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. 

3:47 P.M.: Judge denies Defense' motion to have the case thrown out

Carroll is trying to have aur pair Juliana Magalhães' testimony thrown out as unreliable and not "worthy of consideration."

"We don't have any sense of what happened on that day even in the light most favorable to the Commonwealth," Carroll said.

The judge dismissed the motion.

The defense says they'll be calling between three and five witnesses.

3:14 P.M.: Court in recess ahead of final witness for the prosecution

The final witness for the prosecution is expected to testify around 3:30 p.m. after a break.

During the redirect, prosecutors asked Graff about the position of Joseph Ryan's body, hinting that it may have been tampered with after he died. Graff couldn't confirm one way or the other, but said it was unlikely the body would fall naturally in the position it was found in.

2:50 P.M.: Prosecution on the redirect

After some tense back and forth with Carroll over specifics of the analysis, the prosecution is back with Graff for a redirect.

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.

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