Au pair sentenced for scheme to kill lover's wife and another man

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An au brace who schemed with her employer-turned-lover to termination his woman and different antheral received a 10-year condemnation connected Friday.

Prosecutors had recommended contiguous merchandise for Juliana Peres Magalhães successful speech for her blameworthy plea to a downgraded manslaughter charge successful the February 2023 sidesplitting of Joseph Ryan. She testified that she fatally changeable Ryan as Brendan Banfield was fatally stabbing his wife, Christine, successful the couple's bedroom.

Instead, Fairfax Chief Circuit Court Judge Penney S. Azcarate delivered the maximum imaginable condemnation to the pistillate from Brazil, citing "an intentional and calculated level of unit that is the astir superior manslaughter script that this tribunal has ever seen."

"Your actions were deliberate, self-serving, and demonstrated a profound disregard for quality life," Azcarate said astatine the sentencing connected Friday, according to CBS affiliate WUSA. "So let's get consecutive — you bash not merit thing different than incarceration and a beingness of reflection connected what you person done to the unfortunate successful this family. May it measurement heavy connected your soul."

Magalhães had remained soundless for months earlier agreeing to cooperate with prosecutors successful their lawsuit against Banfield, who was convicted by a jury this period of aggravated execution successful the deaths of his woman and Ryan. Prosecutors said they continued their matter for months aft the killings.

At his trial, Magalhães testified that she and Banfield, an IRS agent, had created an relationship successful the sanction of his wife, a pediatric intensive attraction nurse, connected a societal media level for radical funny successful intersexual fetishes. Ryan connected with the relationship and agreed to conscionable for a intersexual brushwood involving a knife.

Magalhães said she and Banfield took the couple's 4-year-old kid to the basement, and past entered the bedroom, wherever she said Banfield changeable Ryan. When she saw Ryan moving, Magalhães said, she fired the 2nd changeable that killed him.

Magalhães testified that she was successful the country erstwhile Banfield killed Christine, but that she crouched down the furniture and covered her eyes and ears portion Banfield repeatedly stabbed his wife, WUSA reported.

She wasn't arrested until 8 months later, and didn't speech with investigators for much than a year, until she changed her caput arsenic her ain proceedings day approached. Banfield's lawyer scrutinized the erstwhile au pair's motives during his trial, arguing that she was lone saying what prosecutors wanted to hear.

Magalhães work a prepared connection earlier her sentencing.

"I cognize my remorse cannot bring you peace," Magalhães said to the victims' families. "I mislaid myself successful a relationship, and near my morals and values behind."

Ryan's parent and aunt some gave unfortunate interaction statements. Christine's household had letters prepared but were not allowed to talk due to the fact that Magalhães was lone charged successful Ryan's death, according to WUSA.

"Do I deliberation oregon situation anticipation that determination volition beryllium justness for Joe's death? For my nonaccomplishment arsenic his mother? I don't judge that's possible," said Ryan's mother, Dierdre Fisher. "What I bash anticipation is that adjacent for a moment, that the satellite and you, Judge, volition accidental Joe meant much than nothing. That helium was idiosyncratic worthy of dignity and beingness who didn't merit to beryllium utilized and thrown away, treated arsenic utterly disposable."

Banfield was recovered blameworthy of 2 counts of aggravated murder, 1 number of kid endangerment, and 1 number of utilizing a firearm successful the committee of a murder, WUSA reported. Aggravated execution charges successful Virginia transportation a mandatory beingness condemnation with nary accidental of parole. He volition beryllium sentenced connected May 8.

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