Au Pair Pleads Guilty to Double Murder in Virginia

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA. – Juliana Perez Magalhaes, 24, pleaded guilty to manslaughter Tuesday in connection with the Feb. 24, 2023, shooting death of Joseph Ryan, 39, in Herndon, Virginia.

Ryan, a Springfield resident, was killed in the home where Magalhães lived and worked as an au pair for Brendan and Christine Banfield.

Magalhães was arrested on October 19, 2023, and charged with second-degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. She has been in custody since her arrest. On September 16, 2024, a grand jury indicted Brendan Banfield, 39, on four counts of aggravated murder and one count of using a firearm in the commission of a felony in the deaths of Christina Banfield, 37, and Joseph Ryan.

Authorities say the murders were part of a scheme between Magalhães and Brendan Banfield, who reportedly began a romantic relationship in August 2022. Six months before the murders, Magalhães and Banfield traveled to New York together and took romantic photos, authorities said. Fairfax County Deputy District Attorney Eric Clingan.

Magalhães faces up to 10 years in prison on the manslaughter charge and is scheduled to be sentenced on March 21, 2025. Banfield’s trial is scheduled for February 3, 2025. He faces life in prison on the aggravated murder charge.

Commonwealth Office photographic evidence from Brendan Banfield’s bail hearing