THE STAR WITNESS: FBI Agent Coffindaffer On Whether Juliana's Testimony Can Convict Banfield

Juliana Peres Magalhaes is the most important witness in the Brendan Banfield murder trial. She's also the most problematic. Retired FBI Special Agent Jennifer Coffindaffer joins us to break down what happens when your entire case depends on a woman who flipped to go home. Juliana was the Banfield family's au pair. Prosecutors say she helped Brendan plan and execute the murders of Christine Banfield and Joseph Ryan in February 2023.

For a year after her arrest, she told police the same story Brendan did. Then she changed it. She pleaded guilty to manslaughter. She got time served. Her sentencing is scheduled after Banfield's trial — to make sure she keeps cooperating. From jail, Juliana wrote to her mother that she was "heartbroken for doing this to Brendan" and that she still loved him. But she said it was the right thing to do because she wanted to come home. Coffindaffer has spent decades at the FBI evaluating cooperating witnesses. She knows how to distinguish truth from desperation. In this interview, she examines Juliana's credibility, the evidence prosecutors need to corroborate her story, and how the defense will attack her when she takes the stand. The prosecution says Brendan pressured Juliana and told her it was "too late to back out." The defense says she's lying to buy her freedom. Subscribe for daily trial coverage as this case unfolds.

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This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.