FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. — Former IRS special agent Brendan Banfield was sentenced Friday to consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole for the premeditated murders of his wife, Christine Banfield, and a stranger he and his au pair lover lured to their home in a twisted plot to stage a home invasion.

Banfield, 41, was convicted in February 2026 of two counts of aggravated murder and related charges following a three-week trial in Fairfax County Circuit Court. Prosecutors described the February 24, 2023, killings as an elaborate scheme orchestrated with his Brazilian au pair, Juliana Peres Magalhães, with whom he was having an extramarital affair.

The Plot

Banfield and Peres Magalhães allegedly used a fake fetish website profile posing as Christine Banfield to lure 39-year-old Joseph Ryan — a jiujitsu instructor with no prior connection to the family — to their Herndon home under the pretense of a consensual but violent sexual fantasy. Once Ryan arrived, Banfield shot and killed him, then stabbed his 37-year-old wife, a pediatric ICU nurse, multiple times in the neck.

The couple attempted to stage the scene as a home invasion gone wrong. Their young daughter was asleep in the home at the time of the murders.

Sentencing and Co-Defendant

Fairfax County prosecutors called Banfield’s actions “evil” and highlighted his lack of remorse during the sentencing hearing. Banfield plans to appeal his conviction.

Peres Magalhães, who cooperated with prosecutors and testified against Banfield, was earlier sentenced to the maximum 10 years in prison for her role after pleading guilty to manslaughter. The judge rejected the prosecution’s initial recommendation of time served.

Christine Banfield’s family described her as a loving mother and dedicated nurse, expressing relief at the life sentence while mourning the devastating loss. Joseph Ryan’s loved ones also spoke of the profound tragedy of his death as an innocent victim lured into a deadly trap.

The case, widely known as the “au pair affair” murders, shocked the Northern Virginia community and drew national attention due to the calculated nature of the crime and Banfield’s background as a federal law enforcement officer.

Brendan Banfield will spend the rest of his natural life behind bars.