Southeast
Nanny suspect in suburban double murder strikes plea deal as tax agent employer faces trial
Juliana Peres Magalhaes, the Brazilian who was charged along with her Virginia employer in connection with the murders of his wife and an unknown man in February 2023, has pleaded guilty to a lesser crime, according to local news.
The then-22-year-old au pair and Brendan Banfield, a husband and the father of a then-4-year-old daughter, 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.
Magalhaes, now 24, pleaded guilty to manslaughter on Tuesday morning, according to FOX 5 D.C. She was scheduled to stand trial in November.
She was initially arrested in October 2023, about eight months after the killings, when authorities charged her with aggravated murder and use of a firearm in commission of a felony.
AFFLUENT VIRGINIA HUSBAND, NANNY CHARGED WITH MURDERS IN MANSION LOVE TRIANGLE
Virginia authorities arrested Banfield, a 39-year-old IRS employee, in September, more than a year after the murders took place. He is charged with four counts of aggravated murder and use of a firearm in commission of a felony.
Banfield faces a potential life prison sentence for the alleged crimes, while Magalhaes faces a maximum sentence of 10 years for the manslaughter charge, according to FOX 5.
Prosecutors allege the murders stemmed from a scheme orchestrated by Banfield and Magalhaes, who were in a romantic relationship at the time of the crime and for months afterward, before their arrests.
AFFLUENT VIRGINIA SUBURB ROCKED BY MANSION MURDER MYSTERY AS NANNY FACES TRIAL
Ryan’s connection to the family or their au pair remains unclear.
“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 Chief Kevin Davis said during a September press conference.
VIRGINIA AU PAIR MURDER: FETISH PLOT, AFFAIR, GUN RANGE TIED TO DOUBLE HOMICIDE AT HOME, PROSECUTORS REVEAL
When police 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.”
Initially, Magalhaes told police that she and Banfield saw an unknown man, Ryan, holding Christine at knifepoint on the morning the murders took place. 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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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.
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.
Banfield is no longer employed by the IRS.
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Southeast
Walz says Trump, Vance need classes on 'how to talk to women'
Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said his Republican rivals do not know “how to talk to women” during a campaign event Tuesday.
Walz mocked former President Trump and Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, during a speech in Savannah aimed at motivating Georgia voters to cast ballots before Election Day on Nov. 5.
“They want to talk about things that don’t impact you,” Walz said of the GOP presidential ticket. “The things that impact you, those young folks in here too – where are you going to find child care… How are you going to afford it?”
“Now, they asked JD Vance where we should get child care, and he said, ‘Ask grandma to do it,’ because God knows grandma is not doing anything else like having a career and living her life and doing things like that.”
GEORGIA GOP CHAIR SHARES 2-PRONGED ELECTION STRATEGY AS TRUMP WORKS TO WIN BACK PEACH STATE
He was referring to an interview Vance did with conservative activist Charlie Kirk in early September, though the Ohio Republican’s comments did not focus on women alone but rather grandparents as a unit. He said getting “grandma or grandpa” to help with child care was “one of the ways you might be able to relieve a little bit of pressure on families who are paying so much for day care.”
Walz, however, mocked it, “We should offer classes to these guys to learn how to talk to women so they can get this right, because they don’t know how to do it.”
He said of the Democrats’ plan for child care, “We’re talking about making sure we’re hiring more people to work in child care, and we’re incentivizing and being able to subsidize some of the costs so that folks can get out and work. That makes a difference.”
GEORGIA DEMS CHAIR REVEALS MESSAGE TO UNDECIDED GOP VOTERS AS HARRIS WORKS TO BUILD BROAD BASE
Outreach to women of all races, as well as economic and political backgrounds, has been a cornerstone of the Harris-Walz campaign’s efforts.
The latest push by the campaign’s allies has involved pointing out to married Republican women that they could vote for Vice President Kamala Harris over Trump without telling anyone – including their husbands.
Walz is doing a multi-stop tour in Georgia on Tuesday, exactly one week until Nov. 5 marks the end of the election season.
Both campaigns have dedicated significant attention to the battleground state, which President Biden won by less than 1% in 2020. In particular, both have pushed supporters to vote early in-person or absentee rather than on Election Day.
‘ILLEGAL, UNCONSTITUTIONAL AND VOID’: GEORGIA JUDGE STRIKES DOWN NEW ELECTION RULES AFTER LEGAL FIGHTS
The Trump campaign’s Georgia team said on Tuesday morning ahead of Walz’s public appearances, “Since Kamala Harris said she wouldn’t have done anything different from Joe Biden, Tim Walz is campaigning for another four years of unmanaged illegal immigration, sky-high prices, and war abroad.”
“Georgia voters know President Trump will fix what Kamala Harris broke and flock to the ballot box for his America First Agenda on Nov. 5,” the campaign said.
When asked for comment on Walz’s remarks specifically, Trump campaign national press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the ex-president had a better record on women and families than Harris did.
“Kamala Harris may be the first woman Vice President, but she has implemented dangerously liberal policies that have left women worse off financially and far less safe than we were four years ago under President Trump,” Leavitt said. “Women deserve a president who will secure our nation’s borders, remove violent criminals from our neighborhoods, and build an economy that helps our families thrive – and that’s exactly what President Trump will do.”
Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
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Southeast
Walz mocks Trump's age at Georgia rally, says he 'does qualify for Social Security'
Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz mocked former President Trump’s age during a Tuesday evening rally in Georgia.
Walz criticized Trump’s proposal to stop taxing Social Security checks while quipping that Trump himself would be eligible for the program, which is for Americans aged 62 and older.
“Now, Trump came out with a plan that if we execute his plan, Social Security will go broke in six years,” he said, referring to a recent analysis of the effect of Trump’s tax proposals on Social Security.
“Social Security might not be very important to a guy like that. If you’re a billionaire and your dad gave you $400 million – you pretty much squandered all that, but you can just limp along on $400 million…he doesn’t care. He doesn’t care that he gets a check.”
GEORGIA GOP CHAIR SHARES 2-PRONGED ELECTION STRATEGY AS TRUMP WORKS TO WIN BACK PEACH STATE
The crowd whooped as Walz quipped, “Now he is nearly 80, so he does qualify for Social Security.”
“He does qualify, but he doesn’t give a damn. My mom cars who’s nearly 90. She uses her Social Security check,” Walz said. “[Democratic 2024 nominee Vice President Kamala Harris] and I will protect Social Security and Medicare and make it stronger.”
The former president’s age has been a favorite political cudgel for Harris allies since 81-year-old President Biden dropped out of the race.
The recent analysis from the Committee For a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB), however, accused both Trump and Harris of a lack of sufficient answers on Social Security.
On her campaign website, Harris promised to “protect” Social Security “by making corporations and the wealthiest Americans pay their fair share in taxes,” though it does not elaborate much further.
GEORGIA DEMS CHAIR REVEALS MESSAGE TO UNDECIDED GOP VOTERS AS HARRIS WORKS TO BUILD BROAD BASE
“Unfortunately, neither candidate has presented plans to fix Social Security’s finances despite the looming $16,500 cut facing a typical couple retiring just before insolvency,” the CRFB analysis said.
It did project, however, that Trump’s stated tax and tariff policies would advance the program’s expected solvency from fiscal year 2034 to FY 2031.
The former president has vowed to protect Social Security and Medicare during numerous public appearances on the campaign trail. He told supporters as recently as Monday evening at his own Georgia event, “I’m the one that’s going to make Social Security strong again.”
The evening rally was Walz’s last public stop in Georgia on Tuesday after multiple public events.
Both the Harris and Trump campaigns have poured enormous amounts of time and resources into the Peach State, which Biden won by less than 1% in 2020.
‘ILLEGAL, UNCONSTITUTIONAL AND VOID’: GEORGIA JUDGE STRIKES DOWN NEW ELECTION RULES AFTER LEGAL FIGHTS
The Trump campaign’s Georgia spokesperson Morgan Ackley said of Walz’s day-long swing, “Since Kamala Harris said she wouldn’t have done anything different from Joe Biden, Tim Walz is campaigning for another four years of unmanaged illegal immigration, skyhigh prices, and war abroad.”
“Georgia voters know President Trump will fix what Kamala Harris broke and flock to the ballot box for his America First Agenda on November 5th,” Ackley said.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Trump campaign for comment on Walz’s specific remarks on Tuesday evening.
Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
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Southeast
SWAT standoff with shots fired at Atlanta luxury hotel ends as barricaded suspect is apprehended by police
The Atlanta Police Department and SWAT teams responded to a Georgia luxury hotel in downtown Atlanta on Tuesday afternoon, after an armed suspect barricaded himself inside and allegedly started shooting.
During a press conference at approximately 5:15 p.m., Atlanta Police Department’s Chief Darin Schierbaum and Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens provided additional information about the incident.
Schierbaum identified 70-year-old J. Stevens Berger as the suspect, saying he was suffering from a mental health crisis and had an altercation with a hotel employee at approximately 10 a.m. Tuesday.
Berger lived at the hotel and was spotted during the incident on his balcony wearing a red mask.
GEORGIA HIGH SCHOOL SHOOTING SUSPECT PLEADS NOT GUILTY, DEMANDS JURY TRIAL
Berger had access to multiple weapons, including knives and guns, police said, and added they believe that he fired at least 15 shots.
“While the efforts were underway, he began firing a weapon,” Schierbaum said. “We believe he fired at least three different weapons; handguns, shotguns and rifles, that fired through the walls.”
WATCH:
One witness told Fox News affiliate WAGA that the incident felt like something out of the video game “Grand Theft Auto.”
“We heard 10 shots. We walked outside, got everything on camera – the man throwing couches, shooting – very chaotic, very random,” Khalil Hagans said. “This is Atlanta. This is not a real place.”
Another witness told the news station that police prevented them from moving anywhere due to the active shooter.
“So, we looked up, and we was trying to look for him, and we seen him. We look at him for like five seconds and next thing you know ‘boom, boom, boom,’ he starts shooting again. So, it was like, we ducked behind here, and we just watching him,” said Jordan Hall. “It was like we were in the middle of a movie.”
One Atlanta police officer was injured with non-life-threatening injuries, police said, which ordered a shelter-in-place after the shooting started. At least two other officers returned fire, police said.
Police said that multiple charges are expected to be filed against Berger, including aggravated assault and reckless endangerment.
“We saw bravery, we saw an effort to preserve life,” Schierbaum said.
The update from police came after the Atlanta Police Department confirmed that they were investigating a barricaded suspect at the Four Seasons Hotel in Midtown where there were reports of gunfire.
In an update at approximately 4:30 p.m., police said that the suspect was apprehended and in custody, prompting a shelter-in-place order to be lifted.
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