20/20: The Au Pair, The Affair, and Murder on ABC: The Murder in Virginia
Documentary series about the tragic case from Herndon, where an au pair and an infidelity case ended in deadly violence
What is the series about?
20/20: The Au Pair, The Affair, and Murder (ABC, 2026) sheds light on one of the most bizarre and complex criminal cases from Northern Virginia in recent years. The documentary examines the events of February 2023, when the Fairfax County police were called to a luxurious home in Herndon. There, they found Joseph Ryan shot and killed, while the lady of the house, Christine Banfield, had been stabbed and later died. Central to the story is the family's au pair, the young Brazilian woman Juliana Peres Magalhaes, whose role in the case has shaken the community and led to an extensive investigation of neglect, infidelity, and premeditated violence.
The real case
The real case behind the documentary began on February 24, 2023. Investigators initially had an explanation that Joseph Ryan had broken into the house and attacked Christine Banfield, after which he was shot in self-defense. But as revealed in Fairfax County Police investigations, this explanation quickly began to crumble. It turned out that there were no signs of forced entry, and the connection between the master of the house, Brendan Banfield, and the au pair Juliana Peres Magalhaes became a central focal point. The prosecution believes that it was a carefully planned trap to eliminate Joseph Ryan and potentially Christine Banfield to make way for a new life between Brendan and Juliana.
Timeline of the case
The case has been marked by slow breakthroughs. In the months following the two deaths, Juliana Peres Magalhaes continued to live in the house with Brendan Banfield, which raised suspicion among neighbors and investigators. In October 2023, the suspicion culminated in an official murder charge against the au pair. During the subsequent court hearings, it emerged that the two allegedly had begun a romantic affair long before the bloody events. The documentary from ABC News 20/20 follows the case's progression towards the latest legal developments in 2026, where new evidence from digital devices has played a crucial role.