politics
Virginia Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Double Murder Scheme in Affair with Au Pair
A Virginia man who was having an affair with the family's Brazilian au pair was sentenced Friday to life in prison without parole for the murder of his wife and a man who was lured to the couple's home as a fall guy.
TL;DR
- Brendan Banfield, a former IRS law enforcement officer, received a life sentence without parole for the murders of his wife, Christine Banfield, and Joseph Ryan.
- Prosecutors stated Banfield and au pair Juliana Peres Magalhães lured Ryan to the couple's home to serve as a scapegoat after plotting to kill Christine Banfield.
- The scheme involved impersonating Christine Banfield on a fetish website to entice Ryan, staging the scene to appear as if Ryan was a violent intruder.
- Banfield's daughter, aged 4, was present in the home during the killings, leading to a child endangerment conviction for which he received additional prison time.
- Magalhães testified against Banfield after pleading guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to 10 years in prison.