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WATCH: Judge sentences au pair for her role in Fairfax County double murder

February 13, 2026, 2:35 PM

A judge sentenced a former au pair to the maximum penalty allowed for manslaughter Friday as punishment for her role in a plot to kill a woman and another man inside a home in 2023.

Fairfax County Chief Circuit Court Judge Penney Azcarate sentenced Juliana Peres Magalhães to 10 years in prison in the death of Joseph Ryan.

As part of a plea deal, attorneys working on the case had recommended that Magalhães walk free after Friday’s hearing in exchange for her testimony during the trial of Brendan Banfield, with whom Magalhães was having an affair.

But the judge deviated from the recommended sentence, and laid out her reasoning in court.

During Banfield’s trial, Magalhães testified about conspiring with him to kill his wife, Christine, and Ryan. She backed prosecutors’ argument that the two staged an elaborate scheme to lure Ryan to the home to get rid of Banfield’ wife and blame her killing on someone else.

Banfield faces life in prison with no chance of parole after his conviction on both counts of aggravated murder. He 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.

Azcarate scheduled Banfield’s sentencing for May 8.

More coverage of the Brendan Banfield case:

 

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