PACE GRAD DISAPPEARS ON WAY TO FAMILY WEDDING: WHERE'S CHELSEA?

Brendan Banfield is now on trial for the murder of his wife, Christine, and the prosecution's star witness is Banfield's lover, the family's former nanny. Juliana Peres Magalhaes, who was also charged, has agreed to testify as part of a plea deal. In exchange for her testimony, she will plead to the lesser charge of manslaughter, then walk free for time served. She will then be deported back to Brazil. The murder plot unfolded as Christine Banfield planned a fun day for her 4-year-old daughter, with a trip to the National Zoo with her Brazilian au pair, Magalhaes. The adult and child leave for the day, but turn around when Peres Magalhaes realizes she forgot their bagged lunches. Arriving at the house, the au pair sees a car she doesn't recognize, and a man she doesn't know entering the house. Confused, she calls her employer, Brendan Banfield, who tells her to stay in the car, and that he will be right home. Banfield is at the house in minutes, and they enter the house together. The au pair takes the 4-year-old girl to the basement while Brendan Banfield goes upstairs to the master suite. Brendan Banfield finds his wife, Christine, nude, with a man he doesn't know, holding a knife to her throat. Banfield tells cops he tells the man to put the knife down, but he starts stabbing the 37-year-old mother. Brendan Banfield carries a gun as an IRS Special Agent, and he draws his service revolver and shoots the man in the head. The intruder is wounded and down on the ground. Banfield calls for Peres Magalhaes and tells the au pair to get his personal gun, a Glock, out of the bathroom safe. Giving her the code, the au pair retrieves the Glock and, at Banfield's direction, shoots Joseph Ryan through the heart as he is lying on the ground. Investigators say, however, they believe the story told by Brendan Banfield and the nanny is a ruse. Someone created the profile on the Adult Fetish website, pretending to be Christine Banfield, as part of an elaborate plan to kill Christine Banfield so her husband, Brendan, and their Brazilian live-in Au Pair could be together. Investigators found pictures of Banfield and the au pair together in the Banfield bedroom, and Peres Magalhaes' clothes were found hanging in Banfield's closet. Joining Nancy Grace today: Paul Batista - Prominent Criminal Defense Lawyer in NYC and Best-selling Novelist. Author of the textbook, "Civil RICO, Fourth Edition" Dr. John Delatorre - Licensed Psychologist and Mediator (specializing in forensic psychology); Psychological Consultant to Project Absentis: a nonprofit organization that searches for missing persons; X, IG, and TikTok - @drjohndelatorre Dr. Kendall Crowns - Chief Medical Examiner Tarrant County (Ft Worth), Host of Podcast, "Mayhem in the Morgue," and Lecturer: Burnett School of Medicine at TCU (Texas Christian University) Gigi McKelvey - Journalist, Host of the podcast “Pretty Lies and Alibis” prettyliesandalibis.org, Facebook, IG, TikTok: @PrettyLiesAndAlibis, Twitter: @PrettiesLiesAlibi Sydney Sumner - Investigative Reporter, ‘Crime Stories’ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

16 Jan 48min

A Missouri man is charged with gunning down his neighbor in a violent confrontation that ended a lengthy history of harassment. A Tennessee church deacon was arrested and charged with nine counts of especially aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor after his wife found photos and videos on his phone of a teenage babysitter using their bathroom. A US Bureau of Land Management officer has been charged with second degree murder after a drunken brawl at a Wyoming bar last week left a man dead. Sydney Sumner reports.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

16 Jan 6min

An Illinois surgeon accused of gunning down his ex-wife, Monique Tepe, and her husband, the father of their two young children, Spencer Tepe, allegedly threatened to kill Monique nearly a decade ago on “multiple occasions” during their brief marriage. Police arrested Michael D. McKee, 39, at a Chick-fil-A in Rockford, Illinois, on January 10, 2026, and charged him with two counts of murder in the deaths of Spencer and Monique Tepe. Authorities then upgraded the charges against McKee, who now faces premeditated aggravated murder. Police report they have the suspect's vehicle on neighborhood video surveillance in the couple's Ohio neighborhood, arriving just before the murders and leaving shortly after. A search warrant of McKee's luxury Chicago condo results in multiple weapons being found, with one of those weapons preliminarily matching evidence through ballistic testing to the Tepe murder scene. Twelve weeks before McKee is accused of murder, he is sued for malpractice by a Nevada man who claims McKee went into hiding or just disappeared, so he couldn't be served with legal documents papers. Nevada lawyer Dan Laird files the suit, but serving McKee was nearly impossible, as the surgery group he works for gives the attorney a fake address, and the phone number issued by the state medical board for McKee is a fax machine. Joining Nancy Grace: Randy Kessler - Atlanta Trial Lawyer, Emory Law School Professor, Past Chair ABA Family Law Section, and Author of "Divorce, Protect Yourself, Your Kids and Your Future;" Instagram: @rkessler23, X: @GADivorce Dr. Bethany Marshall - Psychoanalyst, Author: "Deal Breaker," and featured in hit show "Paris in Love" on Peacock; Instagram & TikTok: drbethanymarshall; Instagram & TikTok: drbethanymarshall, X: @DrBethanyLive Koa Lorimor - Former Army Sniper Dr. Thomas Coyne - Chief Medical Examiner, District 2 Medical Examiner's Office, State of Florida; Forensic Pathologist, Neuropathologist, Toxicologist; X: @DrTMCoyne Susan Hendricks - Journalist, Author: “Down the Hill: My Descent into the Double Murder in Delphi;" IG @susan_hendricks X @SusanHendicks Dave Mack - Investigative Reporter, 'Crime Stories' See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

15 Jan 48min

A dad blames his ex-wife for their son's road rage murder; he's suing the mom claiming raising her middle at another car finger put their 6yo in the crosshairs. A grave insult for a slain Arkansas mom: she's buried alone, as her abusive ex claims their twins bodies following a triple shooting. Plus, a gym floor face off goes from thrusts to cuffs. Jennifer Gould reports.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

15 Jan 7min

Barry Morphew returns to the Alamosa County court to formally face murder charges for the second time. Morphew is soft-spoken in a cream-colored sweater and light-wash jeans, sitting next to attorneys David Beller and Jane Fisher-Byrialsen. His daughters, Mallory and Macy, sat behind him in the first row. Beller enters a not guilty plea on Morphew's behalf. Maintaining his innocence in his wife’s murder, Morphew waives his right to a speedy trial. Defense attorneys and prosecutors, agreeing on the large amounts of data, anticipate that the length of the proceedings requires more time to prepare. The judge sets October 13 for Morphew’s jury trial; it is expected to run up to six weeks. Barry Morphew was originally charged with the murder of his wife in May 2021, but the case was dropped days before trial, after the judge barred prosecutors from calling key witnesses to the State's case, for failing to follow rules in turning over evidence. Former 11th Judicial District Attorney Linda Stanley was later disbarred by the Colorado Supreme Court for significant ethical misconduct. Stanley made inappropriate comments in the media and even improperly investigated the judge in the case. Her actions compromised the Morphew prosecution and led to disciplinary action. Joining Nancy Grace today: Mark Tate - Trial Lawyer, The Tate Law Group Caryn Stark - Forensic Psychologist; Instagram: carynpsych, FB: Caryn Stark Private Practice Scott Eicher - Digital Forensics Expert, Founding Member of the FBI’s Cellular Analysis Survey Team (C.A.S.T); Historical Cellular Analysis Expert; Currently with Precision Cellular Analysis Handling Criminal, Defense and Civil Cases Dr. William Morrone - Medical Examiner, Toxicologist, Pathologist, Opioid Treatment Expert, Author: “American Narcan: Naloxone & Heroin-Fentanyl Associated Mortality” Gregory Nieto - Reporter, Fox 31 Denver - KDVR; X: greg_nieto, IG: nwzdude Dave Mack - 'Crime Stories'  Investigative Reporter See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

14 Jan 49min

A long-delayed quadruple murder trial is now underway in New Jersey, with prosecutors and defense attorneys laying out starkly different versions of how an entire family was wiped out inside their own home. A North Texas reality television husband and wife are now convicted felons after a federal jury found they ran a multi-million-dollar pyramid scheme that prosecutors say preyed on trust inside the Black community during the pandemic. Shock ripples through a small North Carolina town after its police chief is jailed on child sex charges, with prosecutors detailing allegations involving secret photos taken while a child slept. Drew Nelson reports.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

14 Jan 7min

Sources say Nick Reiner believes he’s the victim of a "conspiracy" after killing his parents. It is clear that Reiner knows he killed his parents, but doesn’t understand why he’s in jail. Reiner, delusional, thinks the people who put him there are "conspiring against him." Sources close to the legal proceedings claim it’s likely Reiner will plead not guilty by reason of insanity, placingthe blame on unbalanced schizophrenia meds. Now, claims are being made that a change in medication may have led Reiner to murder his parents. Reiner reported complaining to his doctors that his meds had caused him to gain weight. Changes were made, and some are saying the new medication allegedly caused him to become increasingly "erratic," "dangerous," and isolated, marking a total physical and mental decline. Joining Nancy Grace today: Josh Kolsrud - Criminal Defense Attorney and Former Assistant U.S. Attorney, Founder of Kolsrud Law Offices; Facebook and YouTube @KolsrudLawOffices, Dr. Bethany Marshall - Psychoanalyst, Author: "Deal Breaker," and featured in hit show "Paris in Love" on Peacock; Instagram & TikTok: drbethanymarshall, X: @DrBethanyLive Rob Shuter - Host: Naughty But Nice Podcast, Author of Newly-released Novel, “It Started With A Whisper," and Former publicist of Sean Combs; IG: @naughtygossip Dr. DeWayne Hendrix - Former Warden at the MDC in Brooklyn, also served as a Warden in Sheridan, Oregon, Former Senior Warden with the US Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons, Founder and President of A New Daylight Foundation, Author: "Who Are You? See it Say it and Seize it;" @anewdaylight (IG), @drdewaynehendrix (LinkedIn), @anewdaylight (X) Dr. Kendall Crowns - Chief Medical Examiner Tarrant County (Ft Worth), Host of Podcast "Mayhem in the Morgue," and Lecturer: Burnett School of Medicine at TCU (Texas Christian University) Alexis Tereszcuk - "Crime Stories" Investigative Reporter; X @swimmie2009 Sydney Sumner - Investigative Reporter ‘Crime Stories’ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

13 Jan 49min

• Seventy years later, an Alabama disappearance remains the state’s longest-running cold case • Mississippi authorities charge a suspect after six people are killed in a series of shootings • A former federal agent goes on trial in Virginia in the deaths of his wife and another man • Florida schedules its first execution of the year in a case dating back to 1989See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

13 Jan 6min