The Photo on the Nightstand That Could Convict Brendan Banfield

Day three of the Brendan Banfield double murder trial delivered explosive testimony from Fairfax County detectives who revealed that just eight months after Christine Banfield was stabbed to death in her own bedroom, au pair Juliana Peres Magalhães had moved into that same room. Crime scene photographs showed the blood-stained carpet had been replaced with new wood flooring, the furniture swapped out, and framed photos of Brendan and Christine replaced with images of Brendan and Juliana together.

Prosecutors played McDonald's surveillance video showing Brendan Banfield waiting in the parking lot on the morning of February 24, 2023 — exactly as Juliana testified. Phone records confirmed she called him at 7:37 AM, allegedly signaling that Joseph Ryan had arrived at the house. Call logs also showed both Brendan and Juliana made calls to Christine's phone that morning — the same phone prosecutors say was hidden in a kitchen drawer while she slept.

Forensic scientist Katherine Colombo testified that Brendan Banfield's DNA was not found on the murder knife, but noted police allowed him to wash his hands before samples were collected. Blood spatter on Banfield's jeans matched Christine's DNA. Fingerprint examiner Douglas Gudakunst said prints on the knife were inconclusive between Banfield and victim Joseph Ryan.

Prosecutors also established that Banfield purchased a gun less than a month before the murders and took Juliana to a shooting range twice in the weeks prior. They alleged he spent over $30,000 on triple-pane windows to muffle sounds like gunshots from inside the home.

The prosecution announced they have only a few witnesses remaining. Trial resumes Tuesday, January 20th after the MLK holiday weekend.

#BrendanBanfield #AuPairAffair #ChristineBanfield #JulianaMagalhaes #FairfaxCounty #MurderTrial #TrueCrime #JosephRyan #FetLife #DoubleHomicide

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This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.