Au Pair Sentenced to Maximum 10 Years In Banfield Case — Judge Defies Prosecutors in Banfield Case

Prosecutors wanted her released. The judge refused.

Juliana Peres Magalhães, the Brazilian au pair who confessed to helping Brendan Banfield execute a double murder, was sentenced Friday to ten years in prison — the maximum available under her plea agreement. Judge Penney Azcarate rejected the Commonwealth's recommendation of time served, delivering a ruling that sends a clear message about the limits of cooperation.

"Your actions were deliberate, self-serving, and demonstrated a profound disregard for human life," Azcarate said. "You do not deserve anything other than incarceration and a life of reflection on what you have done."

Juliana's testimony was essential to convicting Brendan Banfield on two counts of aggravated murder. Her attorney argued that without her cooperation, prosecutors had only circumstantial evidence. But the judge made clear that being the star witness doesn't mean avoiding accountability — not when you helped plan the murder, lured the victim to his death, and fired the kill shot into a man already lying wounded on the floor.

"The plan did not work without your full involvement," Azcarate said. "This could have been a very different ending where Juliana saved two lives."

The courtroom heard from Joe Ryan's mother, Deirdre Fisher, who described losing her son — the man Juliana helped lure to his death through a fake fetish profile. Fisher still hasn't taken down her Christmas tree since the murder. It stands behind the urn holding her son's ashes.

"My son's life was used and thrown away, seen as worthless and utterly disposable by those who plotted and executed his brutal murder."

Despite the ten-year sentence, Juliana's attorney says she'll serve approximately four years with credit for time served and good behavior. Brendan Banfield faces mandatory life without parole at his May 8 sentencing.

#JulianaMagalhaes #AuPairMurder #BrendanBanfield #TrueCrimeToday #FairfaxCounty #DoubleMurder #Sentencing #JosephRyan #ChristineBanfield #CourtTV

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