In police footage, a nanny involved in a suburban double murder refers to her employer as her "husband."
A love triangle turned deadly in Herndon, Virginia.
The nanny for a suburban Virginia family who pleaded guilty to manslaughter last month in a double homicide case is seen hyperventilating in new police body camera footage from the Fairfax County Police Department.
In February 2023, Magalhães, a Brazilian national, was accused of conspiring with her former employer, IRS agent Brendan Banfield, to murder Banfield's wife, Christine Banfield, the mother of his 4-year-old daughter.
As part of the alleged scheme, a man named Joe Ryan was killed after being lured to the Banfields' home with the promise of sex through a sexual fetish website, according to prosecutors.
In the February 2023 video, Magalhães can be heard stating that her "spouse" is downstairs.
"In the video, Magalhães stated that Ryan began stabbing her, according to police. He claimed that Brendan shot Ryan and asked for his help in doing so. Magalhães added that he had never met Ryan before."
In October 2023, eight months after the killings, she was arrested by police at the age of 22 and charged with aggravated murder and using a gun to commit a felony.
According to authorities, at the time of her arrest, she was residing in the main bedroom of the Banfields' Herndon home and had a photo of herself and Brendan on a nightstand beside the bed.
In September, more than a year after the murders, Fairfax County Police arrested Banfield, a 39-year-old IRS employee. He is charged with four counts of aggravated murder and use of a gun in the commission of a felony.
According to FOX 5, Banfield may receive a life prison sentence for the alleged crimes, while Magalhães faces a maximum sentence of 10 years for the manslaughter charge.
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On February 24, 2023, when police arrived at the Banfield residence in response to a 911 call, they discovered Christine with neck wounds from a stabbing and Ryan with a fatal gunshot wound in the upstairs bedroom of the home. Christine was transported to the hospital but later declared dead.
Officials recovered a knife and two guns from the house.
That Friday morning, it is unclear what happened inside the home, but it is known that Magalhães and Brendan both confessed to shooting Ryan while he was holding a knife to Christine.
Juliana's stepmother, Viviane Magalhães, expressed hope to The Associated Press that her stepdaughter can return home to Brazil soon.
"We are still unable to solve this issue. I believe she was deceived by this man. He manipulated her," Viviane Magalhães stated to the AP in Portuguese, discussing Banfield. "She was never interested in material wealth in Brazil. For a long time, she was in a relationship with a man who was as modest as she was. We could never imagine her being in a situation like this."
Banfield is no longer employed by the IRS.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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