In Fairfax County Circuit Court, on the first day of defense arguments, Brendan Banfield’s attorneys sought to have the charges against him dismissed. They argued that prosecutors knowingly presented false testimony throughout the case. Banfield faces aggravated murder charges in connection with the 2023 deaths of his wife, Christine Banfield, and another man, Joseph Ryan. Prosecutors allege that Brendan conspired with the family’s au pair, Juliana Peres Magalhães, to kill his wife and frame Ryan.
During the proceedings, defense attorney John Carroll filed a motion to dismiss the case after the prosecution rest rested its arguments. Carroll pointed to a report from Detective Brendan Miller, who testified for the defense, indicating that an email account and a profile on a website for arranging sexual encounters were created by Christine Banfield. Peres Magalhães later confessed to law enforcement that she was responsible for these accounts, which was revealed after Miller had provided his report.
When questioned, Miller confirmed that he identified Christine’s phone as the one used to create the account, noting that he had found no evidence suggesting she relinquished control over her devices. However, upon learning of Peres Magalhães’ admission, his conclusions shifted.
Miller responded affirmatively when prosecutor Jenna Sands questioned him about his use of the language attributing actions to Christine in his report, while also acknowledging the difficulty of determining who was active on a device at all times without additional corroborating evidence. The presiding Judge Penney Azcarate ultimately denied the defense’s request to dismiss the case based on claims of false prosecution.
The defense then shifted focus to video from police body cameras that documented the immediate aftermath of the killings, including Brendan Banfield’s reaction upon discovering his wife’s death. They introduced a blood spatter analyst, LeeAnn Singley, who disputed earlier prosecution testimony claiming that blood drops found on Ryan’s arm had been dripped from above. Singley stated that there wasn’t enough information to conclusively determine the mechanism of the blood transfer.
During her cross-examination, Singley conceded that although she did not agree with the prosecution’s conclusion, it remained possible that the blood droplets could have dripped onto Ryan.
The trial is set to resume Thursday morning at 9:30 a.m., with a possibility of carrying on into Friday due to an impending snowstorm that has raised concerns about court operations and juror availability.