter successful October 2024 and volition beryllium sentenced aft Banfield's trial. 

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Brendan Banfield looks connected during his treble execution proceedings successful Fairfax County Circuit Court, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, successful Fairfax, Va. (AP Photo/Tom Brenner, Pool)

On Thursday, jurors heard from Fairfax County Sgt. Kenner Fortner, who testified that helium entered the location soon aft the killings successful February 2023, wherever helium photographed "red, lingerie-style covering items" and a yellowish T-shirt with greenish trim successful Magalhães’ chamber closet. 

When helium returned to Banfield's location 8 months later, helium noticed the items – on with a framed representation of Banfield and Magalhães – had been moved into the superior bedroom, wherever prosecutors accidental the murders occurred, pointing to the aforesaid yellowish T-shirt with greenish trim. 

Fairfax County Sgt. Kenner Fortner testified that months aft the killings of Christine Banfield and Joseph Ryan, helium returned to the location to find Juliana Peres Magalhães’ idiosyncratic items moved into the maestro chamber Christine and Brendan Banfield antecedently shared. Fortner pointed to a photograph connected the couple’s nightstand that showed Banfield and Magalhães smiling for a picture. (FOX 5)

"They had gotten caller flooring, caller chamber furniture," Fortner testified. "Pictures that had erstwhile featured Brendan and Christine had been taken down and replaced with Brendan and Juliana together." 

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Fairfax County Sgt. Kenner Fortner testified successful the execution proceedings of Brendan Banfield that erstwhile helium archetypal entered the family’s location soon aft the February 2023 murders, helium noticed "red, lingerie-style covering items" and a yellowish T-shirt with greenish trim successful Juliana Peres Magalhães’ chamber closet. (FOX 5)

Fairfax County Sgt. Kenner Fortner aboriginal testified successful the execution proceedings of Brendan Banfield that erstwhile helium returned to the family’s location 8 months later, the "red, lingerie-style covering items" and a yellowish T-shirt with greenish trim belonging to Juliana Peres Magalhães had been moved into the maestro chamber Banfield antecedently shared with his deceased wife, Christine Banfield. (FOX 5)

Jurors past heard from Det. Terry Leach, the pb transgression country detective assigned to the case, who testified that helium arrived connected country to find some Ryan and Christine’s lifeless bodies successful the maestro bedroom. 

As Leach was performing his archetypal investigation, helium located a weapon tucked into the furniture and 2 handguns, which helium aboriginal determined had been moved from their archetypal positions aft authorities arrived connected country and began trying to resuscitate Ryan. 

"The weapon was recovered underneath the blankets, betwixt the borderline of the broad successful the bed," Leach said. "[The] lone happening we could spot erstwhile we arrived was the handle. And the weapon was connected its backside – truthful it's leaf up – and past the grip is towards the bed."

Det. Terry Leach, the pb transgression country detective assigned to the case, testified that erstwhile helium arrived astatine the transgression scene, helium located a weapon tucked into the furniture and 2 handguns, which helium aboriginal determined had been moved from their archetypal positions aft authorities arrived connected country and began trying to resuscitate Joseph Ryan. (FOX 5)

Additionally, the prosecution called Matthew Niederriter, a salesman who told the tribunal that helium was hired by Banfield to instal triple-pane windows passim the location successful August 2022, with the existent enactment taking spot aboriginal the aforesaid year. 

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Det. Terry Leach, the pb transgression country detective assigned to the case, testified that erstwhile helium arrived astatine the transgression scene, helium located a weapon tucked into the furniture and 2 handguns, which helium aboriginal determined had been moved from their archetypal positions aft authorities arrived connected country and began trying to resuscitate Joseph Ryan. (FOX 5)

Nierderriter testified that portion astir customers are good with lone purchasing double-pane windows, Banfield was specifically funny successful installing triple-pane windows passim the house. 

"When idiosyncratic goes to a triple pane, that's different level," Nierderriter said. "And that is simply a benignant of level wherever they're trying to bash much than conscionable support the location from the sun." 

On cross-examination, defence lawyer John Carroll asked the salesman if Banfield had inquired astir noise-cancellation related to a adjacent occurrence presumption oregon Washington Dulles International Airport erstwhile purchasing the windows, to which Nierderriter answered, "no."

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Juliana Peres Magalhães testifies during the treble execution proceedings for Brendan Banfield successful Fairfax County Circuit Court, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, successful Fairfax, Va. (AP Photo/Tom Brenner, Pool)

Earlier this week, Magalhães told jurors that Banfield had installed the windows successful an effort to disguise the screams during the murders, going arsenic acold arsenic to tally experiments successful which Magalhães yelled from wrong the location portion Banfield investigated if she could beryllium heard from the outside. 

The prosecution besides played surveillance video from a Herndon McDonald’s, wherever Banfield could beryllium seen wrong his conveyance successful the restaurant’s drive-through.

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Magalhães antecedently testified that she and Banfield lured Ryan to the location nether the guise of a consensual rape phantasy aft posing arsenic Christine connected a fetish website, successful an effort to marque his wife’s decease look arsenic though she was being attacked by a location intruder. 

Jurors successful Brendan Banfield’s execution proceedings were shown surveillance video of Banfield successful a adjacent McDonald’s drive-through soon earlier the alleged murders of his wife, Christine Banfield, and Joseph Ryan. (FOX 5)

According to Magalhães, Banfield went to a adjacent McDonald’s and awaited her telephone that Ryan had arrived astatine the location earlier returning to sprout the antheral and stab his woman to death.

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"After calling Christine, I called Brendan, and past helium picked up the telephone and I was telling him, ‘Stay away, there's idiosyncratic unusual and travel to the house, I'm scared,'" Magalhães said. "He told maine to enactment there. He volition beryllium coming home, and helium volition effort to telephone Christine." 

Christine Banfield was stabbed to decease successful the chamber of her Fairfax County, Virginia, home. (Facebook)

The calls were corroborated by logs pulled from the couple’s cellphones, successful which prosecutors pointed retired respective calls made betwixt Banfield and Magalhães portion helium was astatine the McDonald’s.

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According to the prosecution, Banfield allegedly staged the transgression country to look arsenic though it was a location invasion, with Magalhães past calling 911 to archer authorities Ryan was an intruder who had stabbed his wife. 

Banfield's lawyer did not respond to Fox News Digital's petition for comment.

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If convicted, Banfield would look the anticipation of beingness successful prison. The proceedings is expected to past 4 weeks. Court sessions volition statesman astatine 10 a.m. each time and tally Monday done Thursday, according to tribunal administrators.

Fox News Digital's Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report.