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The Virginia trial of Brendan Banfield, the ex-IRS agent accused of killing his wife and a stranger as part of an elaborate scheme to cover up his extramarital affair with the family’s nanny, entered its third day of testimony on Thursday, with jurors hearing how the husband and father quickly moved his mistress into the couple’s bedroom shortly after the deaths. 

Banfield is charged with aggravated murder in the February 2023 killings of his wife, Christine Banfield, and Joseph Ryan inside their home in Herndon, Virginia, an affluent suburb of Washington, D.C. Prosecutors allege he orchestrated the killings to cover up his relationship with the family’s au pair, Juliana Peres Magalhães. 

Magalhães has since pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter in October 2024 and will be sentenced after Banfield’s trial. 

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On Thursday, jurors heard from Fairfax County Sgt. Kenner Fortner, who testified that he entered the home shortly after the killings in February 2023, when he photographed “red, lingerie-style clothing items” and a yellow T-shirt with green trim in Magalhães’ bedroom closet. 

When he returned to Banfield’s home eight months later, he noticed the items – along with a framed portrait of Banfield and Magalhães – had been moved into the primary bedroom, where prosecutors say the murders occurred, pointing to the same yellow T-shirt with green trim. 

“They had gotten new flooring, new bedroom furniture,” Fortner testified. “Pictures that had once featured Brendan and Christine had been taken down and replaced with Brendan and Juliana together.” 

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Jurors then heard from Det. Terry Leach, the lead crime scene detective assigned to the case, who testified that he arrived on scene to find both Ryan and Christine’s lifeless bodies in the master bedroom. 

As Leach was performing his initial investigation, he located a knife tucked into the bed and two handguns, which he later determined had been moved from their original positions after authorities arrived on scene and began trying to resuscitate Ryan. 

“The knife was found underneath the blankets, between the edge of the blanket in the bed,” Leach said. “[The] only thing we could see when we arrived was the handle. And the knife was on its backside – so it’s blade up – and then the handle is towards the bed.”

Additionally, the prosecution called Matthew Niederriter, a salesman who told the court that he was hired by Banfield to install triple-pane windows throughout the home in August 2022, with the actual work taking place later the same year. 

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Nierderriter testified that while most customers are fine with only purchasing double-pane windows, Banfield was specifically interested in installing triple-pane windows throughout the house. 

“When someone goes to a triple pane, that’s another level,” Nierderriter said. “And that is a type of level where they’re trying to do more than just protect the house from the sun.” 

On cross-examination, defense attorney John Carroll asked the salesman if Banfield had inquired about noise-cancellation related to a nearby fire station or Washington Dulles International Airport when purchasing the windows, to which Nierderriter answered, “No.”

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Earlier this week, Magalhães told jurors that Banfield had installed the windows in an effort to mask the screams during the murders, going as far as to run experiments in which Magalhães yelled from inside the home while Banfield investigated if she could be heard from the outside. 

The prosecution also played surveillance video from a Herndon McDonald’s, where Banfield could be seen inside his vehicle in the restaurant’s drive-through.

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Magalhães previously testified that she and Banfield lured Ryan to the home under the guise of a consensual rape fantasy after posing as Christine on a fetish website, in an effort to make his wife’s death appear as though she was being attacked by a home intruder. 

According to Magalhães, Banfield went to a nearby McDonald’s and awaited her call that Ryan had arrived at the home before returning to shoot the man and stab his wife to death.

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“After calling Christine, I called Brendan, and then he picked up the phone and I was telling him, ‘Stay away, there’s somebody strange and come to the house, I’m scared,’” Magalhães said. “He told me to stay there. He will be coming home, and he will try to call Christine.” 

The calls were corroborated by logs pulled from the couple’s cellphones, in which prosecutors pointed out several calls made between Banfield and Magalhães while he was at the McDonald’s.

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According to the prosecution, Banfield allegedly staged the crime scene to appear as though it was a home invasion, with Magalhães then calling 911 to tell authorities Ryan was an intruder who had stabbed his wife. 

Banfield’s attorney did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

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If convicted, Banfield would face the possibility of life in prison. The trial is expected to last four weeks. Court sessions will begin at 10 a.m. each day and run Monday through Thursday, according to court administrators.

Fox News Digital’s Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report. 

An anti-U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agitator in Florida was arrested after allegedly punching a trooper in the face during an immigration enforcement operation. 

“This is Jennifer Cruz of Jacksonville,” Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier wrote in an X post, sharing an image of the woman, who appeared to smile as law enforcement restrained her. 

Moments before she cracked a grin, video shows Cruz kicking toward a female officer while other law enforcement members had already placed her hands behind her back.

“Jennifer disagrees with immigration enforcement and decided to commit a few felonies by getting out of her car and punching a Trooper in the face. But unlike Minnesota, we don’t put up with this nonsense. Not today, Jennifer,” Uthmeier wrote.

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Footage shows a chaotic scene as authorities attempted to detain Cruz. As several officers placed her hands behind her back and walked her toward one of their vehicles, Cruz is seen attempting to kick another female officer nearby. Cruz then smirks as the officers detaining her place her on the hood of a vehicle. Once placed in the back of the vehicle, she is seen flailing her legs and continuing to shout at officers until the doors are shut.

A News4JAX reporter spoke to Juan Alvarez, the owner of the Mi Pueblo grocery store which was near where the incident occurred. He said he witnessed a traffic stop involving a state trooper. 

“ICE agents showed up with the state trooper. They detained the driver,” he said. 

“And so yeah, they had an operation going on. And after that, they had detained another person. But it seems they got into an altercation with that person. It turned violent,” he said, noting that more law enforcement showed up.

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis shared Uthmeier’s post and wrote, “Really bad decision to attack one of our troopers. This isn’t Minneapolis…” 

DeSantis also mentioned the incident at an unrelated press conference on Thursday. 

“I do know that there was a woman who came out and assaulted one of our troopers,” DeSantis said. “Let me just tell you guys this is not Minneapolis. That is not going to end well for you in Florida.”

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., quipped in a post, “Never go full Jennifer.”

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“This is how it’s done. In Florida, we respect law enforcement and have no patience for far-left extremists who choose to defend dangerous criminals instead of their fellow Americans. This isn’t Minneapolis. In Florida, if you break the law, you will pay the consequences,” Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., asserted on X.

Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., defended Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Thursday after a Jacksonville official was placed on administrative leave for warning people about their presence in the city. 

The City of Jacksonville’s Hispanic Outreach Coordinator, Yanira “Yaya” Cardona, was placed on administrative leave, after she said on an Instagram livestream Wednesday that ICE was placing “speed traps” around the city and named specific roads to watch out for.

When Fox News Digital reached DeSantis’ office for comment, it referred to a press conference the governor held on Thursday, where he vowed to uphold the rule of law.

“I know you had that one woman in the city of Jacksonville government putting out information. Look, that’s not the way we roll here in the state of Florida. You know, we’re going to respect law enforcement, respect the rule of law,” DeSantis said Thursday.

DeSantis added that Jennifer Cruz, a woman accused of assaulting ICE agents while on duty, would face “consequences.”

“I do know there was a woman who came out and assaulted one of our troopers. Let me just tell you guys, this is not Minneapolis. That is not going to end well for you in Florida,” he said.

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Cardona added that “ICE is out and about” and is targeting lawn care and A/C companies while checking for paperwork.

She said that “unfortunately, this isn’t the time to fight” and advised her viewers to comply if addressed by authorities.

“The best advice that I could give you guys is if you don’t need to go out, stay home,” Cardona said. “Just comply, have a plan in place, and rely on the universe ’cause we’re here.”

In the same Instagram post, Cardona wrote additional guidance on how to handle increased immigration enforcement.

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“We are living in very difficult times but my best advice is 1. Have a plan in place with your lawyers 2. Give someone you trust legal power for your business and your children 3. If you get pulled over, please pay attention and follow the instructions/orders.”

The City of Jacksonville told Fox News Digital that the “general locations shared in her video were common knowledge from community sightings already reported on news stories and social media.” City officials also referred to comments made by Deegan at a press conference discussing the matter on Thursday night.

“We are a city of immigrants. We probably have more immigrants than most cities in the country. And a lot of them are frightened right now. They’re having a very difficult time. They’re seeing what’s happening around the country. They’ve seen American citizens sometimes being detained and arrested. They are seeing some violence. They’re worried. They’re scared,” Deegan said.

Deegan explained further that Cardona being placed on administrative leave had nothing to do with the “content of what came out of her mouth.”

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“I don’t have any problem. We checked with the general counsel’s office. Nothing that she shared said anything about anyone who was here illegally. It was simply giving the community information that was freely available and also giving information about their legal rights,” Deegan said. She continued, “Get representation. Make sure you have a plan. She said a dozen times, if you are stopped, comply. So, it wasn’t the content of what she said that I took issue with. The reason that she was put on administrative leave is because we have a policy in this city.”

“We’ve got a mayor who is the spokesperson for the city, and we have people who follow the policy that if you are going to create any sort of social media content, if you are going to make any sort of commentary, especially in this office, that would be construed as coming from the mayor—That has to come through me or through our communications office. Period.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Cardona for comment.