Judge Denies Bond for Au Pair Charged With Murder
A judge denied bond on Friday to Juliana Peres Magalhaes, an au pair charged with second-degree murder for shooting and killing Joseph Nathan Ryan in the home where she worked in Fairfax County, Virginia. The judge told the defense that they would be allowed to ask for another bond hearing but was concerned that Magalhaes had gotten a new passport after police seized hers. Magalhaes’ attorney argued that she killed Ryan in self-defense when Ryan stabbed the wife of the family Magalhaes worked for, Christine Banfield, who later died from her injuries. Magalhaes says she then fired shots at Ryan when he tried to get up using the gun of Banfield’s husband, Brendan. On Friday, the prosecution alleged that Magalhaes and Brendan Banfield had a sexual relationship for months and that Ryan was present in the home after responding to a social media account for sexual fetishes that was created from the Banfield home.
