After an “intensive and ongoing” seven-month investigation into a double homicide involving a shooting and a stabbing at the house of the family where she worked, a live-in au pair in Reston, Virginia, has been charged with murder.
Juliana Peres Magalhaes, 23, was charged with second-degree murder in the death of Joseph Ryan, 39, and is being held without bond, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.
Officers rushed to a home on Stable Brook Way just after 8 a.m. on Feb. 25 in response to a 911 call from a lady who reported her buddy was harmed.
During the call, a guy answered and told the operator that he shot an unknown male who had entered his home and attacked a woman.
Officers arrived to find Christine Banfield, 37, of Herndon, suffering from stab wounds to her upper torso in an upstairs bedroom.
Officers found Ryan, of Springfield, suffering from upper-body gunshot wounds nearby.
Ryan was pronounced dead at the site, while Banfield was transferred to a local hospital and eventually died.
Detectives established that Peres Magalhaes made the initial 911 call and that Brendan Robert Banfield, Banfield’s spouse, joined the call.
According to police, Peres Magalhaes shot Ryan after an inquiry that included interviews and a study of forensic evidence.
The investigation into the event is ongoing, with police continuing to investigate evidence leading to the circumstances that led to Christine Banfield’s fatal stabbing.
Police haven’t said whether Ryan stabbed Banfield or why he was inside the house. According to FOX 5, there were no signs of forced entry.
