A month after a judge rejected Brendan Banfield’s motion to toss out his February murder conviction, Banfield’s lawyer is working on another effort through the Court of Appeals of Virginia.
Brandon Sloane filed notice Friday that he will be filing an appeal.
Banfield is serving a life prison sentence in connection with the 2023 stabbing death of his wife, Christine, and the deadly shooting of a stranger named Joseph Ryan in the Banfields’ Ashburn home.
Prosecutors said Banfield was romantically involved with the family’s au pair, Juliana Peres Magalhães, and that the duo plotted to lure Ryan to the house and kill Christine in an elaborate catfishing scheme that would enable Brendan to be with Magalhães without the complications of a divorce.
“Brendan and Juliana went into the house, leaving the daughter in the basement, and confronted Mr. Ryan and Christine in the bedroom. Brendan, a law enforcement agent with the IRS, shot Mr. Ryan in the head with his service weapon. Juliana also shot Mr. Ryan in the chest with another pistol,” prosecutors said in a statement following Brendan’s conviction.
Banfield has called the allegations against him “absolutely crazy.” In his telling, Ryan stabbed Christine, and Magalhães shot Ryan in self-defense.
The high-profile case captured the attention of people worldwide. Magalhães pleaded guilty to manslaughter, and Banfield was convicted on murder and child-endangerment charges after a three-week trial.
Prior to his June sentencing, Banfield’s attorneys tried to have the verdict tossed, arguing prosecutors violated his due-process rights when they mentioned his refusal to speak to police after the murders.
They also said Magalhães, who testified against Banfield as part of her plea deal, lied when she said she didn’t know the answers to questions raised during her cross-examination.
But Fairfax County Circuit Court chief judge Penney Azarcate rejected those arguments, letting the verdict stand.
Court documents detailing Banfield’s latest arguments for overturning his conviction and sentence will be released at a later date.
Banfield’s attorney has not responded to WTOP’s request for comment.
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