Virginia au pair, 23, is charged with murder over bizarre incident which saw her ‘shoot man, 39, dead after he killed married mom at $1M’ mansion
- Juliana Peres Magalhaes has been charged with shooting 39-year-old Joseph Ryan
- At the same address, a mother was found with stab wounds, who later died
- The police are still investigating who stabbed the woman, but it is believed to be the man who shot Peres Magalhaes.
A 23-year-old au pair has been charged with manslaughter in connection with a double slaying at a $1 million home in Virginia, authorities announced Thursday.
Juliana Peres Magalhaes, of Reston, Virginia, was arrested Friday and charged in the shooting death of 39-year-old Joseph Ryan of Springfield.
Both Ryan and a woman, Christine Banfield, 37, were attacked and killed on February 24 at Banfield’s $1 million home in the Herndon area.
Police reportedly believe Peres Magalhaes shot Ryan, who is accused of stabbing Banfield to death. Peres Magalhaes has not been charged in Banfield’s death.
No further details about the bizarre crime have been shared. No motive has been given and police said Ryan was likely no stranger to Christine Banfield, but declined to comment further.
Juliana Peres Magalhaes, of Reston, Virginia, has been charged in the shooting death of Joseph Ryan, 39, of Springfield
On the day of the murders in February, around 7:50 a.m., police received a call from Peres Magalhaes, but she immediately hung up.
Ten minutes later she called back to say her ‘friend’ was injured.
Both Ryan and a woman, Christine Banfield (pictured), 37, were attacked and killed in Banfield’s $1 million home in the Herndon area on February 24.
At that point, Banfield’s husband, identified in the lawsuits by Fox News as Brendan Robert Banfield, also came on the phone.
Brendan Banfield reportedly told a dispatcher that he shot Ryan, who he said barged into his home and stabbed his wife, Christine Banfield.
Police arrived at the home at 8:13 a.m. and found Ryan dead and Christine Banfield, who had been stabbed, in an upstairs bedroom.
She was taken to hospital but later died.
Police have not confirmed whether Ryan stabbed Banfield, but they reportedly said there was no sign of forced entry into the home.
Police also found Banfield’s four-year-old daughter in the home, who was physically unharmed.
“The real victim in all of this is that poor girl,” Fairfax Police Chief Kevin Davis told Fox News at the time.
In February, Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said, “I believe the person or persons responsible for this are already known to us.
The $1 million Virginia home where a man died and a woman was stabbed in February
“We just need to find out who was responsible for what, we need to find out the exact nature of Mr. Ryan’s presence in the house.”
He added, “We I don’t think he’s necessarily a stranger, but we’re still working on establishing more facts before describing him.”
Chief Davis did not know if Ryan had been to the house before. He reportedly added that the au pair had spoken to police, but Banfield had not.
Peres Magalhaes is in the Fairfax County Jail. Online court records seen by Fox News show she has not yet entered a plea to the second-degree murder charge.