Virginia man convicted of aggravated murder in wife’s killing tied to au pair affair

A Fairfax County jury found Brendan Banfield guilty of aggravated murder for the February 2023 killings of his wife Christine Banfield and Joseph Ryan in their Herndon home, along with firearm use in a felony and child endangerment; sentencing is scheduled for May 8. Prosecutors said Banfield, who was having an affair with the family’s au pair Juliana Magalhães, helped orchestrate a scheme to lure Ryan to the house and kill Christine, then frame Ryan, though the defense contends the catfishing theory lacks corroboration.