After Committing a Horrific Attack, Where Are Brendan Banfield and Au Pair Juliana Now?

Content warning: This article mentions allegations of sexual assault and murder.

In 2023, Juliana Peres Magalhães was arrested for murder involving the Banfield family, for whom she worked as an au pair. The victims were matriarch Christine Banfield and a man named Joseph Ryan. Christine's husband, Brendan Banfield, was taken into custody in 2024 for the same crime. Now, Juliana and Brendan are speaking out, and their stories don't align.

Originally, the authorities were told that Ryan had broken into the Banfield home and attacked Christine. Upon coming home, Brendan Banfield allegedly saw Ryan stabbing his wife, Christine, so he shot Ryan to defend her. It was later alleged that Magalhães and Banfield were having an affair and orchestrated the scene so Christine would die and Brendan wouldn't get blamed. The alleged plot left Ryan as a victim of both murder and slander, as he was portrayed as a rapist and murderer.

According to a Dateline video posted by NBC News, Magalhães painted a picture for the authorities that she's now claiming was untrue. During a police interview, the former au pair claimed she and Banfield came home to find Ryan attacking Christine. She told a version of events that depicted herself and Brendan as acting in self-defense and defense of Christine.

Magalhães said, "Brendan said, uh, 'Drop the knife, please drop the knife,' that's what I heard. And that strange guy, he was saying, 'drop the gun, drop the gun,' They were yelling at each other. ... Brendan shot him. ... He [Ryan] was reacting, so he was going to do something to Brendan also. And then I shot him also. I did." Magalhães's story has changed significantly, as she is now alleging that the whole thing was a lie.

She now claims that she and Banfield wanted to be together, but he didn't want to divorce his wife due to fear of losing custody of his child. According to Magalhães, she and Banfield made a profile on a BDSM website, using Christine's photo, and catfished Ryan into thinking Christine wanted to meet him. It's worth noting that Ryan was led to believe Christine had a violent intimacy fetish, hence his arriving at her home with a knife and presumably being undeterred by her rejecting his advances.

As for Banfield, he maintains that the original version of events is closer to the truth. While he admits to the affair, he alleges that Magalhães came up with the plot on her own, and he was unaware of any plans to get Christine out of the picture. If true, that would mean Banfield did believe that shooting Ryan was an act of defense.

On Feb. 2, Banfield was found guilty of two counts of aggravated murder, use of a firearm in a felony, and child endangerment, as his daughter was in the house when the murders took place. While he won't be officially sentenced until May 8, Banfield faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole.

On Feb. 13, Magalhães was sentenced to 10 years in prison for voluntary manslaughter, which is the maximum penalty for this particular crime. She tried to get a plea deal in exchange for testifying against Banfield, but Judge Penney S. Azcarate rejected the request for a lighter sentence. According to CNN, Judge Azcarate told the defendant, "Your actions were deliberate, self-serving, and demonstrated a profound disregard for human life ... May it weigh heavily on your soul."