A little girl whose father had an affair with her nanny asked if the pair were going to get married just hours after the pair allegedly killed her mother, a jury heard. 

Brendan Banfield, 39, is on trial for the February 2023 killings of his wife, Christine Banfield, and a stranger, Joseph Ryan, at his home in northern Virginia.

He allegedly stabbed Christine, 37, to death in their bed as part of a twisted plot to be with his 25-year-old Brazilian au pair Juliana Peres Magalhães. 

A fake sex profile was created behind Christine’s back claiming she wanted to experience a rape fantasy. Ryan responded and was also killed by Banfield as part of an elaborate scheme to be with Magalhães, prosecutors say. 

Mere hours after Christine’s death, her then four-year-old daughter asked Magalhães: ‘Are you going to marry my daddy?’, a police victim advocate testified Thursday, according to the Washington Post.

Magalhães replied ‘I wish,’ the advocate said, claiming that she viewed the interaction as one of the first signs that Banfield was hiding something.

Banfield is charged with aggravated murder in the killings Christine and Ryan, 39. He has pleaded not guilty and could face life in prison if convicted.

The former IRS agent, whose daughter was at the house on the morning of the killings, is also charged with child abuse and felony child cruelty in connection with the case. He will face those charges during the trial. 

Brendan Banfield (left) is on trial for the February 2023 killings of his wife, Christine Banfield, (right) and a stranger at his home in northern Virginia. His daughter (center) was home at the time of the murder

Mere hours after the murder, Banfield’s daughter asked 25-year-old Brazilian au pair Juliana Peres Magalhães (with Banfield) if she would planned to marry her father

The court was shown police body camera footage recorded in the hours after the slayings in which Banfield suffered what one officer called a ‘breakdown.’

The footage showed Banfield breathing heavy and asking about his daughter as officers walked him to an ambulance, the newspaper reported.

A first responder, noticing how Banfield was covered in blood, asked if it was his blood. The former IRS agent struggled to answer, before saying he had been holding Christine’s neck after the attack.

He repeatedly asked to be with his wife and, sobbing, questioned: ‘What’s going to happen with my daughter? Are they going to tell her? She’s only 4.’

When he arrived at the hospital, a doctor told Banfield that Christine had lost a lot of blood and died. The accused killer explained how he called 911 and tried to apply pressure to her wounds – but the doctor insisted it was ‘not a survivable injury.’

The footage also showed Banfield asking a hospital chaplain to pray for his wife, as well as the pair reciting the Lord’s Prayer together.

‘Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us,’ Banfield choked between his sobs. ‘Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.’

The chaplain recited the prayer in unison with him. 

Banfield (in court earlier this month) was having an affair with Magalhães. Prosecutors say the murders were part of an elaborate scheme for him and Magalhães to be together

Magalhães (in court earlier this month) will be sentenced at the conclusion of Banfield’s trial. Depending on her cooperation with authorities, attorneys have said she could be sentenced to the time she has already served

Banfield’s attorneys spent much of this week trying to convince the jury that investigators jumped to conclusions, the outlet reported.

The defense argued police were searching for evidence that would fit the narrative they created.

But a detective who took the stand Thursday disputed the claim, alleging that authorities initially probed ‘two theories in the case.’

One theory involved ‘catfishing’ and the other, which emerged days after the killing, was that Banfield murdered his wife.

Detective Leah Smith added that ‘investigators on this case knew to investigate with an open mind even if that might not be along the lines of what supervisors wanted us to investigate.’

Magalhães, who took the stand earlier in the trial, told the court how she and Banfield lured Ryan to the house using a BDSM site. The two then shot him, staging the scene to look as if Ryan had been a predator stabbing Banfield. 

‘I just couldn’t keep it to myself, the feeling of shame and guilt and sadness,’ she said in court of the ruse. The former au pair was initially charged with second-degree murder in Ryan’s killing, but has since pleaded guilty to a downgraded manslaughter charge.

Magalhães testified that she and Banfield had created an account in Christine’s name on a social media platform for people interested in sexual fetishes.

Christine Banfield was found stabbed to death in her bedroom on February 24, 2023

Banfield and Magalhães allegedly tried to frame Joseph Ryan for Christine’s murder after creating a fake account for Christine on a BDSM site and made plans to have ‘rough sex’ with Ryan before they were both killed

There, Ryan connected with the account, and the users made plans to meet for a sexual encounter involving a knife.

In her testimony, she described Banfield’s plan to kill his wife and spend the rest of his days with Magalhães. She testified to the months he had spent plotting their scheme, and the steps he took to manufacture their alibis.

John Carroll, Banfield’s attorney, scrutinized her initial testimony and her motives behind pleading guilty.

He pressed her on who created the email address connected to the social media account and where she and Banfield were on the day it had been procured. 

She testified that she did not remember who made the account or what room in the Banfield home they had been in.

The defense attorney repeatedly pressed her on specific messages sent on the social media account in Christine’s name. 

Magalhães, seemingly annoyed, repeatedly testified that she had been unsure who had sent what. At one point, she told Carroll: ‘I am not going to do this.’ 

Investigators took this photograph of the marital bedroom during a visit to the home eight months after the February 2023 killings, highlighting how the frame on the nightstand now featured a photo of Banfield and Magalhães

Photographs in the bedroom that once featured the Banfields had been ‘taken down and replaced with Brendan and Juliana together,’ the investigator testified

Carroll also asked Magalhães to read portions from letters she had written from jail to Banfield and others. They expressed depression and frustration with her situation. ‘No strength. No courage. No hope,’ she wrote at one point.

Magalhães testified that her health in jail and isolation from loved ones also pushed her to turn on Banfield.

Last week, the trial also heard that Magalhães moved into Banfield’s marital bed very quickly after his wife’s passing.

Police photographed the home in February 2023 as part of the investigation into the murders, including both the primary and Magalhães’s bedrooms.

When officials returned to the residence eight months later, it was clear that the au pair was already sleeping in the bed Banfield previously shared with Christine, the trial heard. 

Fairfax County Sgt. Kenner Fortner told jurors earlier this month how ‘red, lingerie-style clothing items’ and a yellow t-shirt with green trim that had previously hung in the au pair’s closet had been moved to the master bedroom.

‘They had gotten new flooring, new bedroom furniture,’ Fortner added, noting how photographs that once featured the Banfields had been ‘taken down and replaced with Brendan and Juliana together.’ 

This is the knife used to stab Christine Banfield to death. Investigators found it tucked into her and Banfield’s marital bed

Investigators also found two handguns in the master bedroom, which detectives later determined had been moved from their original locations

Magalhães also claimed that Banfield did not feel he could just leave his wife and that they hatched a plan to ‘get rid’ of Christine so they could be together.

The nanny said Banfield told her that he couldn’t split from his wife because she would end up having more money than he would, in addition to not being good for their child. 

‘Money was involved,’ Magalhães told the court. She added that Banfield had no plans to share custody of his young daughter with Christine.

Magalhães will be sentenced at the conclusion of Banfield’s trial. Depending on her cooperation with authorities, attorneys have said she could be sentenced to the time she has already served.