Transcript

Inside The Banfield Trial: Guilty Verdict

From 48 Hours · Episode page · Watch on YouTube

· 27 min · 4,210 words · 63 timestamped sections

This is the full, timestamped transcript of "Inside The Banfield Trial: Guilty Verdict", an episode of 48 Hours published February 3, 2026 (27 min, about 4,210 words). It mentions 10 people, works and ideas, including Brendan Banfield, Christine Banfield, Juliana Perez Magalles, Joseph Ryan, Jenna Sans.

What this episode is about

Brendan Banfield was found guilty of the aggravated murders of his wife, Christine, and another man, Joseph Ryan, in a case heavily intertwined with his relationship with their live-in nanny, Juliana Perez Magalles, who testified against him after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter. The trial featured significant evidence, but ultimately revolved around conflicting testimonies between Banfield and Magalles, highlighting the dark dynamics of their alleged collusion in the murders.

Key takeaways

  • In a case of betrayal, love can be deadly; Banfield's affair turned into a murder plot.
  • Digital evidence can't lie, but who was behind the keyboard? The Krayt theory complicates the truth.
  • Juliana's plea deal raised eyebrows: was it justice or just a scapegoat for the real mastermind?
  • Brendan's courtroom confession: a dangerous gamble or the last desperate attempt to evade guilt?
  • Sometimes, the heart's infidelity bleeds into the legal realm—this case brings a chilling twist to marital trust.

Who speaks in this episode?

What is discussed, and when

  1. – 5:00: Joseph Ryan, Brendan Banfield, Christine Banfield, Ann Marie Green
  2. – 10:00: Christine Banfield, Brendan Banfield, Juliana Perez Magalles, Joseph Ryan
  3. – 15:00: Joseph Ryan, IRS
  4. – 20:00: Brendan Banfield, Joseph Ryan, Jenna Sans, Michelle Sigona
  5. – 25:00: Joseph Ryan

Notable quotes from "Inside The Banfield Trial: Guilty Verdict"

  • Welcome to a special episode of the 48 hours podcast inside the Bfield trial.
    about Ann Marie Green · at
  • Shooting of Joseph Ryan and cooperated with the government, testifying against Brendan. So, here to discuss this verdict along with Brendan's own testimony is 48 hours producer…
    about Michelle Sigona · at
  • Brendan Banfield and Juliana Perez Maggalis colluded to kill Joseph Ryan and Christine Banfield.
    about Brendan Banfield · at
  • Whereas Brendan's attorney, John Carroll, said this. Juliana made it up.
    about John Carroll · at
  • Aggressive sex with a knife, but then frame him for the stabbing murder of Christine. Joseph Ryan was the man prosecutors say they targeted. Now, prosecutors also said that…
    about Joseph Ryan · at
  • Was responsible for starting this affair? According to him, according to Brendan, he says Juliana is the one who started making advances towards him. He went into great detail…
    about Juliana Perez Magalles · at
  • She could. This is what he says. And the reason why I bring this up is because it comes up when Brendan is going to the shooting range to practice for his job as an IRS agent.…
    about IRS · at
  • Christine, from everything I've been able to learn, was a nurse. She was a mom, a dedicated mother. She was a friend. She was a daughter. She was someone who seemed to enjoy life.
    about Christine Banfield · at

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

  • Brendan Banfield — Person · Defendant (referenced subject of trial coverage) · 4 mentions · first at
    Central figure in the episode; discussed as the person convicted of aggravated murder and whose testimony is analyzed against the prosecution's theory and Juliana's account.
  • Christine Banfield — Person · Victim (referenced subject of trial coverage) · 4 mentions · first at
    One of the two homicide victims; her background (nurse, mother, blood disorder) is used to evaluate plausibility of the alleged online plot and defense claims.
  • Juliana Perez Magalles — Person · Key witness / co-defendant (referenced); live-in nanny/au pair · 2 mentions · first at
    Banfields’ live-in nanny and Brendan’s alleged lover; pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and testified for the government, providing the prosecution’s narrative of planning and execution.
  • Joseph Ryan — Person · Victim (referenced subject of trial coverage) · 9 mentions · first at
    Second homicide victim; portrayed by prosecution as the targeted ‘lured’ victim and by defense narrative as an alleged intruder encountered by Brendan.
  • Jenna Sans — Person · Prosecutor (referenced speaker via clips/summary) · 3 mentions · first at
    Represents the Commonwealth’s theory of collusion and staging; her closing argument and cross-examination points are repeatedly cited to contrast with defense claims.
    Brendan Banfield and Juliana Perez Maggalis colluded to kill Joseph Ryan and Christine Banfield.
  • Michelle Sigona — Person · Main guest (48 Hours producer) · 2 mentions · first at
    Provides courtroom reporting and analysis of testimony, evidence, and trial dynamics; serves as the episode’s primary analyst alongside the host.
  • Ann Marie Green — Person · Host · 2 mentions · first at
    Hosts the special episode, frames the verdict and guides the discussion with the producer guest through evidence, testimony, and trial narrative.
  • John Carroll — Person · Defense attorney (referenced speaker via clips) · 2 mentions · first at
    Presents defense framing that Juliana fabricated the story for a plea deal; conducts direct examination of Brendan on key points (affair awareness, alleged plan).
  • Valerie Bfield, daughter of Brendan and Christine Banfield — Person · Child of the accused couple · 1 mention
    Valerie's presence in the case is significant as she was the child involved in the household where the events unfolded.
    Absolutely. The Bfields hired Juliana to care for their daughter Valerie. This was in 2021. Juliana was in her early 20s at the time and is part of the Opair arrangement. Juliana lived in their.

Companies & orgs

  • IRS — Company · Employer · 1 mention · first at
    Brendan Banfield worked as an IRS agent, which is relevant to the case as he had access to a firearm through his job.

Full transcript with timestamps

Just a trigger warning for you. Some of this reporting is disturbing, so please listen and watch with care. Welcome to a special episode of the 48 hours podcast inside the Bfield trial. I'm your host, 48 Hours correspondent Ann Marie Green, and we have a verdict in the case of Brendan Banfield. He's a man charged with the aggravated murder of his wife Christine and another man, Joseph Ryan, on February 24th, 2023. Banfield was found guilty of two counts of aggravated murder. He was also found guilty of child endangerment and the use of a firearm. So, this case was dubbed the Opair affair because of Brendan's relationship with the Banfields livein nanny from Brazil, Juliana Perez Magalles. Now, Juliana pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter for the shooting of Joseph Ryan and cooperated with the government, testifying against Brendan. So, here to discuss this verdict along with Brendan's own

testimony is 48 hours producer Michelle Sigona. Michelle, you were in the courtroom as all the events unfolded and we are so happy to have you here.

Amory, it's great to see you. Thank you so much for having me. Um, so there was a lot of evidence in this case. uh you know, a lot of digital evidence, a lot of physical evidence, um certainly testimony from law enforcement, testimony from experts, but really at the end of the day, it really felt like this was a case of he said, she said. Brendan versus his former lover, Juliana. There are only four people who know what really happened, and unfortunately, two have died. This is all about Brendan versus Juliana. Here's prosecutor Jenna Sans's final argument about what happened.

Brendan Banfield and Juliana Perez Maggalis colluded to kill Joseph Ryan and Christine Banfield. That makes sense. They created accounts. They chatted up potential victims. They got Joe Ryan into the house and then they shot him. Brendan stabbed Christine. let her bleed out on the floor and then dripped, smeared, and wiped her blood on Joseph Ryan's body to make it look like he had attacked Christine. Then they called the police. Brendan let Juliana take the fall and it took a little bit of doing, but here we are and it's his turn to be held accountable.

Whereas Brendan's attorney, John Carroll, said this. Juliana made it up. She told the Commonwealth what they wanted to hear and without question they just took it as their story. She told this lie to secure secure herself a deal that benefited her.

So we talked the other week about Juliana's testimony. Everyone was really surprised that she was amongst the first people first witnesses to testify. Um, can you remind our listeners though of this kind of elaborate alleged plot?

Absolutely. The Bfields hired Juliana to care for their daughter Valerie. This was in 2021. Juliana was in her early 20s at the time and is part of the Opair arrangement. Juliana lived in their Northern Virginia home. She said she started a relationship with Brendan in August 2022 and he was the one who came up with the plan to kill his wife that October. She says they created a fake email account for Christine along with a fake account on a fetish app called Fetlife. The idea was to lure someone to the house under the pretense of aggressive sex with a knife, but then frame him for the stabbing murder of Christine. Joseph Ryan was the man prosecutors say they targeted. Now, prosecutors also said that Brendan planned to then enter the bedroom and kill the quote intruder with a gun. And so a big part of proving or disproving this whole thing depending on whether you're on defense or prosecution was

about this catfishing component of it, right? Because part of the argument was well, it was Christine online making all this these arrangements or was it? You're right. There were days and days of testimony highlighting just about every login to the account and every message that was sent on Fetife. Also um clear it was hard to prove who was using those devices. So even if it was Christine's phone or laptop, the prosecution made the point that you couldn't prove it was her behind the device. So, to my surprise, Brendan took the stand. Uh, I say to my surprise because often uh defendants in murder trials don't, but you you never know.

And the prosecutor emphasized that this is the first time anyone has heard from Brendan from his story basically from start to finish. He did not give a full statement at the scene, at the hospital, in the days and weeks and months after his wife and Joseph Ryan uh died inside of his own bedroom. And you hear portions from him in a 911 call or maybe, you know, some clips from a police body cam, but that's it. This is the first time from start to finish we're hearing this. And Brendan said he wanted to tell his story earlier at Juliana's trial, but then she took a plea and he really didn't have an opportunity. So, let's dig into what he said when he was testifying. I want to talk about the relationship he had with Juliana. How does he say it began? Who was responsible for starting this affair? According to him, according to Brendan, he says Juliana is the one who started making advances towards him. He

went into great detail about how they started this physical relationship with one another inside the home. He also said Juliana basically um what he told her was this is just an affair. and that he had had previous affairs and this would not change his relationship with Christine. Uh Christine was a his partner for 19 years. 12 of those years they were actually married and right now you can hear from his lawyer John Carol.

Now was Christine aware of your affair? I don't believe she was aware of the affair between me and Juliana.

Was she aware of your previous affairs? Uh she was aware of at least two previous affairs.

Okay. And and likewise, were you aware of her affairs? Yes, I was also aware that she had that she had affairs.

So, this is the first time we're hearing this. Brendan says that Christine had affairs as well.

It felt like that part about Christine having affairs was just sort of slipped in, mentioned in passing very quickly.

And that is the real unfortunate part in these types of cases. Amory, you know this. The defense can make any kind of claim about a victim. And unfortunately, Christine is not here to be a voice and to defend herself. Brendan testified she had a previous BDSM affair when they lived in New York, was interested in sexual violence. Again, this his claims um and that she was a sexual assault nurse examiner setting her up that if she had some sort of possible history in engaging in violent sex relations, but it was something he said he had not had any interest in pursuing. Again, this is his version of events. I will tell you that prosecutor Jenna Sans said, and this was during closings when I was in the courtroom, that there was no digital history of Christine using dating websites, fetish sites, or talking to other men prior to this alleged plot.

She said there was zero evidence of Christine engaging in rough sex. And in addition, we learned Christine has a blood disorder and her father testified to what she went through as a child all the way up to an adult. So the prosecution is like, why would Christine invite someone into her home, her family home with a knife, knowing that if she were to be cut, it could be a serious situation. So, the last time we spoke about this case for the last episode, you know, we talked about Brendan and Juliana being in love like this, you know, like that was part of kind of the motivation for this plot, but then Brendan seemed to be really downplaying the relationship. I mean, what what's that about?

And the prosecutor challenged him. You better believe that on that cross-examination.

Did you love her? There was points that I told her that I loved her. You told her that you love her, but you didn't actually love her.

I would say I would say that I had feeling that I had feelings for her, but they weren't nearly as strong as feelings for my wife.

The Commonwealth even admitted multiple lengthy love letters for the jury to see. This was after Juliana was arrested, professing his love for her. One letter even mentioned he was obsessed with her happiness. M. So, in regards to this alleged plot, Brendan's attorney just flat out asked him if he created a plan with Juliana to kill his wife, Christine. Here's his response.

No, there was no plan. Um, at this point, our relationship is maybe 6 to 8 weeks old. I think that it's an absurd line of questioning for something that is not serious that we're that a plan was made to get rid of my wife. That is absolutely crazy.

So 6 to 8 weeks. First off, I did not know it was just 6 to 8 weeks, but I What is he inferring that that's just too short of a time to plot with your lover to kill your wife? that they need, you know, maybe if the relationship had been 6 months longer, that would be a reasonable argument. I think that's exactly what he's trying to say is that this relationship is too short. They were just scratching the surface and that, you know, it wasn't serious. So why would he concoct this plan and move forward with it and get rid of his wife of 19 years for someone he's not serious with? That's not the strongest argument.

I mean, when is there ever a reason to kill your wife? I mean, if it's a bad relationship, get out of it. Divorce. Sort of the normal stuff.

Yeah, that's right. Exactly. And I was also struck by Brendan's description of Juliana choosing to be with him whenever she could. This is what he says. And the reason why I bring this up is because it comes up when when Brendan is going to the shooting range to practice for his job as an IRS agent. He has a gun as part of his job. And prosecutors allege Juliana went to the range to practice shooting as part of the murder plot. Brendan says she was just tagging along.

In in having her come to the range, was there any plan that she was going to back you up on some plan?

I mean, there [clears throat] there was no plan at this point when we had gone to the range. There was no there was no of none of the suspect email account. There was no Fetlife account. There was no Telegram messages. None of that existed at the point that at the point that we went to the range.

Okay. Now, did Fetife or Gmail or Telegram ever exist for you? I did not know about them um until I did not know about them till after Christine died. Um I didn't get to really I didn't get to see them until after uh Juliana's arrest.

So there's no plan at this point. It's a weird way to say it. It is weird. So, if Brandon is suggesting that this thing with Juliana is an affair, it hasn't really been going on that long, just what was kind of the status of their relationship at the time of the killings?

Well, this is very interesting. Brendan says Juliana had broken up with him several times and on February 24th, they weren't together. He claims she was upset when he would spend time with Christine and she ended their relationship in the days leading up to this deadly incident. That is really fascinating. So the last time we spoke, we played some sound from the prosecutor and the prosecutor really laid out um kind of the elaborate choreography that unfolded on February 24th, the day of the killing. I think it's worth it, Michelle, to kind of like go over how all these things unfolded.

Absolutely. So, the prosecutor said that Brendan and Juliana had arranged this fake outing at the zoo for his daughter Valerie. Juliana would be the one supposedly taking her there. And around 6:00 a.m., Brendan allegedly messaged Joe Ryan posing as Christine to confirm a 7:20 a.m. arrival. They say Christine was asleep. Now, Brendan said he woke up early. He got ready. He saw Christine awake with her phone. He said he never touched her devices. And as for the zoo outing, he says Christine was the one who had arranged for Juliana and their daughter to go and this was not the other way around. He said he had a big day at work meeting about a case and his manager would be there. So that brings us to a surprise witness who testified after Brendan. It was his acting supervisor at the time of the killings.

When Mr. Vanfield testified that he had a scheduled meeting with his manager, that would have been yourself or Juliet Jones. Is that correct?

Those are the only two people that I can look that have been his manager. Yes. Okay. And she was out of the country and you were in Baltimore and not planning on meeting him. Correct.

Correct. This surprise witness also confirmed on the stand uh he was not interviewed by police on the week that the investigators were out at his office interviewing co-workers. I I think he may have been away or or out of town. Um so he was not able to interview with police at the time. So he did not give them a formal statement. But after hearing Brendan Banfield testify on the stand, that's when this coworker who was the supervisor at the time came forward and wanted to let everyone know uh that he did not have a meeting that morning and he was in Maryland.

Mhm. Okay. So, let's talk about the leaving of the house cuz um Juliana testified and and she said that she left the house with Valerie and she parked nearby so that she could have a clear view of the house. Brendan goes to a nearby McDonald's. Juliana says that when she sees Joe Ryan arrive at the house, she calls Brendan at the McDonald's. Um, and all three of them, Brendan, Juliana, and Valerie, return to the house and they all enter through the basement. And this is when Juliana testified that Brendan went upstairs to the bedroom and she followed. She said that she saw him shoot Joe and then stab Christine.

Then she shot Joe a second time. This is all according to her testimony. What did Brendan say? How did he describe this? He said he went to the McDonald's. He picked up breakfast on the way to work. He was in the restroom for seven minutes and also he sat in the parking lot and and apparently ate his food then went inside when he got a panicked call from Juliana. He tried calling Christine, but it went straight to voicemail. Brendan said when he came home, he went he took a direct route home. When he got there, um he went inside. He heard what he believed to be sexual noises and assumed Christine was having another affair.

This is again according to Brendan. But then sounds from Christine sounded painful and that's when he decided to go upstairs. He had his gun from work as well as his handcuffs. This is when he said he encountered Joseph Ryan with his wife.

You saw a knife there. What were you thinking in terms of Joe Ryan with a knife to Christine's neck? I was extremely terrified. Um, I don't know that I've ever been more panicked in my life. At the same time, he admitted he really couldn't see Christine's neck due to her hair being thick and curly, but he said he believed she had blood in her hair. He also said he tried to deescalate the situation, telling Joe to drop the knife. He says then he saw Joe forcefully stab Christine, causing Christine to fall to the ground, and that's when Brendan said he shot the gun at Joe. Brendan says he saw a bloody wound on Christine's neck and started applying pressure at this point. But [snorts] by this time, uh Brendan says he noticed Juliana in the room. He claims he asked her to call 911 and to watch Joe as he tended to Christine. He said Juliana stepped away to the master bathroom.

Christine told me that she was bleeding out and that um that she was sorry and that she loved me. Um

and what did you tell her? Uh it was at this point that uh there was another shot. Um and and I looked up and I saw that Juliana had my other firearm and I was stunned that Juliana had shot. And Brendan said he was initially unaware that Juliana got the gun from the safe in the bedroom closet. Now, this is different than what we heard from Juliana who said he gave her the gun before leaving the McDonald's that morning and she kept it in her pocket.

Okay. So then, how does the prosecution handle cross-examination with Brendan? Prosecutor Jenna Sans did not hold back Emory. She challenged him on his version of the stabbing and of the shooting.

So, how long do you think passed between your instructions to Joe Ryan to put down the knife? Let her go. Let her go. Let her go. And your wife is bleeding before you shot him.

Not that long. Under a minute. Under a minute. Okay. So if we were to count out 60 seconds, 1 2 3 so on and so forth, that would be a minute. And in that time, you did not shoot him.

I did not shoot him. And I did not shoot him prior to Christine going to the floor.

Okay. And at that point in time that she's going to the floor, we're at least six stab wounds in, right? To the best of my knowledge, it's hard to it's hard to see. Also, I'm aiming down my sight at Joe and so I'm not focused exactly on Christine. You You have a narrowed view when you're aiming down when you're aiming down a firearm.

And you just couldn't pull the trigger, could you? I was afraid. Okay. And you are a trained law enforcement officer, correct? I am, but I have my shooting record is um on the lower end for the qualifications.

He repeated that he was worried about hitting Christine by mistake. Uh the prosecutor then asked, "Well, why didn't he use his handcuffs on Joe after he did shoot him?" And Brendan said he probably should have done that. That's what he admits to. M and the prosecutor really also went after him about how he tended to Christine's wounds.

Um, you did not at that point in time use the towel, the blanket, the sheet, or the other blanket to staunch the flow of blood from her neck.

It wasn't until I was instructed to by 911 to to do that. Um, pressure is a different form of of treatment that we were taught and uh that is also what Christine was doing. Um, I believe that that was the best course of action at the time

to put pressure on the wound that was so large that your finger went inside of it. Is that correct?

Yes. Okay. And when first responders arrived, you agree you're on video holding her neck with your bare hand, correct?

I think so. So, speaking of first responders, uh I I know that the timing of the 911 calls was really sort of crucial to the prosecution's case. Juliana testified that after Brendan shot Joe, Christine said Juliana called 911. At that point, Juliana says that she called 911 for the first time, but then Brendan gestured to her to hang up. So, she hangs up really quickly. This is kind of crucial. Um, but 911 had already made contact at that point. Um, she calls back several minutes later after Brendan gave her the go-ahad to call 911. This is probably where the plot kind of falls apart. She called 911 too early. Uh, this is important testimony because it directly contradicts what Brendan said at trial.

Brendan said he brought Juliana and Valerie and their dog to the basement while he moved upstairs to the master bedroom to investigate. He believes Juliana made that first quick 911 call while she was downstairs in the basement and he was upstairs. And the defense introduced an expert who testified. They identified the dogs whining in a portion of that call. But he said he did tell Juliana to call 911 later after she came up to the bedroom. And this was after he had shot Joe Ryan.

And then we should remind everyone that Valerie, their young daughter, is in the basement this entire time.

It's It's really hard to think about. And the prosecutor asked if Brendan was thinking of his daughter. Why didn't he tell Juliana to leave the house with Valerie or use the lock on the outside of the basement door to make sure that they wouldn't be able to go upstairs? He claimed that at the moment he was just focused on Christine and that Valerie from what he thought was safe in the basement.

Yeah. Why would you want your daughter to to hear any of this to possibly see any of this?

And the prosecutor did say this. You have a gun. you're going up. Obviously, you're afraid for your safety in some sort of sense or or regard to all of this. And why would you not get your child out of that situation? Why would you? And four-year-olds are curious. Look, I have a 2-year-old, a six-year-old, and a 10-year-old. And let me tell you, kids are curious. They want to know what's happening. If they hear something, they are going to the noises. They're going to figure out whatever is happening. And I mean, at any point, she could have walked up those stairs. at any point.

It's absolutely it's absolutely terrifying. Um I mean, you've you've sat through you've sat through a number of very interesting trials. We talked about what Brendan testified to, but how was he on the stand? I will tell you that it was a little distracting because he would answer the defense, his defense attorney, and glance at him and then kind of glance over to the right at the jury and then kind of look back. His, you know, his eyes were shifting all over the place. Um, and it seemed like he was trying to keep, you know, his sense of thoughts going, but um, you know, it was hard for him, I think, at times to be quite honest. And um and again, this is the first time we're hearing of anything in full totality, so there's nothing to compare it to. And then my other question was about Christine. Could you get a sense of who Christine was? I mean, she has a courtroom filled with her supporters as well. Who was

Christine? Christine, from everything I've been able to learn, was a nurse. She was a mom, you know, a a dedicated mother. She was a friend. She was a daughter. She was someone who seemed to enjoy life. And this is such a tragedy. And I think about Valerie. I think about this little girl growing up without her mom.

And it is, I mean, it is heartbreaking. And it's hard to think about what her parents and all of her loved ones are going through. And now reliving this again really 3 years later.

Absolutely. They must they must be thinking how can this be our lives? How can this this be the story that our family, you know, has to tell.

Sad story. Really sad. Um Michelle, it's always great to have someone who's following the the case, you know, from beginning to end, who's been in the courtroom. Um so yeah, I really appreciate your time.

Thank you so much.

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "Inside The Banfield Trial: Guilty Verdict"?

Ann Marie Green (Host), Michelle Sigona (Guest), Jenna Sans (Guest), John Carroll (Guest), Christine Banfield (Guest).

What is "Inside The Banfield Trial: Guilty Verdict" about?

Brendan Banfield was found guilty of the aggravated murders of his wife, Christine, and another man, Joseph Ryan, in a case heavily intertwined with his relationship with their live-in nanny, Juliana Perez Magalles, who testified against him after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter. The trial featured significant evidence, but ultimately revolved around conflicting testimonies between…

What is mentioned in this 48 Hours episode?

10 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Brendan Banfield, Christine Banfield, Juliana Perez Magalles, Joseph Ryan, Jenna Sans, Michelle Sigona. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "Inside The Banfield Trial: Guilty Verdict"?

The episode runs 27 min; the transcript is about 4,210 words in 63 timestamped sections.

More from 48 Hours

About this transcript: the episode's spoken words as captioned on YouTube, split into timestamped sections. Reclip.Me locates every person, work and idea in the text, keeps the time it is first named, and quotes the words around it verbatim. Last updated February 3, 2026.