Brendan Banfield Trial LIVE UPDATES: Testimony continues Tuesday

FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. - The high‑profile murder trial of Brendan Banfield resumes Tuesday in Fairfax County, where prosecutors are down to their final witnesses.

Find live updates below. Watch the trial live in the player above, on FOX LOCAL, FOX 5 DC's YouTube page and on TikTok. 

Banfield Murder Trial: Testimony to continue Tuesday

The high-profile Brendan Banfield murder trial resumes Tuesday in Fairfax County.

1:48 P.M.: Defense tackles blood splatter analysis

Defense attorney John Carroll has started his cross-examination of Graff, looking over the blood evidence from the crime scene.

12:45 P.M.: Cross-examination beginning after break

Court is recessed until 1:45 p.m., at which point the defense will cross-examine Graff. Most of the testimony this morning has centered on the minutiae of blood splatter at the scene. Defense says cross-examination will likely be just as long, if not longer, meaning it will likely take the rest of the day.

10:53 A.M.: Forensic analysis

The first person testifying this morning is Iris Dalley Graff, a forensic analyst discussing evidence at the scene, including blood analysis and the autopsy reports.

10:00 A.M.: 

The backstory:

Banfield is accused of killing his wife, Christine Banfield, and Joseph Ryan, allegedly to continue a romantic relationship with the couple’s au pair, Juliana Magalhães.

Brendan Banfield Trial: First week ends with testimonies from au pair, detective, new evidence

The jury returns Tuesday after a packed week of testimony. Jurors watched surveillance video showing Banfield at a McDonald’s the morning of Feb. 24, 2023. Call logs show Magalhães phoned him that morning. Prosecutors say the murders happened shortly afterward.

Magalhães testified that Banfield had talked about a plan to "get rid of" his wife, while detectives walked jurors through the crime‑scene investigation. DNA experts said several bloodstains contained a mixture of Christine Banfield’s and Joseph Ryan’s DNA, including one spot at the base of the knife.

Banfield murder trial resumes Tuesday in Fairfax County

FOX 5 DC's David Kaplan has the latest in the trial of Brendan Banfield, who is accused of killing his wife and another man, allegedly to continue a relationship with the family’s au pair.

Prosecutors are working to prove Ryan was shot in the head before Christine was stabbed. Banfield’s DNA was not found on the murder weapon.

It’s unclear who will take the stand next, but neighbors, Banfield’s mother, and relatives of Joseph Ryan remain on the witness list.

Banfield murder trial: Former au pair testifies that ex lover plotted to kill wife