Brendan Banfield Trial: Opening statements Tuesday in murder case tied to alleged au pair affair

FAIRFAX, Va. - The murder trial of Brendan Banfield is now underway in Fairfax County, with opening statements set for Tuesday after a jury was seated Monday.

Banfield is accused of killing his wife and another man amid what prosecutors describe as an affair with the family’s au pair.

FOX 5’s Melanie Alnwick reports jury selection lasted about three hours. Sixteen Fairfax County residents - 12 jurors and four alternates - were chosen and will spend the next four weeks hearing some of the darkest details of the case.

Banfield, 40, a former IRS agent, appeared in court wearing a jacket and tie and was not handcuffed.

Watch live, ongoing coverage of the jury selection and trial on YouTube, FOX LOCAL and on the FOX 5 DC TikTok page.

He is charged with aggravated murder in the February 2023 deaths of his wife, Christine Banfield, and Joseph Ryan at the couple’s northern Virginia home. He has pleaded not guilty.

READ MORE: Jury seated as Brendan Banfield murder trial gets underway

Court records say Banfield and the family’s au pair, Juliana Peres Magalhães, were with Christine and Ryan in the primary bedroom the morning they were killed. Investigators say the pair initially told police they saw Ryan, whom they described as a stranger, stab Christine after entering the home, and that both then shot him.

Prosecutors say Banfield and Magalhães lured Ryan to the house and staged the scene to make it appear they shot an intruder in self‑defense. Authorities say the two had been romantically involved since the year before the killings.

Both were arrested between 2023 and 2024 and originally faced murder charges. Magalhães later pleaded guilty to a reduced manslaughter charge after giving a statement that supported parts of the prosecution’s theory.

Judge Penney Azcarate allowed few hardship excuses during jury selection for the four‑week trial. Some dismissed candidates told FOX 5 they were relieved to be excused.

Many potential jurors said they had little or no prior knowledge of the case. Those who did were dismissed. Remaining candidates were questioned about their views on police, infidelity and whether they could remain impartial if evidence involved bondage, domination or sadomasochism.

Banfield has been in custody for more than a year and faces life in prison if convicted. He appeared attentive throughout jury selection.

Opening statements begin Tuesday, offering the first look at how prosecutors and defense attorneys plan to frame the case.

READ MORE: Husband charged in double homicide after alleged affair with au pair on trial in Virginia