Juliana Peres Magalhaes.Photo:Fairfax County Police Department
Fairfax County Police Department
The February 2023 deaths of a mother and an unrelated man has led to amurder charge against an au pair, but in the months since, the case has seen a number of strange turns.
Police said, per anNBC Washingtonreport, the au pair said she and Banfield’s husband were out that morning and when she returned to the home, she saw a car she didn’t recognize. She in turn called the husband, who came to the house.
Nearly seven months after Ryan and Banfield were killed, Peres Magalhaes, a native of Brazil, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder, with authorities alleging that she fatally shot Ryan. No one has been charged in connection with Banfield’s death.
Christine Banfield.Christine Banfield/Facebook
Christine Banfield/Facebook
Further, prosecutors have alleged that Magalhaes was having an affair with Banfield’s husband, who has not been charged with a crime.
At that hearing in December, Peres Magalhaes’ attorney argued that the easiest theory to accept regarding the fetish site was that Banfield was the one messaging with Ryan, WTOP reported.
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During a subsequent hearing held Monday, April 1, prosecutors claimed that Banfield’s husband and the au pair went to a shooting range months before the shooting, and that the husband had returned to the range to buy a gun, according to the report from NBC.
Peres Magalhaes attorney’s have previously claimed that she shot Ryan in self-defense, according to reports. They also claimed that the husband told her to shoot the man,WUSAreported.
NBC reported detectives have said the au pair and the husband had previously said Ryan was attacking Banfield, which led to the husband firing at Ryan.
At Monday’s hearing, Banfield’s husband was called to the stand and invoked his Fifth Amendment rights, WTOP and NBC reported.
source: people.com
