0:00
My name is My name is Brennan Banfield. I'm a I'm a fed I'm a federal agent. This is my house. There's somebody
0:05
There's somebody here. Uh I I shot I shot him. Um but he stabbed her.
0:14
She ble She's bleeding. She got several several marks on her neck. Where was it?
0:20
Fairfax County, Virginia. At 7:47 a.m., a call was made to the emergency
0:26
services that barely lasted a second before then abruptly disconnecting. The
0:31
operator tried to call back. However, unfortunately, there was no response. But then 15 minutes later, the same
0:38
phone number called again. He told the dispatcher that he had shot someone, that a man, a stranger, had broken into
0:45
the house and then attacked his wife. And tragically, it was up for debate whether or not she was actually going to
0:52
make it. And from that moment onwards, this story went from bad to terrible to
0:58
outrageous. Hi folks, my name is Adrian, and today we're looking at a story that's got a
1:04
lot of footage, a plot that is older than time itself, and some very interesting characters. Drop, drop, drop
1:12
the drop, drop the Oh. You see, it was in 2023 that an IRS
1:18
agent named Brendan Banfield came home to find his wife in the process of being murdered, which I'm going to be honest
1:25
with you is likely the worst thing that you could ever discover. But the thing is, when detectives took a closer look
1:30
at the story and tried to put all of the puzzle pieces together, they realized that quite a few things didn't make
1:36
sense. And when they uncovered what actually happened to Christine, well, they were sick to their stomachs. You're
1:43
going to need a strong coffee for this one, folks. But before we begin, Coffee House Crime is all about strange and
1:48
dark true crime stories. So, if you haven't subscribed yet, please consider doing so. And now, with that said,
1:54
please grab yourself a coffee and get comfortable. This is the case of Brendan Banfield.
2:09
Welcome to Fairfax County, folks. Life here does feel quite orderly. It's the
2:14
kind of place where you have quiet neighborhoods, trimmed lawns, and many federal jobs. In other words, it isn't
2:21
really a place of poverty or desperation, but instead of comfort, security, and success. The kind of place
2:27
where nothing violent is ever really supposed to happen. But of course, sometimes the most unsettling crimes do
2:35
exist in places like this. And on one cold winter morning, a frantic call to the emergency services immediately
2:42
shattered that piece. 911. Where's your emergency? I need I need help. There
2:50
my my friend. She just was attacking the mic now. She's playing a lot. I don't know what to do anymore.
3:00
And what's your name and what's going on? My name is My name is Brennan Banfield. I'm a I'm a f I'm a federal agent. This
3:07
is my house. There's somebody there's somebody here. Uh I I shot I shot him.
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Um but he stabbed her. She ble She's bleeding. She's got
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several several marks on her neck. What do I What do I do? Okay. So, what I need you to do is apply
3:26
direct pressure directly to where she's bleeding from. Okay. Okay. And where is the person that was shot? Are they also
3:32
in the house downstairs? Yes. Yeah. In the bed in the bedroom.
3:37
On behalf of Brendan Banfield, his Opair, Juliana Perez Magal, had dialed
3:43
911. To everyone on the outside, it sounded like a home invasion in the
3:48
worst possible way imaginable. Juliana was downstairs when she realized that a
3:53
stranger was in the house and that this stranger was making his way upstairs to
3:58
the master bedroom. Unsure of what to do, she then decided to call Brendan,
4:03
who, lucky for her, was only down the road at a McDonald's. So, he returned
4:09
home moments later, only then to realize that his wife Christine was still inside
4:14
the property with this intruder. I think you better buckle up for this one because this story gets so much worse.
4:22
After barging his way upstairs, Brendan and Juliana then found his wife in the
4:27
same room as the intruder. And there is one small detail here that responders learn quite quickly, that the couple's
4:34
four-year-old daughter is still actually inside the house with all of them. Now,
4:39
thankfully, when emergency responders arrive, she is found downstairs in the basement physically unharmed. However,
4:46
what they would have to deal with upstairs was an entirely different story. And all they knew at this point
4:52
is that there was a bleeding woman in the bedroom, a man who had been shot dead, and two other adults that were
4:59
quite clearly ridden with panic. Good. Still breathing. Fine. Still breathing. Still breathing.
5:10
Hey, you want me to play her to watch a show or something?
5:15
Uh, if you just want to tell me quickly what happened if I don't I don't know what happened.
5:21
Everything happened too fast. I just want you to take her to the zoo this morning. Can you go with Officer Batani really
5:26
quick? Why don't you go with us? He has some stickers for you. I saw this car.
5:32
They both You don't know who that Do you know who the person is? I have no idea. And then
5:39
also his daughter called her to see what's going on because it's early in the morning like the people is here. He
5:47
he he came here and then we went inside. He the guy I don't know who he is. He
5:53
was spanking her doing I was just here. Were you here when it happened or did
5:58
you walk up in there and they were Yeah, he went upstairs first and then I went to see what is going on. I left
6:05
Valerie in the basement and then when I went upstairs he was Brendan was saying
6:12
please drop the drop the knife. Drop the knife. So Brendan's a police officer. Yeah, he's an officer. He was saying
6:18
drop drop the Oh, the knife or the gun? The gun. And Brendon said, "No, police
6:26
don't drop the knife." And he was going to kill her. I'm going to kill her. And I don't know he stab he sab her I
6:35
think Brennon shot him and he asked me help to show him too because
6:42
it's okay you don't have to get it all out right now. I never saw that before. When first responders entered the
6:48
bedroom they found Christine Banfield suffering from severe stab wounds. And
6:53
although she is still alive it is only barely. With that in mind, paramedics
6:59
wasted no time in rushing her to the hospital. Meanwhile, on the other side of the room is an unknown man, a
7:06
stranger with multiple gunshot injuries. And sadly, whoever this guy really is,
7:11
he is pronounced dead at the scene. Now, at the time of this being recorded, officers had no idea who he was, but his
7:19
name was Joseph Ryan. Supposedly, he was an intruder and someone that the family
7:25
claims to have never met or seen before. It was in those frantic few minutes that Brendan told the officers that he had no
7:31
idea who this stranger was, that not only had he never seen his face before, but also couldn't explain why he was in
7:38
the property. He would also claim that while on his way to work, the Opair called him to say that something was
7:44
wrong. And so, after unexpectedly returning home, that is when he found this man assaulting his wife. And so to
7:50
stop it, he shot him. And if all of this is true, then of course it would be tragic because not only was his wife now
7:56
in critical condition, but he was forced to shoot another man. However, as detectives took a closer look at the
8:02
details, like the timing of the calls and everything else going on, well, they realized that this looked less like
8:09
chaos and more like a deliberate plan.
8:16
Circling back to all of this body cam footage, sharp detectives were quick to realize that there was no obvious signs
8:23
of a break-in. There was no shattered glass, no broken door, and no obvious
8:28
trail. In fact, the house kind of felt like it was just any other weekday morning, just like it was supposed to
8:35
be. While police, detectives, and paramedics were trying to make sense of what was going on, Brendan was still
8:42
talking constantly throughout the entire thing, he explained what happened over and over again, and the story sounded
8:49
the exact same every single time, kind of like it was maybe rehearsed. Moments
8:55
later, and when he was in his own ambulance, Brendan then asked the paramedics if he could be with his wife.
9:01
But the curious thing here is that he doesn't seem too upset or traumatized. And not only does he not argue or resist
9:08
with officers, but he also repeats the same thing over and over again, that all
9:14
he was trying to do was help. When finally at the hospital, Brendan then asked the nurse and officer if he could
9:21
have an update on Christine. And tragically, that is when he was told the
9:26
horrible news. Can you have someone check with him here? Okay. for the nature of the incident.
9:33
Check what? The status of his wife, man. Hello, sir. My name is D. I'm one of the
9:38
doctors here. Um, your wife has died.
9:52
Unfortunately, Christine didn't make it. She had died from blood loss. And as you
9:58
may notice here that Brendan doesn't scream or wail in disbelief either and
10:04
there is no dramatic collapse. Instead, he just drops his head and then starts
10:09
to cry softly. In fact, even while the doctor was busy explaining important
10:14
information, information that he would almost certainly want to hear, he didn't
10:19
really seem that interested in listening. If anything, he seemed more worried about trying to convince them
10:25
that he was there to help her. She died of blood loss. Um, her airway was actually okay.
10:31
I'll call the medical examiner, of course, and we'll we'll um do an autopsy and make sure we know for certain, but
10:38
um I was starting to apply pressure. Yeah. I mean, those were enormous wounds
10:44
and you know, it's not so there were so many. It's not a survivable injury.
10:54
So, if you were to stop watching the video here, you would probably think that this was just a simple yet
10:59
devastating tragedy. A husband who survived, a wife who didn't, and a stranger who died as a result of his own
11:06
actions. But unfortunately, it gets a lot worse than this. Because once the emergency was over and more seasoned
11:12
detectives stepped in, well, the plotline to this story took a whole new turn when they began to look at all of
11:19
the evidence available, which of course included the body cam footage, phone calls, forensic data, and even text
11:24
messages. Well, they realized something very peculiar. That all of this evidence
11:30
actually pointed inwards and not outwards. Now, I'm going to break the fourth wall for a moment and just say
11:35
that I'm pretty sure that many of you have already heard of this case before, but probably pre-trial because it only
11:40
happened 2 weeks ago. However, if you don't actually know how this story pivots, you're in for a wild ride. In
11:47
fact, even if you are familiar with this case, I guarantee you that you will likely learn new information in this
11:52
video. So, on that note, let's take a look at who Christine and Brandon were and how they got here.
12:02
In the aftermath of Christine's death, the news spread fast through Fairfax County. Many of the locals were in
12:09
disbelief and officers were ordered to be on heightened alert around Brendan Banfield. Patrol cars would sit idly
12:16
outside the house with their lights off and people were keen to know more about Brendan, who at the time was known to
12:23
have been forced to kill the intruder. However, behind the scenes, detectives had already begun their own
12:29
investigation. And let's just say that through the replayed calls, the evidence left behind in the home and all of the
12:36
messages that they were about to read, they already saw that part of the story did not properly fit together. Because
12:43
here's the thing, real home invasions often leave a huge mess behind them.
12:48
Like I've already said to you, you would expect like a broken door or a smashed window to be left behind. Just anything
12:56
that might have been moved inside the property or some sort of damage on the outside. However, this house, it didn't
13:03
have any of that at all. The only evidence that detectives could find was actually inside the bedroom that
13:09
Christine and her intruder had been in. And there's the timing of the phone calls, too. Because although the main
13:15
phone call came in at 8:02 in the morning, a previous one had been made about 15 minutes earlier. But that one
13:22
would only last for a mere second before then hanging up. So why exactly had
13:28
Juliana and Brendan made that initial call? And why would it take them more than 15 minutes after that to call
13:35
again? Detectives would also begin to examine the smaller details in the house, like where things were placed and
13:41
what was moved. And that is when they noticed that Christine's phone wasn't exactly where you'd expect it to be. It
13:48
was turned off and tucked away in the kitchen of all places. Something that many of her friends and family would say
13:54
that she would never do. Now, of course, none of these things would suggest guilt or foul play on their own. However, they
14:02
were strange. And so with that in mind, they decided to take a closer look into
14:07
who Christine and Brendan were. Beginning with Christine, she was a
14:13
37-year-old nurse, a devoted wife, and an incredible mother. You can see
14:19
through all of the photos and videos that she was steady, practical, and deeply compassionate. The kind of person
14:25
that friends and family would describe as dependable, and very lovable. Now, professionally speaking, that fed
14:32
directly into her work because Christine was a pediatric intensive care nurse.
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This meant that she spent most of her day-to-day life working with sick children and scared parents. And as you
14:44
can imagine, long shifts and high stress were the regular for her. However, that
14:49
did not matter with Christine because not only was this her passion, but she deeply cared about those under her wing.
14:57
Earlier on in her career, Christine had actually trained as a sexual assault forensic nurse examiner, helping victims
15:04
during some of the worst moments of their lives and collecting evidence while she testified in court, which
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tragically, as you will soon come to find out, will make this story even worse. Now, at least from the outside,
15:17
the Bfield residence looked absolutely immaculate. This is a house that is worth more than a million dollars in the
15:24
suburbs and was filled with two professional adults and a young daughter which resembled a happy family. The
15:30
neighbors around them never reported hearing any screaming or fighting either. So, it all looked good. Speaking
15:37
of two, let's talk about Brendan here. A few years older than Christine, Brendan had previously worked in law enforcement
15:45
where procedures, evidence, and of course, investigations mean everything. And that detail will become very
15:51
important later on in this video. By the way, at the time, Brendan seemed to be reliable, dependable even. He was the
15:59
kind of man who knew how to handle himself in a crisis. Now, after meeting in college during their freshman year,
16:06
the spark between Christine and Brendan would grow into marriage and then eventually a daughter. The two really
16:12
did seem to love one another, and they played the family role very well. However, when detectives later
16:19
reconstructed their marriage, they would find many small cracks, dozens of them,
16:25
actually. And that's because, unfortunately, Brendan's infidelity had been a recurring issue for many years
16:32
between the two. Apparently, there were multiple affairs spread across nearly a decade, including hundreds of hidden
16:39
messages and secret conversations. Now, of course, that doesn't mean that any of this will automatically lead to murder.
16:46
Plenty of couples survive even worse. However, it does start to paint a picture here that Brendan was not happy
16:53
with Christine and also that he wasn't trying to change anything about it either. When detectives realized this,
17:00
it of course changed almost everything about the story to them because now this wasn't just some random act of violence
17:06
anymore, but possibly a husband who had a motive to murder his wife. And the more they learned about his private life
17:13
and what was going on behind the scenes, let's just say that that image that he had, well, I mean, it wasn't great to
17:20
begin with anyway, but it would get only worse. And it's right around now that I probably need to introduce you to
17:26
another person and a name that you have actually already heard of before, and that's Juliana, the Opair. So given the
17:33
family situation, of course that being both Brendan and Christine being hardworking professional adults who also
17:39
had a daughter, getting a nanny made total sense. With Brendan being an IRS agent and Christine being a full-time
17:46
nurse, those long days at work would absolutely be a killer. And so if you have disposable income, then why not?
17:53
And so like a lot of families in similar situations, they decided to hire one in 2022. And of course, that is where
18:00
Juliana came into the picture. So Juliana was supposed to be someone
18:07
who lived in the home, helped with child care, and in a way became part of the family. At the time of this going on,
18:14
she was in her early 20s and had moved from Brazil to the US on a cultural exchange program. And by most accounts,
18:21
her business relationship with the Banfield family did start normally. She did all the usual things you'd expect
18:28
from a nanny, including sorting out school runs, babysitting, and cleaning the house. Nothing different or strange
18:35
yet. However, it was only several months after she moved into the property that
18:40
boundaries began to shift, and the relationship between her and Brendan started to blur. And by the 10th month,
18:47
she was in bed with him. Quietly and secretly, Juliana and Brendan maintained
18:53
a sexual relationship with Christine still very much in the picture. The relationship wasn't dramatic or romantic
19:01
or anything like that, at least for a while. Actually, it was quite mundane,
19:06
and I don't know why, but somehow that makes it even worse. However, the affair did not fizzle out. Instead, it
19:13
deepened. And the horrifying thing is that Brendan would never actually talk about divorcing Christine or even
19:19
separating. Instead, he began to talk about a future where she simply did not exist anymore. He would even tell
19:26
Juliana that not only did he want to marry her instead, but he wanted to have his own children with her to start all
19:33
of this all over again. However, there was one giant non-negotiable for him.
19:39
That divorce simply was not an option here. Not only was it too messy and expensive for him, but Brendan did not
19:46
want to lose custody over his daughter. So instead of imagining a life after Christine, they instead started
19:53
imagining a life without her. And you can probably guess what I mean by that.
19:59
It became so obvious that Brendan was obsessed with money, control, custody,
20:04
and of course, the fear of splitting the family's assets. His actions were
20:09
already tearing the family apart. But to take all of this one step further, he
20:15
did not want to face any of the consequences either. And when detectives decided to search the family home a few
20:21
months later, well, they found details that made the relationship between Brendan and Juliana even harder to
20:28
ignore. Because right there on the bedside table of the master bedroom was a framed photo of Brendan and Juliana.
20:36
Not only that, but you could also see that her own clothes were in the master bedroom's closet. Of course, this was
20:43
evidence that she had now moved from her own bedroom down the hallway and right into the master bedroom with Brendan.
20:49
And all of this was only a few weeks after Christine had died. Just another side note here, but the furniture and
20:57
flooring had been replaced, too. Now to seasoned investigators, they realized that this no longer looked like grief,
21:04
but like total and utter replacement instead. And it was that moment that they stopped looking for a motive
21:11
because now they had their answer. So you could argue that up until this
21:18
point, everything could still be explained away as just messy human behavior. I mean, you've got an affair,
21:24
a strained marriage, and of course, plenty of bad decisions, but nothing that explicitly or automatically equals
21:31
murder. However, as detectives started to dig through phones, laptops, and messages, they realized that the picture
21:36
that was forming wasn't emotional or impulsive, but organized. One of the many things that detectives will do is
21:42
use the victim's IP address to see what kind of websites they've been on and who they've been talking to. And that is
21:48
when they realized that Christine had actually been on a fetish website named Fetife. And it gets worse. But they also
21:55
realized that there were dozens of users who had messaged her. From the outside, it looked like Christine was trying to
22:00
organized violent sex with a stranger where she talked about using knives, restraints, and even pretending that
22:07
there was no consent. Which, to be honest with you, sounded extremely unfamiliar for Christine because affairs
22:14
and violent sex were definitely not her thing. And that's because it wasn't.
22:21
On the surface, it looked like Christine had organized this herself. Friends and family would say that this did not match
22:28
her at all. And even stranger, all of her so-called messages only seemed to
22:33
happen when both Brendan and Juliana were at home with her. Not only that, but when they were away on weekends or
22:40
Brendan was away on a work trip, the exact kind of times when Christine would probably message people, the account
22:47
went silent instead. So, you can probably understand the reluctance that detectives had when trying to believe
22:54
this because it didn't really look like a personal habit, but more like a setup.
22:59
And that's because behind Christine's name, Brendan and Juliana were busy trying to find someone that they could
23:06
use in their plot to have Christine murdered. They were quite smart about all of this, too, because they would
23:12
send messages from Christine's laptop so that all of the evidence would point directly back to her. Essentially, they
23:20
were trying to frame a stranger to show up at the family home with a weapon so the two could then murder both of them.
23:27
So, for a moment, I'd like to shift gears and talk about a fourth person in our case today. And of course, that's
23:33
Joseph Ryan because to be honest with you, I don't really agree with how other channels and news sites have portrayed
23:39
this guy in the long run. It's not really being fair or positive. I mean, in a way, it does kind of make sense
23:45
though, right? Because the first time that we hear about Joseph is when he apparently is invading the family home
23:51
and of course assaulting Brendan's wife. But as we know that did not actually
23:56
happen and Joseph was set up. So we kind of have to go against this bias that we've built against him and look at him
24:04
in a whole new light. Now Joseph was 39 years old at the time
24:10
of his death. He was living nearby in Virginia and by all accounts was a lovely guy. He had no violent
24:17
background, was passionate about social justice and animals and was popular in his own friendship groups. Joseph was
24:24
also into BDSM, which makes sense considering he did have an account on fat life. Fat life is often used for
24:31
people trying to find others with similar sexual interests. And of course, BDSM can most easily be described as
24:38
bondage and power shifting, though technically it does get more complex than that. The other thing to note here
24:44
is that he was also heavily into LAP or live-action roleplay and under the name of Korak, he would often attend LAP
24:51
events all across the country. Over these weekends, he would reenact wartime events and even play as his own
24:58
character as a man who fought others with the rubber fish. Now, the reason why I'm mentioning all of this to you is
25:04
because it shows that Joseph was not only into sexual power dynamics, but also roleplay. And these were two things
25:12
that were perfect for both Brendan and Juliana to exploit. Another thing that
25:17
frustrates me here is that many websites have described Joseph as an incel, but it turns out that he was actually quite
25:24
the opposite. Throughout his adult life, Joseph had several long-term relationships. He had even talked about
25:31
his interests with his mother and had previously explicitly stated that he doesn't like actual violence or knife
25:38
play in the bedroom. Anyway, I just wanted to mention this because I don't believe that Joseph has been given an
25:43
appropriate spotlight in the media. Disguised as Christine, they spoke to a lot of guys on Fat Life, and in the end,
25:50
they chose Joseph as their prime target. Now, again, a lot of people talk about him as the intruder or the attacker, but
25:58
Joseph didn't break into any property. He walked into a home that he believed he had an invitation to. He was also
26:04
told by Christine that she wanted the entire thing to be as realistic as possible and that she wanted to pretend
26:11
that the entire thing was not consensual. And so when Joseph eventually got there, he didn't believe
26:16
that he was breaking into the property. He believed that he had permission to enter. And so refocusing on Brendan for
26:22
a moment here, what he basically wanted Joseph to do was break into the property without Christine's knowledge and then
26:28
assault her so that when he and Juliana arrived, they basically had a reason to shoot him. And then in the frenzy of it
26:35
all, they could then stab Christine before placing the knife in his hand. So basically, they could frame Joseph. All
26:43
of this was so disgustingly smart and elaborate.
26:48
In the weeks leading up to the murder, Brendan and Juliana didn't merely talk about it, but they would even visit
26:54
shooting ranges together, where Brendan taught her how to handle a firearm, how to aim properly, and how to stay steady
27:01
under pressure. Unfortunately, it wouldn't stop there. Detectives would later find out that while Juliana
27:07
checked the neighborhood for doorbell and ring cameras, or anything that might capture movement while outside of the
27:13
house, Brendan would go ahead and make quiet changes inside. The old master bedroom windows were replaced with
27:20
heavier, more insulated ones that apparently were soundproof from the outside, which of course is just a small
27:26
and innocent upgrade on paper. However, in hindsight, it felt incredibly
27:32
deliberate. After selecting Joseph on Fetife, Juliana and Brendan then began to message him and even craft an
27:39
encounter that sounded both consensual and controlled. He was told that not only would the door be unlocked, but he
27:46
should also come upstairs, should bring a knife as part of the roleplay, and that she, aka Christine, would be
27:53
inside, and even act frightened and resist as if it were all part of the scenario. So, to Joseph, this wasn't a
28:00
crime at all. It was a staged fantasy between two consenting adults, which is
28:06
what makes this part so difficult to sit with. Because Joseph didn't walk into that house as an attacker or an
28:12
unwelcomed guest, but walked in believing that he'd been invited. And at the same time, Christine, who was fully
28:19
unaware of the entire situation, was being set up to collide with a stranger that she had never even spoke to before.
28:27
And on February the 24th, 2023, their plan was unfortunately ready. Phone
28:33
records and surveillance footage show Brendan leaving the house that morning before then traveling in his usual
28:39
direction towards work. However, instead of heading straight there, he then decided to go to the parking lot of a
28:45
nearby McDonald's where he then orders food and even steps inside of the establishment multiple times. It is
28:52
worth noting that this strange behavior was not part of his usual commute. And to be honest with you, it certainly
28:59
looked like he was just trying to pass time. Meanwhile, back at the house, Juliana stayed with Christine and her
29:05
daughter. Juliana deliberately unlocked the door that Joseph was planning to use when arriving. And from there, she tried
29:12
to make herself scarce and let everything unfold. Once Ryan was inside, Juliana remained out of his line of
29:19
sight, snuck downstairs, and then called Brendan to return home. With Brendan expecting this phone call, he was home
29:26
within minutes. And then instead of immediately calling the police or getting everyone outside of the
29:31
property, he then allegedly moved his daughter downstairs and into the basement. By now, the chaos was already
29:38
unfolding upstairs between Christine and Joseph, who, to be honest with you, were probably both very uncomfortable with
29:45
each other. As according to plan, that is when Juliana and Brendan entered the bedroom with Juliana then allegedly
29:51
shooting Ryan point blank in the face. Moments later, Brendan then began to
29:57
stab his own wife to death. Neither of them stood a chance, and Christine must
30:02
have been so terrified to go from being attacked by a stranger to seeing that stranger get murdered right in front of
30:08
her to then being murdered herself. What followed after was something that Brendan had orchestrated all along. He
30:15
then allegedly moved their bodies and the knife around to make it look like Joseph had attacked Christine. And only
30:22
then did the final call to 911 happen. Oh, and by the way, that previous call
30:27
that was made 15 minutes earlier was Juliana prematurely calling them before then abruptly hanging up. And of course,
30:35
what followed was the body cam footage and the beginning to a long and strange
30:40
investigation.
30:45
This was not a quick process, by the way. It would take eight long, grueling months until October of 2023 that police
30:53
finally arrested Juliana on suspicion of murder. That of course would be for shooting Joseph and not stabbing
30:59
Christine. This news was huge for anyone on the outside. And for some, they couldn't actually believe it was
31:05
happening. I mean, of course, there were always some people who believed that maybe Juliana and Brendan were actually
31:11
having an affair in the background. But of course, we always have to take these rumors because at the end of the day, up
31:17
until that point in time, they were just rumors with a massive pinch of salt. It's just human nature to speculate,
31:24
right? But now, well, this was looking real. And then one year later, it was
31:29
finally Brendan's turn when he was charged with not one but two counts of aggravated murder. And with their
31:36
arrests now finally made public, it gave the general public plenty of reason to hate them with justification. By the
31:43
time that Brendan's trial finally began, many people tuned in to listen. Of course, including me. Juliana and
31:50
Brendan had a lot to say about each other and a lot to answer for, too. And I'm not going to lie, one of my guilty
31:57
pleasures is when two evil monsters turn on each other. The state's most important witness was Juliana herself.
32:04
Months prior to the trial, she actually decided to accept a plea deal in exchange for testifying against Brendan,
32:11
which of course made her both valuable and controversial. Asked him, we're going to divorce her.
32:17
He explained that he was thinking about finding a way to just get rid of her. We
32:23
told a lot of people before that it was kind of part of the game. She would just get kind of freaked out and try to
32:30
resist. And she was just telling him, "Let me go. I'm going to die anyways. I'm going to bleed to death.
32:36
The prosecution framed her as someone who was finally telling the truth, while Brendan's defense framed her as someone
32:42
who was saying whatever she needed to say to save herself. Two different people that I called to
32:47
the stand that essentially confirms that everything changes when she comes in and
32:54
testifies. The trial went on for 3 weeks straight where many of Christine's family attended. But unfortunately, Joseph's
33:02
mother was too ill to attend. She did, however, promise that she would be there for Brendan's sentencing if he was ever
33:09
found guilty. And as it turns out, her wishes would eventually come true because after a mere 9 hours of
33:15
deliberation over 2 days, the jury would return with their verdict where they found Brendan guilty on all major
33:23
counts. Now, Brendan is still yet to be sentenced. But in Virginia, aggravated
33:28
murder carries a life sentence. Honestly, he should just be happy that the state no longer carries the death
33:34
penalty because this guy, well, after his monstrous actions, he would be an excellent candidate for it.
33:40
Case number FE 20224-666, count four. We the jury on the issue
33:48
joined in the case of the Commonwealth of Virginia versus Brendan Robert Banfield, defendant. find the defendant
33:53
guilty of aggravated murder of Joseph Ryan within the same three-year period
33:58
during which he did also kill and murder Christine Banfield. It is no surprise to see that Brendan
34:04
didn't really react much to the verdict at all. He just kind of did his usual. You know, the the school boy sniffling
34:10
and the sad puppy dog eyes. I mean, frankly, this guy absolutely infuriates me because how can a man like this be so
34:17
evil? And just like that, folks, it was all over for him. But what about Juliana? Well, her reward for testifying
34:25
against Brendan was facing the lesser charge of manslaughter, but her sentencing hasn't even been announced
34:31
yet. So, we will just have to wait and see what happens. Now, of course, when
34:37
you find a case like this, it is rather easy to focus on the absolutely insane
34:42
plotline. And it's also easy to forget about what really matters, and that's Christine, Joseph, and Christine's
34:49
daughter. Christine was a nurse, a mother, and a wife, and her entire being
34:55
was centered around nurture and care. Not only did she love her own family, but she loved to look after those who
35:02
were less fortunate. And in the end, all she got in return was betrayal and death. In the aftermath to all of this,
35:09
her daughter now has to grow up without either parent. Because she didn't lose just one in this story, she lost both.
35:16
Joseph was used as a prop, labeled as an intruder, and then lost his life for
35:21
nothing. And in Brendan's and Juliana's eyes, his entire existence was worth less than his divorce. By the way, it
35:28
turns out that some people actually feel sympathy for Juliana because she may have been manipulated. But honestly, I'm
35:36
not buying it. When it comes to murder and violence, we all know the difference between right and wrong. And so, at
35:43
least in my mind, she can go to hell alongside Brendan.
35:48
As always, my heart sincerely goes out to the families that now have to deal with this reality. And I don't think
35:55
that there is anything satisfying I can say to close off this case. There is no clever twist or neat resolution. All
36:01
that we are left with is a family that's been destroyed by Brendan's horrific actions. And now his daughter has to
36:08
grow up without either parent. I'm going to leave it there today, folks. But as always, I'd love to know what you think
36:14
about this one because not only was this case heavy, but it's also unfortunately
36:19
notorious. What are your thoughts on Brendan? And do you think Juliana will receive the punishment that she actually
36:25
deserves? As usual, please share your thoughts in the comments section down below. And thank you so much for spending your time with me today. I
36:31
really do appreciate it. As always, I'll be back again next week, likely with two videos this time. Anyway, until that
36:39
moment arrives, please remember to look after yourselves and of course each other. Oh, and if you haven't yet,
36:45
please check out my podcast. I'd really appreciate that, too. It's on Spotify. Anyway, thank you so much and see you
36:51
again soon. Take care. Goodbye.
37:15
There's like a fly right there on the ring light and he's he's a little bit obsessed.
37:21
What is it? You want to catch it for me? Yeah. What is that? Go get it. Go get it. Yes. Yes.
37:30
He's got it. He's got it. Oh my god.
37:35
Maybe again