Christine Banfield Died Under Suspicious Circumstances — What Happened?

Christine Banfield was found stabbed to death inside her home in Herndon, Va., by her nanny on Feb. 24, 2023, but what happened next is even more shocking. A man named Joseph Ryan was also found dead at the scene, except he'd been shot to death.

According to NBC News Washington, the authorities later found a fetish sex website on the Banfield's computer that catered to sexual fantasies involving kinky sex and BDSM. So, what happened?

On Feb. 24, 2023, Christine and Banfield's nanny left the home with the couple's daughter, but she claimed she returned because she forgot her packed lunch. She said she saw a car that she didn't recognize, so she called Christine, who didn't pick up, so she called Brendan, who came straight home. The two told the police that an intruder —Joseph — had stabbed Christine, and that Brendan shot him. Brendan is a law enforcement officer for the IRS, and he claimed he shot Joseph in self-defense.

After the authorities searched the couple's computer and found communication between Joseph and Christine, detectives were suspicious because of her communication style.

Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said he suspected the case would have "a lot of twists and turns."

"I suspected from the very beginning," he said. "And I went to the scene of that double murder, that there was going to be a lot of twists and turns to this investigation. The twists and turns are still ongoing."

The authorities say that Banfield and his daughter's nanny, Magalhães, were having an affair, and they lured Joseph to the home to kill him and blame him for Christine's death in an elaborate plan so they could be together. The nanny denied the affair, but picture frames filled with photos of them together were found in his bedroom, and her lingerie was found in the bedroom as well.

Magalhães later confessed and claimed the plan was Banfield's idea, per WUSA9 News. She accepted a plea deal and said the duo created a fake profile under Christine's name, lured Joseph to the home, and shot him dead. She also revealed that Banfield stabbed his wife to death.

Banfield's trial began on Jan. 12, and he is accused of aggravated murder, child abuse, and felony child cruelty and is facing life in prison, per NBC News.

The lead prosecutor in the case, Jenna Sands, said in her opening statement that the Brazilian au pair and Banfield conspired to kill his wife because "Divorce was not an option for him" because he didn't want to lose custody of his daughter.

"Brendan enters the bedroom, first shooting Joe in the head, picks up the knife that Joe had brought, and stabs Christine repeatedly in the neck," she continued. "He directs Juliana to shoot Joe a second time with her gun; this time, the bullet enters Joe's chest, with Christine dead or dying."

Banfield has pleaded not guilty to all charges.