Brendan Banfield trial: Awaiting verdict as jury continues deliberations

FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. - The fate of Brendan Banfield is now in the hands of a Virginia jury.

What we know:

Jurors began deliberating Friday on whether the former IRS law‑enforcement officer conspired with his family’s Brazilian au pair, with whom he was having an affair, to kill his wife and blame the attack on a stranger.

Their deliberations follow weeks of testimony from key witnesses, including Banfield’s former mistress, Juliana Magalhães.

File Photo. 

READ MORE: Brendan Banfield murder trial: Jury deliberations to continue Monday in au pair affair case

FOX 5’s Melanie Alnwick reports the jury must weigh several charges, including aggravated murder, firearms offenses and child abuse and felony child cruelty. After closing arguments, jurors were dismissed for the weekend with a lot to consider.

Defense attorney John Carroll spoke for about 90 minutes, telling jurors Banfield acted in self‑defense after finding his wife, Christine, being attacked by Joseph Ryan in the master bedroom of their Herndon home. He argued prosecutors rushed to judgment, overlooked conflicting evidence and manipulated Magalhães into testifying against Banfield.

READ MORE: Brendan Banfield takes stand again Thursday; testified he did not plot wife’s killing

Juliana Peres Magalhães

Prosecutors countered that the evidence shows Banfield willfully and deliberately killed both Christine Banfield and Ryan, who they say was set up as a fall guy so Banfield could start a new life with Magalhães.

In her closing argument, prosecutor Jenna Sands said Magalhães’ testimony aligns with the physical evidence and urged jurors to deliver justice for Christine Banfield and Ryan.

What's next:

Banfield faces life in prison without parole if convicted of the most serious charges. Virginia abolished the death penalty in 2021. Magalhães, originally charged with murder, pleaded guilty to a lesser manslaughter charge in 2024.

Brendan Banfield Trial