Digital Forensics and Police Conduct

Brendan Banfield, an ex‑federal agent, is on trial in Fairfax County for the 2023 killings of his wife, Christine Banfield, and visitor Joseph Ryan; prosecutors say Banfield and Brazilian au pair Juliana Peres Magalhães impersonated Christine on a sexual‑fetish site to lure Ryan, and Magalhães—who pleaded guilty to manslaughter and has testified—says the two killed both victims and staged the scene to look like an intruder attack. The defense has attacked Magalhães’ credibility with jailhouse letters and questions about who controlled the online account and forensic work, a judge denied a motion to dismiss, jurors have viewed body‑cam footage that showed Banfield visibly emotional, and he also faces child‑abuse and felony child‑cruelty counts.