Brazilian au pair charged in double homicide pleads guilty to manslaughter

A Brazilian au brace who fell successful emotion pinch an IRS supplier pleaded blameworthy to manslaughter connected Tuesday successful what prosecutors opportunity was an elaborate double-murder strategy to framework different man successful nan stabbing of his wife.

For months aft nan killings connected Feb. 24, 2023, it mightiness person seemed arsenic if Juliana Peres Magalhães and the IRS agent, Brendan Banfield, sewage distant pinch murders, according to caller specifications prosecutors revealed successful tribunal to support her blameworthy plea. CBS affiliate WUSA-TV reported that successful tribunal connected Tuesday, prosecutors recommended a condemnation of clip served, but asked to clasp disconnected connected nan sentencing until aft Brendan Banfield's proceedings to spot really cooperative Peres Magalhaes is successful that case. 

Christine Banfield, a pediatric intensive attraction caregiver pinch a 4-year-old daughter, had been mortally wounded pinch stab wounds to her neck, and Brendan Banfield, her husband, and their live-in nanny had some changeable her evident slayer - a man who had been lured to nan chamber pinch promises of unsmooth sex.

Magalhães had called 911 to nan location successful Herndon, Virginia, and was hyperventilating astatine nan segment arsenic she described nan killings.

Detectives weren't buying it — but it took clip to build their case. Meanwhile, nan live-in au brace moved into nan superior chamber pinch Banfield, and posted photos of them arsenic a couple, authorities said. When she was arrested successful October 2023, a image of herself pinch Brendan Banfield was connected nan nightstand. She has been down bars since then. 

And past arsenic she remained successful jailhouse for much than a twelvemonth thereafter, she declined to opportunity thing more.

A long-awaited forensics study connected nan humor spatter grounds past came in, and prosecutors said it showed that Brendan Banfield had smeared humor from Christine Banfield's wounds onto nan assemblage of Joe Ryan, nan man they had tried to framework for stabbing her. CBS affiliate WUSA-TV reported reported that Banfield was arrested and charged pinch second-degree execution successful Ryan's killing.

Banfield's lawyer, John F. Carroll, said successful tribunal earlier he was denied bail successful September that nan grounds "just doesn't adhd up" to him sidesplitting his wife.

In October, Magalhães agreed to cooperate pinch nan constabulary successful her 2nd question and reply since nan time of nan crime. Days later, connected Tuesday, 2 weeks earlier she was scheduled to spell to proceedings connected charges of second-degree execution and felony firearm use, Magalhães pleaded blameworthy to Ryan's killing, saying she had agreed to thief nan husband's ruse to termination nan woman and make it look for illustration they some changeable a predator. She told prosecutors Brendan Banfield bought a weapon and gave it to nan au brace to use, arsenic good arsenic taking her to nan scope to believe shooting, WUSA-TV reported.

"Are you entering your blameworthy plea because you are successful truth blameworthy of this offense?" Chief Judge Penney Azcarate asked Magalhães earlier accepting her plea to a azygous count of manslaughter, reduced from execution and a firearm offense.

"Yes," she replied, softly.

The sentencing of Magalhães, who was raised successful nan outskirts of Sao Paulo, now awaits nan conclusion of Brendan Banfield's trial. Depending connected her practice pinch authorities, attorneys said successful tribunal that they whitethorn work together for her to beryllium sentenced to nan clip she's already served.

"Much of nan accusation that led to this statement cannot beryllium made nationalist astatine this time, owed to nan upcoming criminal proceedings against nan different suspect successful this matter," Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney Steve Descano said aft tribunal concluded.

Laying retired facts that Magalhães corroborated successful court, prosecutors said that she made respective 911 calls that day. The first lasted a fewer seconds, pinch nary words - conscionable nan sound of someone's guttural moaning successful nan background. Then, astir 15 minutes later, different telephone went through, saying that an intruder had stabbed her friend. Brendan Banfield past took nan phone, saying he had changeable a man who was stabbing his wife.

An officer's body-camera signaling submitted successful tribunal past period shows Magalhães connected her knees successful nan driveway, seemingly flummoxed and incapable to drawback her ain breath.

"There was a batch of blood," Magalhães said while hyperventilating. "Brendan said, 'Please driblet nan knife, driblet nan knife,' because he had a knife."

She later told detectives that she had changeable nan trespasser successful nan thorax erstwhile aft Brendan Banfield changeable him successful nan head. 

But successful tribunal Tuesday, prosecutors alleged that she had been lying arsenic portion of a ruse to lure personification other into nan location to beryllium framed successful nan wife's murder.

Affidavits person said Magalhães began moving for nan Banfields successful precocious 2021. Deputy Commonwealth's Attorney Eric Clingan said successful tribunal that nan au brace and nan hubby began having an matter successful August 2022. Shortly thereafter, Brendan Banfield began plotting to termination his wife, Clingan said.

To screen nan ruse, Clingan alleged that Brendan Banfield created a floor plan for his woman connected a societal networking level for group willing successful intersexual fetishes, and matched her pinch Ryan. Soon, they were chatting done Telegram, an encrypted messaging application, pinch Magalhães pretending to beryllium Christine Banfield connected a sound call. Ryan agreed to travel to nan location for what appeared to beryllium a consensual intersexual encounter.

"At various points earlier nan 24th, Peres Magalhães expressed to Brendan Banfield that she did not judge he would spell done pinch this scheme and, astatine different times she told him she did not want to continue," Clingan said. "But he insisted that it was excessively precocious for her to backmost out."

Clingan said that Magalhães and Brendan Banfield near nan woman successful nan basement and past followed Ryan to nan bedroom, guns successful their hands.

Authorities monitored her telephone conversations astatine nan Fairfax County jail. In 1 telephone past month, Clingan said that Brendan Banfield's mother, who has paid for nan au pair's ineligible defense, discussed nan consequences that 'snitches' successful nan jailhouse would face.

In another, betwixt Brendan Banfield and nan au pair, Magalhães said: "I dream you are not conscionable staying pinch maine because you are acrophobic I'm going to move against you."

In:
• Brazil
• Manslaughter
• Virginia