A pediatric nurse stabbed to death. A stranger shot twice by two different guns. A 4-year-old waiting in the basement to go to the zoo. And a husband who says he's innocent.

The Au Pair Affair Murder Trial of Brendan Banfield is your complete source for daily coverage, analysis, and breakdown of one of the most anticipated murder trials of 2026.

On February 24, 2023, Christine Banfield and Joseph Ryan were found dead inside the Banfield home in Herndon, Virginia. Prosecutors allege Brendan Banfield — an IRS criminal investigator — and the family's Brazilian au pair, Juliana Peres Magalhaes, were having an affair and conspired to murder his wife. The alleged weapon? A fake profile on FetLife, a sexual fetish website, used to lure Ryan to the house as an unwitting patsy in a staged home invasion.

But this case is far from simple.

The prosecution's own digital forensics expert concluded Christine Banfield — not her husband — appeared to be controlling the FetLife account. His findings were peer-reviewed and confirmed. Then he was transferred out of the unit. The lead homicide detective who disagreed with command staff's theory was moved off the case. The lead prosecutor was removed after being cited for drinking at 8 a.m.

Now the state's entire case rests on Juliana Peres Magalhaes — who changed her story after a year in jail and took a plea deal that lets her walk free if she testifies against Banfield. She wrote to her mother from jail: "I'm heartbroken for doing this to Brendan... I want to be with you again."

What you'll get from this podcast:

Christine Banfield was a nurse who spent her career helping sexual assault survivors. Joseph Ryan was a man looking for connection who walked into a house he never should have entered. Both are dead. Somebody is responsible.

Did Brendan Banfield orchestrate an elaborate murder plot with his young mistress? Or did investigators lock onto a theory before the evidence supported it — and punish anyone who disagreed?

Subscribe now for complete coverage of the Brendan Banfield murder trial.

New episodes daily during trial. Available wherever you get your podcasts.