The Brazilian au pair who plotted with her lover to kill his wife and another man in Herndon, Virginia, in 2023 was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison.
Fairfax County Chief Circuit Court Judge Penney Azcarate sentenced Juliana Peres Magalhães to the maximum penalty allowed for manslaughter in Virginia, breaking from the recommendation made by the commonwealth and the au pair’s attorney.
“Let’s get straight, you do not deserve anything other than incarceration and a life of reflection on what you have done to the victim and this family,” Azcarate said. “May it weigh heavily on your soul.”
Magalhães pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the death of Joseph Ryan, who prosecutors say was lured to the Banfield home in February 2023 as part of a plot to frame him for murder.
Under the terms of her plea deal, Magalhães’ attorney and prosecutors agreed to recommend a sentence of time served in exchange for her cooperation and testimony. But Azcarate exercised her authority to reject that recommendation.
During Banfield’s trial, Magalhães testified about their affair and the plan to kill his wife and pin her murder on Ryan.
Before her sentence was passed down, Magalhães’ attorney argued that testimony was integral to convicting Banfield in the aggravated murders of his wife, Christine Banfield, and Ryan.
“The Commonwealth had circumstantial evidence, forensic evidence, electronic forensic evidence, digital forensic evidence and others,” he said. “But it was Juliana who ultimately told the story firsthand of what occurred, because that decision was integral in the jury’s decision.”
Why judge deviated from recommended sentence
The au pair told the court she teamed up with Banfield to make an account on a fetish website impersonating Christine. They used the account to message Ryan and invite him to the home with promises of rough sex.
She had initially been charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of Ryan, but the au pair took the plea deal in October 2024.
Azcarate called that deal a “bargain” for Magalhães as it downgraded the charge against her to manslaughter.
“You could have been facing life, plus three years, and now the maximum I can sentence you to today is 10 years,” she said. “That’s clearly a trade for your cooperation with the commonwealth.”
Azcarate said the au pair shot Ryan shot him “point blank in the heart” as he laid moaning and watched as Banfield stabbed his wife.
“The facts of this case demonstrate an intentional and calculated level of violence that is the most serious manslaughter scenario that this court has ever seen,” she said.
For a year and a half after the killings, the judge said Magalhães shared a fabricated story that depicted Ryan as a rapist and a murderer.
“Until today, you have shown no empathy for the victim in this case,” Azcarate said.
During the hearing, Azcarate listed off her ten reasons for sentencing Magalhães to additional time in prison.
“Number 10, telling the child it was OK to call you mommy hours after the murder, your actions were deliberate self serving and demonstrated a profound disregard for human life,” Azcarate said.
Banfield’s attorney has questioned Magalhães’ motives for cooperating with investigators, saying she told prosecutors what they wanted to hear.
Magalhães has said that she confessed to share the truth — not as an attempt to be freed from jail.
Banfield is scheduled to be sentenced May 8. He faces life in prison with no chance of parole.
In addition to the murder charges, Banfield was also found guilty of use of a firearm in the commission of a felony and child endangerment, as his 4-year-old child was home during the killings.
WTOP’s Abigail Constantino and Thomas Robertson contributed to this report.
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