A RUTHLESS au pair has been accused of luring a BDSM fan to his death as part of an elaborate plot to get rid of her lover’s wife.
Prosecutors allege Juliana Peres Magalhaes, 23, had an affair with her boss, Brendan Banfield and the duo hatched a warped scheme to kill his wife Christine so they could be together.
Brazilian Peres Magalhaes, 23, has been charged with the murder of Joseph Ryan, 39, whose body was found inside a £800,000 mansion in Herndon, Virginia.
37-year-old Christine Banfield was also found stabbed to death after being attacked in her bedroom in February 2023 -no one has been charged in her death.
Au pair Peres Magalhaes and IRS agent Banfield claimed at the time they came home to find Ryan attacking Christine and they shot him in self-defence, the Daily Mail reports.
But prosecutors believe evidence suggests Ryan was shot dead as part of a complicated plan to get rid of Christine Banfield.
In a preliminary hearing on Monday, prosecutors said someone had created a fake account on a BDSM website under Christine’s name before making plans for “rough sex” with Ryan.
Cops started to become suspicious the messages were not sent by the mum in the alleged conversations leading them to believe someone else was pretending to be her and set up a meeting.
When questioned by police, Peres Magalhaes said she had left home with Christine’s four-year-old daughter that day to go to the zoo.
She claimed she returned shortly afterwards because she had forgotten to grab packed lunches.
She said she noticed a car she didn’t recognise and called Brendan who arrived shortly afterwards.
The duo said they entered the home to find them in a struggle, claiming Ryan had attacked Christine.
Banfield told cops he pulled out his service gun and shot Ryan before telling Peres Magalhaes to grab another gun and shoot him again – which she did, allegedly killing him.
Investigators uncovered the affair when they returned to the family’s home after the killings to find photos of the pair in Christine’s bedroom as well as the au pair’s lingerie around the room.
Police described Peres Magalhaes as Brendan’s “live-in lover.”
Prosecutors added that the pair went to a shooting range months before the killings and that Brendan returned to buy a gun.
They said the couple also bought new phones days before the alleged home invasion.
Peres Magalhaes was arrested nearly eight months after the killings and was charged with second-degree murder for shooting Ryan.
Her lawyer told the court that the pair had a relationship, but alleged that Brendan and Christine were unfaithful to each other.
Brendan was questioned about his relationship with Peres Magalhaes in court but invoked his Fifth Amendment right.
Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said more people are expected to be charged with the killings.
