The mother of an au pair accused of fatally shooting a man after he stabbed her boss to death has claimed her daughter is innocent.
Juliana Peres Magalhaes, 23, was arrested last week in connection with the death of 39-year-old Joseph Ryan.
Ryan is believed to have stabbed 37-year-old Christine Banfield, who was found in an upstairs bedroom of her $1 million Virginia home.
“She told me that the case was closed and that the police had concluded that it was Ryan who killed Christine because they were ex-partners,” said the au pair’s mother, Marina Peres Souza. Folha.
“And then we found out about two days before the arrest that they were investigating. They ambushed her on Thursday before work.”
Juliana Peres Magalhaes (pictured), 23, was arrested and charged with manslaughter in connection with the death of 39-year-old Joseph Ryan
Ryan allegedly stabbed 37-year-old Christine Banfield (photo) to death in her home
Magalhaes’ mother claims Ryan (pictured) and Banfield were ‘ex-partners’ and her daughter acted in self-defense after getting into an argument with Ryan
Souza claimed Magalhaes arrived for work when she saw a man enter the house and, frightened, called Banfield’s husband.
The couple entered the house and discovered Christine Banfield had been stabbed.
It was then that Magalhaes, Brendan Banfield and Ryan got into an argument, Souza said, and Magalhaes shot Ryan to “defend herself and her family.”
Folha could not confirm with Fairfax police whether they had considered the possibility that Magalhaes shot Ryan in self-defense.
Souza said her daughter wanted to return to her native Brazil and had recently applied for a visa extension.
“They say terrible things about my daughter, that she only did this to stay in the country, but that’s not true,” she said.
‘She wouldn’t hurt a fly. I hope this story gets resolved.” Police believe Magalhaes shot Ryan. She has not been charged in Banfield’s death.
Banfield was discovered in an upstairs bedroom of her $1 million Virginia home (pictured). She was taken to a hospital, where she died from her injuries
Banfield’s husband, Brendan, initially told police he was the one who shot Ryan after discovering Ryan had stabbed his wife.
Fairfax police cordoned off the quiet cul-de-sac (pictured) where Banfield lived with her husband
Officers later discovered the couple’s four-year-old daughter, who had been in the house when her mother was stabbed
On the day of the murders in February, police received a call from Magalhaes’ cell phone around 7:50 a.m.
She hung up immediately. Ten minutes later she called back to say her ‘friend’ was injured.
Brendan Banfield then came on the line and told a dispatcher that he had shot Ryan, who he said had broken into his home and stabbed his wife.
Police arrived at 8:13 a.m. and found Ryan dead and Banfield injured. The 37-year-old mother was rushed to a local hospital but later died from her injuries.
Police have not confirmed whether Ryan stabbed Banfield, but they reportedly said there was no sign of forced entry into the home, a 5-bedroom colonial at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac.
The property last sold in 2019 for $799,000 and is now valued at just over $1 million. Police also found Banfield’s four-year-old daughter, who was physically unharmed.
Fairfax Police Chief Kevin Davis said in February that the little girl was “the biggest victim in all of this.”
He added: “I believe the person or persons responsible for this are already known to us.
“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.”
About Ryan, he said, “Us I don’t think he’s necessarily a stranger, but we’re still working on establishing more facts before describing him.”
It’s unclear why Banfield’s husband initially said he shot Ryan.
Magalhaes is being held in the Fairfax County Jail. Records show she had not yet entered a plea to the second-degree murder charge.