Virginia
Affluent Virginia suburb rocked by love triangle murders as prosecutors highlight key evidence
Virginia prosecutors are pointing to blood-splatter analysis as one key piece of evidence that led to the arrest of a former IRS employee in connection with the 2023 murders of his wife and an unknown man in the idyllic Washington, D.C., suburb of Herndon, according to local reports.
Brendan Banfield, a husband and the father of a then-4-year-old daughter, and his family’s then-22-year-old Brazilian au pair, Juliana Peres Magalhaes, are accused of killing Christine Banfield — Brendan’s wife and Fairfax County NICU employee — and Joseph Ryan, the 38-year-old man who showed up at the Banfields’ home armed with a knife, in Herndon, Virginia, in February 2023.
Ryan’s connection to the family or their au pair remains unclear.
Fairfax Commonwealth’s Deputy Attorney Eric Clingan told a courtroom on Sept. 27 that after investigators spent a year of reviewing “two definitive reports from expert forensic investigators,” prosecutors determined they had enough evidence to prove their theory that Ryan and Christine’s bodies were moved after death. Ryan’s arms were moved and had Christine’s blood on them, according to the Associated Press.
Affluent Virginia Husband, Nanny Charged With Murders In Mansion Love Triangle
John Carroll, an attorney for Brendan and Peres Magalhaes, argued that prosecutors’ newfound evidence does not prove Brendan killed his wife and Ryan.
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“It just doesn’t add up, judge,” he said in court on Sept. 27, as AP reported.
Affluent Virginia Suburb Rocked By Mansion Murder Mystery As Nanny Faces Trial
Fairfax Circuit Chief Judge Penney Azcarate ultimately decided to deny bail for Brendan at the conclusion of last week’s hearing.
Brendan Banfield, who was arrested last month more than a year after the double murders took place, is charged with four counts of aggravated murder and use of a firearm in commission of a felony.
Magalhaes, who was arrested about eight months after the killings, also faces charges of aggravated murder and use of a firearm in commission of a felony.
Virginia Au Pair Murder: Fetish Plot, Affair, Gun Range Tied To Double Homicide At Home, Prosecutors Reveal
“On Feb. 24, 2023, I stood in the middle of a cul-de-sac street in Fairfax County and described the deaths of two persons inside of a residential home. Now, 570 days later, we know the deaths of Joseph Ryan and Christine Banfield are, in fact, murders,” Fairfax County Police Department Chief Kevin Davis said during a September press conference.
When police initially responded to a 911 call from the residence that day, they found Christine with stab wounds to the neck and Ryan with fatal gunshot wounds in the upstairs bedroom of the home. Authorities took Christine to the hospital, where she was later pronounced dead, Davis said.
Officials recovered a knife and two firearms from the scene.
Virginia Au Pair Charged In Man’s Murder At Home Of Double Homicide: Police
“We know Brendan Banfield and Juliana Magalhaes were involved in a romantic relationship at the time of the murders,” Davis said during the September press conference. “I will not describe our victim, Joseph Ryan’s, involvement with anyone in the case at the moment because this investigation continues,” Davis said.
On Feb. 24, 2023, Magalhaes told police she left the Banfields’ home in the 13200 block of Stable Brook Way in Herndon to take their young daughter to the National Zoo. She told authorities that she had begun driving but realized she had forgotten the lunches she packed for their excursion inside the house, so she turned around and noticed an unfamiliar car in the driveway.
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She then reportedly called Brendan, a former criminal investigative agent for the IRS who had at that point left for work, and told him about the unknown car in their driveway. The pair decided to meet at the Banfields’ home and walk inside together, as the Washington Post reported.
Initially, Magalhaes told police that when she and Brendan walked inside, they saw an unknown man, Ryan, holding Christine at knifepoint. She allegedly described him as an intruder. Ryan was apparently fully clothed while Christine was naked in the main bedroom of the house.
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It remains unclear exactly what transpired inside the home that Friday morning, but Magalhaes and Brendan apparently both admitted to shooting Ryan while the man was holding a knife to Christine.
Prosecutors allege that a computer at the Banfield home was tied to an account on a sexual fetish website, the Post reported.
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While the account on that computer appeared to show a photo of Christine in a bathing suit, it is unclear exactly who was communicating on the account. The profile also apparently did not display “one iota of evidence that she was into knife play, binding, BDSM,” Clingan previously said in court, according to the Post.
Ryan, the man who reportedly held Christine at knifepoint, also apparently had an account on the website and had been communicating with whoever was accessing the site from the Banfield computer.
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Authorities arrested Magalhaes in October 2023 after she moved in to the Banfields’ main bedroom and placed a framed photo of herself with Brendan on a nightstand beside the bed. A grand jury indicted the 23-year-old in April, and her trial is scheduled to take place in November.
Magalhaes’ attorney, Ryan Campbell, did not respond to an inquiry from Fox News Digital. Brendan is no longer employed by the IRS, the agency confirmed.
Original article source: Affluent Virginia suburb rocked by love triangle murders as prosecutors highlight key evidence
PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — Virginia Democrats are not happy about a state Supreme Court decision declaring last month’s referendum to draw new congressional districts null and void.
Democrats, however, have filed a motion asking the Virginia Court to delay its 4-3 decision while they file an emergency appeal to the United States Supreme Court.
Virginia’s current map that favors Democrats by a narrow 6-5 margin will stay in effect for the midterms. Both sides, though, have a lot to say to say about today’s decision.
Two months ago, you couldn’t avoid the political ads and mailers on both sides of the issue.
“Everybody remembers we got a few million dollars worth of flyers in our mailboxes, and everything with redistricting that whole referendum has now been overturned by the court decision,” said Old Dominion University Associate Professor of Political Science Jesse Richman.
On April 21, Virginia voters approved redrawing congressional maps that would have given Democrats a 10-1 advantage, giving them a strong chance to pick up four additional seats in November.
More than two weeks later, the Virginia Supreme Court rendered the results null and void, saying the required constitutional processes were not followed before this was put up for a vote. So what does that mean for Virginians?
“As it is, we stay with the districts we have,” Richman said. “If [Democrat] Bobby Scott’s your representative, he’s still your representative. The lines aren’t moving. If [Republican] Jen Kiggans is your representative, [she’s] still your representative.”
Scott and Kiggans spoke to 10 On Your Side shortly after today’s decision.
“I’m disappointed,” Scott said. “People voted, three million people voted, it carried in 55 of the 100 House of Delegates districts, so the people spoke.”
“It’s a big day for Virginia today,” Kiggans said. “It’s a victory for the rule of law [and] it’s a victory for fairness.”
That split reaction has also been felt among voters, some even rallying in front of the Virginia Supreme Court. One of them was Hampton’s NAACP Branch President Gaylene Kanoyton.
“We have got to make sure that we mobilize and don’t let this get us down,” Kanoyton said. “We need to be energized.”
Virginia Democrats have vowed to fight Friday’s ruling, saying they intend to file an emergency appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
“I expect we’ll see more intense political campaigning in the midterms in this area because of the Supreme Court’s decision,” Richman said.
90+ artists to exhibit on the Va. Beach boardwalk with the backdrop of the Atlantic Ocean
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Get ready for the largest surf art show on the East Coast!
The 17th Annual Virginia Beach Surf Art Expo at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront on the boardwalk, 3rd through 7th streets, will begin Saturday, May 23, through Sunday, May 24, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., ending on Memorial Day, Monday, May 25, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Courtesy: VB Surf Art Expo (Antone Nixon, with VB Sunrise)
The Virginia Beach Surf Art Expo features over 90 regional artists from Maine to the Mid-Atlantic region and down through Florida, capturing the essence of the beach, the ocean, wildlife, sea life, and surfing-related themes in art.
The Virginia Beach Surf Art Expo is partnered with the Coastal Edge Steel Pier Classic and the surfing competition at the 1st Street Jetty.
This event is an official kick-off to the summer season at the Oceanfront.
“Isn’t seeing an artist’s interpretation of the beach vibe the very best way to enjoy it? We drip salt water from our pores,” says Jodie Woodward, founder and show director of the Virginia Beach Surf Art Expo.
Surf art comes in all mediums, including painting, photography, jewelry, sculpture, ceramics, wood, metal, fiber, glass, and mixed media, all available for purchase at the art expo.
Each artist has a special connection with surfing, the ocean, beach life, sea life, seascape scenes, shells, coral, dolphins, fish, lighthouses, mermaids, custom surfboard and skateboard designs.
Expect to see more Patriotic themes this year in alignment with America’s 250th birthday, officials say.
“We can’t wait for the 23rd Annual Coastal Edge Steel Pier Classic presented by Katin,” says D. Nachnani, president of Coastal Edge. “This Memorial Day Weekend, the heart of Virginia Beach becomes the soul of East Coast surfing. We’re proud to host the WSL World Tour Longboard event alongside our professional shortboard competition. With over 300 athletes representing more than a dozen countries, and a combined $16,000 purse on the line, this is more than a contest—it’s a celebration of art, athleticism, music, and the surf culture that defines our coast,” Nachnani went on to say.
For more information about the Virginia Beach Surf Art Expo, click here, call (757) 348-1048, connect on the Virginia Beach Surf Art Expo’s Facebook here, or their Instagram here.
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) is monitoring a Virginia traveler after they returned from a cruise ship linked to a deadly hantavirus outbreak.
The outbreak is tied to the MV Hondius, which is traveling from Argentina to the Canary Islands. Eight cases were reported this week, resulting in three deaths and several other sicknesses. Multiple passengers are now considered at risk, including one Virginian.
A local doctor said the risk to the public remains low. The traveler in question is not currently showing signs of infection, but is being monitored as a precaution.
“Typically in this country, [hantavirus is] transmitted when people are cleaning up around their rodents and they aerosolize the rodent droppings and they breathe those in,” said former Virginia Health Commissioner Dr. Randy Gordon.
Gordon said the virus has existed since the 1990s and often presents with flu-like symptoms.
“Until 2023, we only had 890 cases worldwide,” he said.
Despite the minimal risk this outbreak currently poses to those on land, Virginia health officials are still taking things seriously, Gordon said.
“The state health department is very aware of it and the district health department is very aware of it,” he said. “They’re monitoring this person and they’re seeing if any symptoms develop. However, it’s notable they’re not isolating this person.”
He emphasized that hantavirus has a very low transmission rate, despite its higher death rate of about 35%, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“It’s very rare, number one, and one’s likelihood of encountering it is almost zero, especially if you take precautions,” Gordon said. “You’re more likely to get it right now from cleaning up rodent excrement.”
He added that this appears to be a small cluster of cases and is likely to remain limited.
Gordon said there is no specific treatment for hantavirus and doctors instead treat symptoms. The best protection is basic hygiene and avoiding exposure to rodent droppings.
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