Sentencing and Remembering the Victims

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For more info, talk to your eye doctor, call one eight forty four Myibo Y, or visit myibo dot com Follow the Minds of Madness on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts. To support the show and get access to early release and ad free episodes, go to patreon dot com slash Madness Pod. You can also hit subscribe at Apple Podcasts. Videos of our Thursday release episodes betweenetween the Madness are available on YouTube and Spotify Got all the links in her episode notes. The opinions expressed in the following episode do not necessarily reflect those of the Minds of Madness podcast Listener discretion is advised Iny the early two thousand twenties, most people were familiar with the term catfishing A shorthand for deception online Profiles, false names. Carefully curated lies designed to pull unsuspecting strangers into emotional or romantic entanglements Sometimes the motive is money Sometimes, loneliness Sometimes just sheer boredom But in early twenty twenty three, In the quiet suburbs of Northern Virginia, someone took the idea a step further This wasn't about inventing a fake identity. It was about stealing a real one to lure an unsuspecting victim into a deadly trap plan was my thought at call The victim was being groomed to walk through the front door of a family home and unknowingly become the centerpiece of a calculated murder plot And the perfect alibi for the real killers But there was one detail that made the scheme even more disturbing guess once the trap had been sprung The person who walked through that door would never be allowed to walk back out In this story Cat fishing was not the crime It was the weapon itself Join me now. As we dive into the shocking murders of Joseph Ryan and Christine Banfield who never should have crossed paths Together by a scheme, neither one of them saw coming You'll hear how a frantic nine hundred eleven call drew police into what was first appeared to be a clear cut case of self defense and how the discovery of a hidden affair and a carefully constructed digital trail led detectives to realize Both victims had been turned into pwns in someone else's plan Mndon, Virginia sits in the western stretch of Fairfax County, roughly twenty five miles from the heart of Washington, DC place where government employees, federal agents, and beltway professionals settled down to raise families In the early morning hours of Friday, february twenty fourth, twenty twenty three The home at thirteen two thirty Stablebrook Way was beginning to stir It was the residence of thirty nine year old Brendan Banfield thirty seven year old wife Christine and their four year old daughter I had to work on that Friday. The day was an important day for me at work. There was an important meeting. ure One of my cases there was going to be a cover operation for one of my cases. There was going and we were meeting with the undercover officer a senior special agent and my manager that was that meeting was scheduled for nine thirty that day. Brendim Banfield, a special agent with the IRS Criminal Investigation, explains what he was doing that morning This was a particularly important meeting for me as had been indicated that success in this case may lead to me getting a promotion to a senior special agent Brendon had spent most of his career at the IRS, slowly climbing the ladder. That morning, keeping up earlier than usual, to seize the next opportunity. I woke up a little bit earlier day I was planning to get to my office, which is in Vienna a little bit earlier so that I could set up the conference room have my documents ready, have my presentation ready, have document for the operation available so that it could be signed off by management. I believe woke up six thirty. Christine seemed to be awake and on her cell phone when I was getting ready and taking a shower to get ready for work. She was aware that I had this that I had this meeting that day. She wished me luck, told me she loved me and have a good day Christina taken that Friday off from her job as a pediatric ICU nurse at Inova Fairfax Hospital When Brandon got ready, she stayed in bed Getting ready on a typical day would mean that I need to have my credentials, which includes my badge, my firearm, my holster, my handcuffs, two magazines, my work cell phone. and then generally I would also have my personal cell phone, my wallet, and my keys, which includes two my government vehicle beforefore leaving Frandon said goodbye to his daughter, who was already up getting ready to go to the zoo with the Banfield's Brazilian au pair twenty two year old Julianna Magaes. I don't remember exactly what she was doing. I think she might have been getting stuff ready in the kitchen Christine had scheduled for Valerie and Juliana to go to the zoo. I knew that they were planning to go in the morning. I don't recall if I knew what time they were supposed to go But I knew they were going in the morning and I knew that when I saw Juliana in the morning, that that's what she was working on doing was getting Valerie ready than a normal work day Brendon left to r seven hundred thirty Because of his big meeting, he left the house about thirty minutes early. I left at seven Ellwens's McDonalds breakfast After grabbing breakfast Brendon pulled into a nearby parking space to eat. Basically right on the other side of that road is parking spaces. I was going to sit there to eat my breakfast I started my car back up and went Donald to use the restroom. As I was finishing up in the restroom I received a call from Jiuliana That phone call would change everything Juliana told Brendan she was about to leave for the zoo with his daughter when she spotted a stranger walking up to the banfield's front door and going straight inside She said she tried calling Christine's cell phone, but the call went straight to voicemail. I left the restroom and went back to my car quickly I did not tell her that I was coming back on that original phone call On the original phone call, I told her that I was going to call Christine I did try to call Christine, but I did not reach her after that I called Juliana back and I told Juliana not to go in the house that I was going to return to the house Brendon's attempts to reach his wife also went straight to voicemail He then drove the six minutes back to his house, where he found Julianne and his daughter sitting in the car Juliana were parked in the cul deac kind of in front of my neighbor's house just outside my driveway. I asked her if the person just went into the house and she had indicated yes I knew that they got into the house through the front door, but I didn't know more than that. It sounded to me at that point that they just went into the house without delay, I guess. I told Juliana to stay at the car Even though Brendon wasn't a police officer, he was still a federal agent who carried a gun in a badge. So he decided to go inside his house through the back basement entrance I saw a silver jeep in the driveway and that my front door was closed. I had concerns that this was going to be and affair, but I didn't know I didn't really know what was going on at that point I unlocked my back gate and then headed around back to my basement door. I unlocked the door. While I was unlocking the door, my dog was in the basement, which is unusual as the basement has a door that's pretty much always closed. So my dog Lily doesn't have access to the basement normally and jumping up and down at the back door when I was when I was going down there I had opened the door I saw that Juliana and were coming down the brick path Juliana was carrying and had followed me Brendon instructed Juliana to stay in the basement with his daughter while he checked upstairs. When I went up thestairs, I closed the basement door behind me I did not immediately see anybody on the main floor of my house. While I was looking on the main floor of the house, I heard sounds from upstairs I would say moaning as well as sound of skin on skin contact. I believe that it was an affair. that was going on at that point. I guess I was emotional at that point. Christine and I had had affairs We had never seen each other with anyone No one was ever caught in the act anything or anything like that Chearing what I thought was sex was upsetting. about just ignoring the situation and going to work and dealing with this after work, hopefully when No one else is there. As my mind was kind of racing in this moment, the sound, I guess sounded like it changed to me. Instead of what I thought was the sounds of sex, I thought that The impact sounds sounded forceful and that Christine's moaning It sounded painful and not pleasurable and that the distance between the sounds of the skin on skin contact sounded too far apart sex and I thought that I thought that maybe she was being hurt Brendon was no longer dreading, catching his wife in an affair He was fearful. She was in danger While I was walking up the stairs, I did unholster my weapon I could see that the bedroom door was partially open, maybe eight to twelve inches, something like that I saw it Julie Amo basement door And I kind of only did a glance seeing that Guliana was there and then I continued up the stairs. oututside the room, I headed towards the door and pushed the double doors open with my foot Shopify came through for me again the other night, every year for my son's birthday. I take him golfing. It's a tradition we've had for years. 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He said he saw Christine And a man he'd never seen before They were on the floor near the bottom left of my bed. Christine was I would describe as nude and on all fours on her hands and knees slightly to the left of her He was clothed and he was looking directly at me as I opened the door Almost immediately I said police, alerting the room that I was there. I was holding my gun forward Christine responded first. Christine said Brendon He has Brendon, he has a knife He told me to drop my gun. I don't know that I've ever been more panicked in my life. I was hoping to de escalate the situation. I did not want to shoot him. I wanted him to to let her go he said that that she was his and that she gave herself to him Brendon described a tense standoff With him pointing his gun at the man, standing behind Christine, holding a knife to her throat It appeared that he did a very forceful step ords Christine And Christine kind of spun away from him. So she landed on her stomach on the ground, and that's when I fired at him I turned around and faced Christine saw I saw the knife on the floor and I kneeled down next do At that point, she was on her stomach. She was kind of writhing back and forth. She was holding her neck And she told me that she couldn't see I asked her to let me see indicating that her hand was covering her neck. and she like very shakily removed her hand from her neck and I could see the wound on the right side of her neck Brendon fired his gun Bllet had struck the intruder in the head And as he fell to the floor Brendon rushed over to Christine At that point, I noticed that Giuliana was in the room And I told Juliana to both call nine hundred eleven and I told her to watch him. She looked like she was stunned, but after I told her to call nine hundred eleven and watch him, she seemed to forward and went into the master bathroom. Brinton attempted to render aid He said the intruder on the floor began moving again. That's when he heard it It was another shot And I looked up and I saw that Juliana had my other firearm and I was stunned that Juliana had shot I yelled for Julianna to call nine hundred eleven again. A bullet fired by Julianna struck the intruder in the chest and throughrew the heart ection I and one moreational emergency. I need any help? there is My friend just doesn' the n like now she's doing lot. I don't know what to do anymore. Okay, where are you located What's driver? U I'm not Is there somebody else that they can give to the address I one se zero. Stable Brookway. Okay. And what's your name and what's going on My name is Brendon Bansneld. I'm a I'm I'm aederal agent this is my house. There somebody there's somebodys here. I I saw I saw him U It b. bing to getal Sveral marks on her neck. What do I do with it? Okay. so what I need you to do is apply direct pressure directly to where she's bleeding from, okay. And if it becomes just add more clough to when it's already there Fairfax County officers arrived at the Banfield's house within minutes, and Christine was immediately transported to a local hospital despite life saving efforts Christine was pronounced dead a short time later. The mysterious intruder was pronounced dead at the scene as investigators work to piece together what had happened inside that home quickly turned to identifying the second victim Officers soon identified him as thirty nine year old Joseph Ryan of Springfield, Virginia and as they started looking into his background What emerged was a man who didn't fit the profile of someone you'd expect to find at the center of a scene like this He had a clean criminal record and lived with his elderly grandmother, regularly driving her to medical appointments Officers found Brendan in the primary bathroom. His hands covered in blood and visibly shaken So what's the story? Do you live here? This is my house. This is my wife. I don't know him You don't know him. This is your wife. The other woman is our pair Nan. Where is she? I don't know Okay. I don't know. How long have they been down? It's right here. How long right when you called us?? She called. She had to get She had to find her phone. My hand My hand's o, we coveredtet told. You're gonna stay right here with me Until we get to sorted out a little bit o An autopsy soon revealed the full extent of Christine's injuries There are Multiple stab wounds and cutting wounds. There are three stab wounds on the left side of her neck and they injure the left adjugular vein, which is a major vein in the neck, carotid artery and the larynx, which is the breathing tube. The wounds range from quarter of an inch deep to up to two and a half inches deep They are all rapidly fatal injuries There is evidence of humo aspiration breathing of blood into the lungs and swallowing of blood into the stomach, indicating she's alive. The cause of death is multiple sharp force injuries and the manner of death is homicide Christine had been stabbed seven times in the neck with every classified as rapidly fatal Joseph Ryan was also examined He had two gunshot wounds. A gunshot wound of the head. The entrance was on the right side of the head And there was a gunshot wound of the chest, which with be an entrance on the left side of the chest. The distance is indeterminate. There's no evidence of or steppling on the skin of the wound The bullet injures the skin and soft tissue and the muscle, the rib cage The pericardium, which is the sac that the heart resides in, the heart, the aorta, which is a major blood vessel coming off of the heart. And the outside of the esophagus, which is the food tube to the stomach and the T eight spine. This wound is considered rapidly fatal, meaning seconds to minutes, injuring vital structures of the body. The cause of death is multiple gunshot wounds and the manor is homicide From outward appearances, the story was a tragedy A violent intruder had entered the Banfield home, attacked Christine with a knife And her husband has shot the assailant, trying to protect her A young girl had lost her mother and a husband had lost the wife he'd been with since he was a teenager But as the scene was processed and the details came into sharper focus The situation begin to look far less straightforward. We worked together since we were eighteen. We met freshman year at college at Quibac University. from college to our first jobs after college to buying our first house together, to marriage to getting a dog and a second dog and We were always together, always planning for the future Virtually inseparable since their first year at university Brandon and Christine built a life together One milestone after the other Christian and I had a very active social life. We spent a lot of time with our friends. This included board games and cards as well as going on vacations together and going on vacations with other couples that we were friends with We did a lot of hiking going to Rbert Farce and different mountains kind of around the country. We also played kickball together We did quite a bit intramurarally. We were still in New York at that point I would say that we spent a lot of time together. when we weren't working, we We did a lot of work around our house. We had two dogs, two huskies that we took care of. We' taking them on our walks and hikes. Christine had several different jobs. Her primary position was as a pediatric intensive care unit nurse At other points, she did private health carere for an individual family. She also did some product training for medical devices And she also worked as a sexual assault nurse examiner for several years. Those were in New York and when we came to Virginia, she continued as a pediatric intesticary unit nurse and trainer for INOva here in Virginia In twenty nineteen Brending got a promotion that moved the family from New York to the DC area H daughter was less than a year old at the time I received a promotion from my job with the internal Revenue Service previously was a tax compliance officer and I received a promotion to spepecial agent with IRS criminal invvestigation The move from New York to Virginia was a major event in their lives Not only were they moving away from a support network of the family Christine's career path was also entering a period of uncertainty as she started searching for new opportunities It was a promotion for myself, but it was also ended up being a promotion for Christine when she applied to INOva because she was going to be training the newer hires as well after she finished her own orientation period. And so this was going to be a pay raise and she always liked mentoring new nurses when she was at Stoningbrok Hospital. So this allowed her to more formally control some of the training process of the nurses in the pediatric ICU with Christine working twelve and a half hour shifts and Brendan's heavy workload Coordinating childcare for a toddler required creative solutions So they decided to hire an au pair twenty one year old Juliana Magages from Brazil in October of twenty twenty one when she came to be a auair or a nanny for our family She would come and provide childcare For the family, it would include room and board that she would be able to take educational opportunities such as at a local community college. She can work, I believe up to forty five hours a week and she would generally provide a loving environment activities for Valerie I may inform her when I was going to get home from work. if I had any delays, making sure that dollar was getting to 's say dance lessons if Christine and I were not were not available then Giuliana would generally bring Valerie to preschool on the days that she was working an we might just talk about activities for her to do with Valerie on days that they were working A a year with the banfields Julianna requested a visa extension to stay on for another year. By whole accounts The arrangement appeared to be working well for everyone. This is Tab Ramos from inside American soccer. 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What does treating dry eye differently feel like For Fairfax County detectives, the Banfield's use of a live in au pair was typical for affluent families in the DC area But as they began their investigation of the double homicide They discovered that Banfield's domestic situation was more complicated than it first appeared. at the crime scene itself. The most puzzling discovery was Christine's cell phone. powered off inside a kitchen drawer Res then took a closer look at Christine's electronic devices And what they uncovered raced new questions. on Christine's laptop. Investigators discovered an account for a website called Fet Life, a social networking platform for adults interested in BDSM and sexual fetishs Count, created six weeks before Christine's murder Us the username Anastacia nine profile featured a photo of Christine in a bathing suit Investigators also found messages showing the account had been actively searching for men willing to come to the Banfield home and participate in what was described as Strangerate fantasy A knife was specifically requested Numerous candidates were contacted and rejected, and the messages revealed that anyone who asked to meet in public first was denied by late January Count matched with Joseph Ryan Soon after, Joseph agreed to Anastasia Nine's terms He was instructed to arrive at Christine's home walk through the unlocked front door. Go upstairs and carry out the scenario they discussed online He was told to bring a knife Ties, chains and lubricant. It was instructed not to stop Even if she looked terrified or called for help Joseph was assured, this was all part of the fantasy messages between Joseph and Christine's accounts made one thing clear Joseph Ryan had not been some random intruder. He'd been invited into the home. specifically told to bring a knife The discovery only complicated the picture investigators were trying to build. If Christine had arranged for Joseph to come over Why have he attacked her And there was another issue that troubled investigators, involving Christine's medical history spepecifically, a blood clotting disorder she lived with since childhood. Benson, Christine's father explains Rosing. blloody noses. They were frequent and very hard to stop we would do normal, you know, good ice packs on the back of her head, keep her elevated So that You know, until it stopped, which was prolonged quuite a long time for them to stop. There was a concern to a pediatrician as well Throughout her life, Christin had taken great care to mitigate the risks of cuts and bruisis Well, she always had to be cautious and As not take An contact sports, anything that would prolong any kind of injury internal or exxcessive bleeding would cause a problem. We took precautions to safeguard when she rode a bike. She had to wear a helmet, knee pads, hand pads Same thing with roller bllading. she was one that when she was little, she liked to do all that stuff, but we restricted her from doing that because of all the injuries that she was getting like that. So you know, that continued quite some time keeping a close eye on a There was no medication for it at the time to take on a main like a maintenance drug or anything like that. There was a treatment for the blood disorder, yes. It was administered by a doctor As weeks went by, the picture would become even more troubling Detectives learned that Juliana had moved herself into the primary bedroom where the killing took place, the very bed that once belonged to Christine. Julianna even replaced photos of Christine with photos of herself and Brendan In the lobby of the hotel, a detective overheard Brendan's young daughter asking Julianna Can I call you mummy now Julianna replied, Yes. Then she asked Juliana, if she was going to marry her father? which Julianna replied. I wish A subsequent search warrant of Brendan and Julianna's devices left no doubt. The two had been having a full blown romantic affair since the summer of twenty twenty two Six months before the murders The discovery of the affair led detectives to pursue a new theory Brendon and Julianna conspired to murder Christine in order to get her out of the way, so they could be together to get away with it gone to extreme lengths, creating a plausible alibi speculated that the Fat Life account wasn't created by Christine Brendon and Juliana instead Digital forensics supported that theory Evidence revealed that the FT Life account was always accessed through either Christine's laptop or cell phone But a closer inspection showed that both devices were often in use at the same time While the laptop was being used to message Joseph Ran about sexual fantasies Christine's phone would be planning vacations, messaging family members or even browsing Dives were also able to see through cell location data that every single time the Fet Life account was accessed Neither Juliana or Brendon was at home inside the Banfield residence with Christine There wasn't even a single instance when the FetT Life account was accessed when Christine was at home by herself whichich, you would think, would be the most likely time for a person to coordinate and plan a risky affair. The implication was horrifying. That meant Julian and Brendan had catfished an unsuspecting victim into arriving at the house with a knife and then entering Christine's bedroom Christine would believe the attack was real Joseph would believe her reaction was all part of a simulated rape fantasy he'd been requesting to perform Meanwhile, This would give Brendon plausible justification for shooting Joseph before stabbing his own wife and blaming it on the intruder. The theory was twisted But as detectives continued to investigate It fit each piece of evidence they uncovered One piece that fit this new theory was the nine hundred and eleven calls made that morning Because, the call we played earlier in the episode was actually the second nine hundred eleven call made by Julianna's phone that morning. As it turned out The first call had actually been placed a full fifteen minutes earlier and lasted only eight seconds We're back Cy now M time Midon. Hello fine and one Silence And then the line went dead But in the background Investigators identified moaning which they now believed was Joseph after he'd already been shot So if Joseph had already been shot by seven hundred forty seven that morning That meant Brendan and Julianna had a full fifteen minutes to stage the crime scene before calling nine hundred and eleven again at eight hundred two And it proved that Brendon and Julianna's version of events had been a lie from the very beginning October twenty twenty three Julianna was arrested and charged with second degree murder For the next year, she maintained her innocence and rejected numerous plea agreements Brendon himself was indicted in september twenty twenty four charges of aggravated murder Then One month after Brendan's indictment Julianna decided to talk I was there Hper. Hper is like a n possation, but somebody comes from another country providing care for their kids and in exchange they live with their family I lived with in their house in their home Yours Brandon His wife, Christine and her daughter It was kind of app perod for me to adapt To the family, to my job, to the country But it was very I was very welcome, I guess. My relationship was mostly Christine. Brendon and I barely spoke at all. just Christina was very friendly, very welcoming That Julianne admitted shed started having an affair with Brendan in the summer of twenty twenty two It became sexual. It was August twenty twenty two That was a secret H has to say that she didn't seem to care about where he was what he was doing. She didn't seem to care about him at all and that she was helpless and lazy He basically said divorce was not an option. Money was involved pain said that he don't want pchure with Christine that She wasn't good her. So he wanted to have full time. Money because should have more money than he would have ever split October twenty twenty two Brendon was talking about getting rid of Christine At first, he considered a hit man. But as law enforcement, he knew the financial trail would be too easy to trace Then he found another approach Life The website is for BDSM were like back on stuff and Kam said it would be we would be able to find somebody that playays like aggressive or bed. ing with blood and backgun stuff. The person would be eventually would be invited to come to the house and he needed to know that the person was willailing Things like beinning her down Gagging P Spianking Julianne admitted that she and Brendan had both messaged Joseph Ryan And that was by design Sometimes it'll be him, sometimes it'll be me by his instruction Bny was with me She was home. because Here that is mentioned for us to make sure to log in on that account when she was at home. So it would have, you know, throughout the investigation, It being very clear that like whenever she was using the profile she was home Do my eyes still feel gritty and tired? With my bow, eyes can feel My bow Myibo, for Fluurohesalactane othalmic solution is the only prescription dry eyeedrop that directly targets the number one cause, too much tear evaporation. Don't use if allergic to Myibo. Remove contacts before using and wait at least thirty minutes before putting them back in. Eye reedness and blurred vision may occur. For more info, talk to your eye doctor, callall one eight for four Myibo Y, or visit myibo dot com People would rather assemble a three hundred piece cabinet than search for insurance. That's why the zebra searches for you, comparing over one hundred insurance companies to find savings, no one else can. Compare today at the zebra d. com Brandon knew police would track phone locations and compare them to the fat life activity So he and Julianna alternated Sometimes he left while she logged in Sometimes the reverse They always used the account when Christine was home making the digital footprint point to her Julianna also described how Brendan once tested the soundproofing of the home's new triple paned windows. After they changed the windows in the house He told me into a test and he had told me to go up Cheun up master bedroom and he would be outside a driveway And he told me for me to screen. from the master bedroom to save If you could hear anything, come and driveway but I I didn't do it Instead he told me so I could go out on the driveway and he would go up to the master bedroom And he wouldd be the one screaming and I just tell him Whet or not I heard anything any youone make sure important here on According to Julianna, the morning of february twenty fourth was carefully choreographed. Brendon took Christine's phone and sent a final confirmation message to Joseph about plans that morning Then, he disabled the front door lock, turned off Christine's phone, and hid it in the kitchen drawer. He left for McDonald's while Juliana loaded his daughter into the car parked in the culesac and waited for Joseph to arrive. When he did Julianna culted Christine's pham, which was powered off at the time, to create a record then call Brandon to alert him He then drove back. After you arrived Both he and Julianna entered through the basement together. Leaving the four year old downstairs Brendon then gave Julian a handgun And they moved together up the stairs, weapons drawn When about to to the main floor. Brenda was standing at the bottom of stairs, the stairs that lead us upstairs and he was just listening then he took his gun out and because I also had the gun with me, I just the same and he proceeded to go upstairs and I just followed him upstairs to the master bedroom Christine's first reaction, that was the first time I heard she say anything at that point Then she yelled back at Brandon saying, Brandon, he has a knife. Gys don't bring the horse shot, Joe Julianna admitted, T accidentally calling nine hundred eleven too early night a oneent at that point Joe was already shot so But the sound in the background Rone looks at me and just in a way for me like to hung up the call After shooting Joseph, Brendan then turned on Christine by this point was completely uninsured He was su top Christine. Joe was C there And she got on top of her and That's when I first saw him. stama over the knife Juliana Watch Brandon stabbed Christine repeatedly Then she saw Joseph Ryan was beginning to move again. And I just start telling him his movie, his movie is behind you. and that's when I p shot too. I called nine again when he Bner told me he was ready for me to call. Even after Juliana's confession, Brendon maintained his innocence and called the accusation absolutely crazy october twenty twenty four. Julianna officially pleaded guilty to the reduced charge of manslaughter and the death of Joseph Ryan in exchange for her testimony against Brendan Banfield. Under the terms of the deal, prosecutors agreed to recommend a stunning sentence of time already served exchange for a full cooperation. But she wouldn't be officially sentenced until after Brendan's trial in january twenty twenty six We here to without because Brendan Banfield The man seated behind me killed his wife. Christine Banfield and another man named Joseph Ryan Those two individuals had no reason to know each other, but for the plotting and planning. Bnd and Bandfield Through a painstaking review of digital forensics, location data analysis, and the examination of the FET Life account messages, the prosecution detailed this sinister plan Brendan and Julianna had orchestrated They would use Christine's email accounts to create a fake profile to lure someone in who was into kinky sex Violent sex And they would get this guy to come into the house. Fake great Christine. Bryndan would be the hero of the day. He would show up, kve the guy kill his wife pretending that it had been that guy That was the plan He posted as Christine, seeking fulfillment of this stranger raped fantasy chatting with potential victims searching for just the right guy who would follow Brendon's plan to a tea. Because remember, this plan hinged on several things Christine never knowing that it existed and Christine never being expected to meet with her potential fake hist In this community of people, there weren't many takers for such a risky plan. It had red flags all over the place byy january twenty fourth, twenty twenty two Brendon had found his target Fents countered. Apart from Julianna's confession There was no actual evidence linking Brendon to the murder plot or the Fet Life account. And because of Julianna's sweeter plea deal Her entire testimony should be called into question. The arrest of Juliana place in October. of twenty twenty three. She was held for nearly another year before she made the statements that are the full and complete support of what the Commonwealth just told you. And she did that because the Commonwealth decided that they were going to give her a plea of guilty to a manslaughter, which is a lesser included offense and guaranteed time served upon her testimony here today or tomorrow or whatever that testimony is The whole reason she was arrested was to flip her against my client The Commonwealth used her for their case And she's accepted it gladly Brendan decided to testify in his own defense A defense that essentially claimed the entire crime was exactly as it had first appeared to authorities. Christine had created the Fet Life account and orchestrated a sexual encounter Bnd and had walked in on them And Joseph had stabbed Christine before being shot by Brendan in self defense Sir, have you ever used or looked at that life? prior to the discovery that's come out in this case. No, I had never used or looked at or heard of Fed Life previously. Were you aware of Christine using Fet lifeife at all No, I didn't have any knowledge of Christine using Fet Life But in a shocking turn of events, prosecution presented the testimony of a witness that shattered Brendan's entire story According to Brandon. The entire reason he'd left the house earlier than usual that morning was because he had a big meeting at work that might lead to a promotion but his supervisor from the IRS testified that this simply wasn't true Brendon had made it up On february twenty fourth, twenty twenty three, I was the acting supervisory spepecial agent for the Vienna Group All right, And so did mister Vanfield report to you? He did at that time, Yes. Were you scheduled to meet with mister Vanfield onn the morning of february twenty fourth, twenty twenty three? I was not On any other day, Brendan never left the home until seven thirty AM But on the mornings of the murders, he left at seven Fet L messages to Joseph Ryan showed he was scheduled to arrive before seven thirty that morning, which begs the question Why on earth would Christine invite Joseph to the house at a time when her husband wouldnt normally be home The defendant took the stand and he lied. and he lied about collateral matters He told you that he had a big career defining Wor meeting, the morning of the murder. And then you heard from this boss. you said, no, I didn't it If he's lying about the things that don't matter, how can you believe a single word he's said? And ladies and gentlemen, you have to do that in this case. because without some alternate theory The Cwalth's evidence is uncontroverted In the end, the profable lies, the inconsistencies, and Julianna's testimony were insurmountable for Brendan's defense. We, the jury on the issue joined in the case of the Commonwealth of Virginia versus Brendan Robert Vanfield, defendant, find the defendant guilty of aggravated murder of Joseph Ryan and Christine Vanfield as part of the same act or transaction But after Brendon's trial, there was still one more surprise. On february thirteenth, twenty twenty six, Julianna's sentencing hearing took place, where she expected to receive a sentence of time already served and to be set free Instead The judge ignored the prosecution's recommendation. and sentenced her to the maximum sentence for manslaughter ten years in prison Four months later, on june fifth, twenty twenty six Brendon Banfield stood before the judge to receive his sentence. The level of cruelty, calculation, and inhumanity in this case reflects something far deeper than anger or impulse It reflects evil whichich is why I carry no burden and find no hesitation in sentencing you to I sent you to life in the penitentiary for the rest of your natural life without the possibility of parole. good conduct allowances or any earned sentence credits or conditional release Do dry eyes still feel gritty, rough, or tired? With my bow, eyes can feel My bow Fibo, for Flurohexalactaneopthalmic solution, is the only prescription dry eye drop that directly targets the number one cause of dry eye, too much tear evaporation Myibbo mimics the way the protective outer layer of a healthy tear film fights evaporation, allowing you to keep more of your own tears. It can help the surface of the eye heal when used consistently as directed So eyes can find relief that's