Long before a Virginia mother was found dead inside her own home, prosecutors say a digital trail was quietly documenting the affair that would help lead to her killing.
According to the New York Post, jurors in the murder trial of former IRS agent Brendan Banfield were shown a series of intimate social media photos posted by his Brazilian au pair and lover, Juliana Peres Magalhães, months before the slaying.
The images, introduced in court last week, show the pair embracing, posing with firearms, and openly professing their love while Banfield was still married.
Magalhães, now 25, shared the photos during the winter of 2022, while living in the Banfield household and helping care for the couple’s young daughter. In one selfie, Banfield, 40, is partially obscured by an oversized emoji as Magalhães reclines against him.
“Oh my god, I’m so incredibly in love, I’ve been smitten since July of last year,” she wrote in the caption, which was read aloud to jurors.
The image was dated December 2022 — roughly two months before Banfield’s wife, Christine Banfield, was killed inside the family’s Herndon home. Prosecutors allege the killing was part of a calculated plan involving Magalhães and a man lured to the house under false pretenses.
Magalhães testified that after their affair began, Banfield spoke about wanting to “get rid of” his wife rather than pursue a divorce.
According to her account, the pair created a fake online profile using Christine’s name on a fetish app, targeting a stranger to carry out what was framed as a consensual roleplay scenario.
That man, Joseph Ryan, 38, allegedly believed he was participating in a rape fantasy. Prosecutors say when he entered the home in February 2022, Banfield shot him with his government-issued handgun and then used a knife Ryan brought to stab Christine, staging the scene to appear as a violent intrusion.
After Christine’s death, Magalhães moved fully into the home, prosecutors said. She slept in the same bed where Christine was killed and placed her clothing among the victim’s belongings.
Additional photos shown to jurors included a New Year’s Eve image of Banfield’s hand resting on Magalhães’ thigh, captioned “My New Year,” along with heart and wide-eyed emojis. Another image showed Magalhães firing a handgun at a shooting range.
“This handsome guy takes really good photos,” she wrote alongside emojis mimicking gunfire.
Magalhães was arrested in October 2023 and later pleaded guilty to manslaughter. She is scheduled to be sentenced after Banfield’s trial concludes. Banfield was arrested in September 2024 and now faces a potential life sentence if convicted.
His defense team argues Magalhães cooperated only after being pressured by authorities, claiming she was arrested to “flip her” against him.
The trial is expected to continue for several more weeks as jurors weigh the evidence — including the photos prosecutors say captured a romance that ended in murder.
