FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) 鈥� An au pair who schemed with her employer-turned-lover to kill his wife and another man received a 10-year prison sentence on Friday.
Prosecutors had recommended Juliana Peres Magalh茫es walk free after she pleaded guilty to a downgraded manslaughter charge in the February 2023 killing of Joseph Ryan. Instead of being tried for second-degree murder, she became their star witness, testifying that she had fatally shot Ryan as Brendan Banfield was fatally stabbing his wife, Christine, in the couple鈥檚 bedroom.
by a jury this month of aggravated murder in the deaths of his wife and Ryan.
鈥淚 know my remorse cannot bring you peace,鈥� Magalh茫es told the victims’ families on Friday, wiping away tears and muffling sobs. 鈥淚 hope you can someday understand that I really did not believe his plan would actually happen.鈥�
Instead of sentencing her to time served, Judge Penney Azcarate delivered the maximum possible sentence to the woman from Brazil.
“Let鈥檚 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. May it weigh heavily on your soul,鈥� the judge said.
At Banfield’s trial, Magalh茫es testified that she and the IRS agent created an account in the name of his wife, a pediatric intensive care nurse, on a social media platform for people interested in sexual fetishes. Ryan connected with the account and agreed to meet for a sexual encounter involving a knife.
Magalh茫es, then 22, said she and Brendan Banfield took the couple鈥檚 4-year-old child to the basement, and then found Ryan surprising Christine Banfield with a knife in the couple’s bedroom. She said Brendan Banfield shot Ryan and then began stabbing his wife in the neck. When she saw Ryan moving, Magalh茫es said, she fired the second shot that killed him.
The au pair wasn鈥檛 arrested until eight months later, and hasn’t left jail since. Prosecutors raised concerns that if she were to be allowed bail, she would flee to Brazil or be deported by immigration officials before they could finish their case. She , until she changed her mind as her trial date approached.
鈥淚 lost myself in a relationship, and left my morals and values behind,鈥� Magalh茫es told the judge.
鈥淵ou were texting and speaking to Joseph Ryan, encouraging him to bring a knife and ultimately, through the phone conversation, getting his consent, knowing all along you were bringing him to his death,鈥� the judge responded.
Ryan’s mother, Deirdre Fisher, told the court that her son, born days before Christmas, was her 鈥済reatest gift.鈥� Three years after his killing, she can鈥檛 bear taking down their Christmas tree. An urn with Ryan鈥檚 ashes sits in front of the decoration.
鈥淚 say good morning to him each day when I turn on the tree鈥檚 lights,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut of course that鈥檚 not Joe sitting there. He can鈥檛 say 鈥業 love you鈥� back.鈥�
Sangeeta Ryan described her nephew as 鈥渋nquisitive, curious, smart, charming and so dang talkative.鈥� She said he loved martial arts and role-playing with his friends. She also noted that he had moved in with his octogenarian grandmother to care for her.
鈥淗is sudden murder devastated his grandma 鈥� she could no longer live in the family home without Joe,鈥� his aunt said. The woman quietly moved away, hoping to avoid her memories and the reporters knocking at the door.
Christine Banfield’s relatives attended Friday’s hearing. A judge has said Banfield will be sentenced in May.
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