Brazilian au pair gets 10-year sentence for killing Joseph Ryan in murder plot against lover's wife

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FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) — An au brace who schemed with her employer-turned-lover to termination his woman and different antheral received a 10-year situation condemnation connected Friday.

Prosecutors had recommended Juliana Peres Magalhães locomotion escaped aft she pleaded blameworthy to a downgraded manslaughter complaint successful the February 2023 sidesplitting of Joseph Ryan. Instead of being tried for second-degree murder, she became their prima witness, testifying that she had fatally changeable Ryan arsenic Brendan Banfield was fatally stabbing his wife, Christine, successful the couple’s bedroom.

Brendan Banfield was convicted by a assemblage this period of aggravated execution successful the deaths of his woman and Ryan.

“I cognize my remorse cannot bring you peace,” Magalhães told the victims' families connected Friday, wiping distant tears and muffling sobs. “I anticipation you tin someday recognize that I truly did not judge his program would really happen.”

Instead of sentencing her to clip served, Judge Penney Azcarate delivered the maximum imaginable condemnation to the pistillate from Brazil.

"Let’s get it straight: You bash not merit thing different than incarceration and a beingness of reflection connected what you person done to the unfortunate and his family. May it measurement heavy connected your soul,” the justice said.

At Banfield's trial, Magalhães testified that she and the IRS cause created an relationship successful the sanction of his wife, a pediatric intensive attraction nurse, connected a societal media level for radical funny successful intersexual fetishes. Ryan connected with the relationship and agreed to conscionable for a intersexual brushwood involving a knife.

Magalhães, past 22, said she and Brendan Banfield took the couple’s 4-year-old kid to the basement, and past recovered Ryan astonishing Christine Banfield with a weapon successful the couple's bedroom. She said Brendan Banfield changeable Ryan and past began stabbing his woman successful the neck. When she saw Ryan moving, Magalhães said, she fired the 2nd changeable that killed him.

The au brace wasn’t arrested until 8 months later, and hasn't near jailhouse since. Prosecutors raised concerns that if she were to beryllium allowed bail, she would fly to Brazil oregon beryllium deported by migration officials earlier they could decorativeness their case. She didn’t speech with investigators for much than a year, until she changed her caput arsenic her proceedings day approached.

“I mislaid myself successful a relationship, and near my morals and values behind,” Magalhães told the judge.

“You were texting and speaking to Joseph Ryan, encouraging him to bring a weapon and ultimately, done the telephone conversation, getting his consent, knowing each on you were bringing him to his death,” the justice responded.

Ryan's mother, Deirdre Fisher, told the tribunal that her son, calved days earlier Christmas, was her “greatest gift.” Three years aft his killing, she can’t carnivore taking down their Christmas tree. An urn with Ryan’s ashes sits successful beforehand of the decoration.

“I accidental bully greeting to him each time erstwhile I crook connected the tree’s lights,” she said. “But of people that’s not Joe sitting there. He can’t accidental ‘I emotion you’ back.”

Sangeeta Ryan described her nephew arsenic “inquisitive, curious, smart, charming and truthful dang talkative.” She said helium loved martial arts and role-playing with his friends. She besides noted that helium had moved successful with his octogenarian grandma to attraction for her.

“His abrupt execution devastated his grandma — she could nary longer unrecorded successful the household location without Joe,” his aunt said. The pistillate softly moved away, hoping to debar her memories and the reporters knocking astatine the door.

Christine Banfield's relatives attended Friday's hearing. Brendan Banfield's sentencing was initially acceptable for May.

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