Banfield Trial Day 3: Why Did Police Let Him Wash His Hands Before Taking DNA?

Day three of the Brendan Banfield trial shifted from au pair Juliana Peres Magalhães's testimony to the investigators who processed the crime scene — and the evidence they presented may be the most damning yet. Fairfax County crime scene photographer Kenner Fortner showed jurors what detectives found when they returned to the Banfield home eight months after Christine Banfield and Joseph Ryan were killed: the master bedroom had been completely renovated. Blood-stained carpet replaced with wood floors. New furniture throughout. And photographs of Brendan and Christine removed from the nightstands, replaced with framed images of Brendan and Juliana together.

Detective Terry Leach walked the jury through graphic crime scene photographs from the day of the murders, describing Ryan's body with blood on his face, hands, chest, and clothes. The knife allegedly used to kill Christine was found under blankets on the floor — not in Ryan's possession.

Prosecutors played surveillance footage from a nearby McDonald's showing Banfield in the parking lot the morning of February 24, 2023. Phone records confirmed Juliana called him at 7:37 AM — the exact moment he's seen on video leaving the bathroom with his phone to his ear. That was allegedly the signal that Ryan had arrived.

Forensic scientist Katherine Colombo testified Banfield's DNA wasn't on the knife but noted his hands were washed before samples were taken. Christine's blood was found on his jeans. Fingerprints on the knife were inconclusive. Prosecutors also revealed Banfield bought a gun weeks before the murders, took Juliana to a shooting range twice, and allegedly installed $30,000 soundproof windows.

Court is dark until Tuesday, January 20th.

#AuPairAffair #BrendanBanfieldTrial #Day3Evidence #ChristineBanfield #JulianaMagalhaes #CrimeScene #FairfaxCountyTrial #JosephRyan #MurderEvidence #TrialCoverage

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