The mental state and motivations of the Brazilian au pair who is testifying against her former employer were under the microscope in the second day of his double-murder trial.
Brendan Banfield, 40, is accused of murder in the February 2023 deaths of his wife, Christine Banfield, and a stranger, Joseph Ryan. Prosecutors in Fairfax County, Virginia, have accused Banfield of setting up an elaborate scheme to frame Ryan with his wife's death to avoid a divorce amid his affair with his daughter's au pair.
He has pleaded not guilty; if he is convicted, he could face up to life in prison.
Juliana Peres Magalhaes, 25, the former au pair, pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter as part of a 2024 deal with prosecutors. Her testimony at Brendan Banfield's trial has accused him of trying to avoid a divorce as their affair developed.
Peres Magalhaes alleged that she and Brendan Banfield used Christine Banfield's laptop to set up a fake account on FetLife.com, a BDSM and kink community website. She testified that they lured Ryan in through the website and arranged for him to come to the Banfield home for what he believed to be a fake-rape fantasy with Christine Banfield.
She said the two planned to tell police that they shot Ryan after he stabbed Christine Banfield.
Brendan Banfield's defense has contested the prosecution's allegations that he created the fake account purporting to be that of his wife.
Peres Magalhaes was arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder eight months after the incident. In 2024, she pleaded guilty to the downgraded manslaughter charge.
She is expected to be sentenced at the conclusion of Banfield’s trial. Depending on her cooperation with authorities, attorneys have said, she could be sentenced to the time she has already served.
On Wednesday during cross-examination, defense attorney John Carroll questioned Peres Magalhaes' motivation for taking a plea deal. He had her review letters she wrote after her arrest in October 2023.
In one to Brendan Banfield’s mother, Peres Magalhaes was adamant that she would be willing to "take the blame" for the both of them.
"I'd give my life for his, and I would never do anything to hurt him or against him," she wrote. "Whatever they're saying, whatever they want to believe, I don't care. I'll take the blame for the both of us."
Peres Magalhaes told the court that she was in communication with Brendan Banfield’s family in part because they were paying for her attorney.
In another letter presented in court, Peres Magalhaes told Brendan Banfield that she was "not willing to spend life in prison" for something she didn't do. In other letters that were presented, she professed her love to Brendan Banfield.
As time went on, Peres Magalhaes' letters illustrated a frustration with her attorney and Brendan Banfield. She expressed that she was upset with him for not visiting enough and feared spending the rest of her life in prison, according to the letters read in court.
Peres Magalhaes was also asked to read letters she wrote about her depression and suicidal ideation, testifying that she was eventually put on medication.
Just before her trial was scheduled to begin, Peres Magalhaes accepted the plea deal. That followed a health issue that required her to go to a hospital for treatment.
"I withheld the truth for a long time just to myself, and it was a lot for me to deal with, and I just couldn’t do it anymore," Peres Magalhaes testified. "It was too much for me, and I do believe that part, part of me getting sick, it was just one of the factors. There is only so much your brain can take before your body starts responding to the stress, as well.”
In his opening statement, Carroll accused the prosecution of using Peres Magalhaes' vulnerable position as a young immigrant far from her family to flip her against his client.
During the cross-examination, Carroll pressed Peres Magalhaes about why she accepted a plea deal after nearly a year of protesting her innocence and questioned whether the truth hadn't mattered to her. He also noted a letter in which Peres Magalhaes' mother appeared to encourage her to blame Brendan Banfield.
"That was essentially the discussion between you and your mother about telling everyone that Brendan was the one who planned this," Carroll said.
During her testimony, Peres Magalhaes said there were details — including who took Christine Banfield's laptop and the dates of specific conversations — that she couldn't remember.
"I can tell you that the fact that I do not remember some specific details does not mean it's a lie," she said. "I can guarantee that everybody has things in life that they do not remember."
