A former IRS officer was sentenced to life in prison without parole for killing his wife and another man in a scheme involving the family's au pair.
Brendan Banfield received the mandatory life sentence Friday for the February 2023 murders of his wife Christine Banfield and Joseph Ryan in their Herndon home. Prosecutors said Banfield and au pair Juliana Peres Magalhães lured Ryan to the house as part of a plan to kill Christine and stage the scene as a home invasion. Judge Penney Azcarate described the plot as evil and calculated, noting the impact on the couple's young daughter who was present. Banfield was also given five years for child endangerment and three years on a firearms charge. Banfield maintained his innocence at sentencing, claiming he acted in self-defense. Magalhães, who testified against him after pleading guilty to manslaughter, was sentenced to 10 years in prison.