Au pair charged in ‘love-triangle murder’ complains she’s ‘tired’ of jail

A 24-year-old woman charged in a bizarre “love-triangle” double murder case has complained to her mother she’s “tired” of jail.

A 24-year-old Brazilian au pair charged in a “love-triangle” double murder at a mansion in the US state of Virginia has complained to her mother she’s “tired” of jail.

“I am tired of this place, this situation,” Juliana Peres Magalhaes wrote in a recent email to her mum from Fairfax County Jail, according to The Washington Post.

As reported by The New York Post, the message, sent in June, continued: “I am unhappy, and nothing makes me happy. I just want to get out of here and go back home to be with you guys. We will be together soon, with God’s grace, mommy (sic).”

The message was the latest turn in a bizarre murder case that has captivated true-crime buffs worldwide.

Juliana Peres Magalhaes, a Brazilian au pair, is charged with murder in a bizarre love-triangle case. Picture: Instagram

Brendan Banfield poses with his wife, Christine Banfield, and their young daughter before his spouse’s 2023 stabbing death. Picture: Instagram

Ms Magalhaes, who prosecutors said was involved in an affair with her 39-year-old employer, IRS investigator Brendan Banfield, is accused of fatally shooting stranger Joseph Ryan as he allegedly stabbed Mr Banfield’s wife to death at the married couple’s home on February 24, 2023.

Mr Ryan was allegedly summoned to the million-dollar home through a sexual fetish online site and was attacking a naked Christine Banfield when Ms Magalhaes walked in with her lover, Christine’s husband.

Mr Banfield allegedly fired at and wounded Mr Ryan – but it was the au pair who then unleashed the fatal shots at him, after grabbing another gun stashed in the house, The Washington Post reported.

Ms Magalhaes is claiming self-defence. But prosecutors allege that the entire episode was a ruse orchestrated by Ms Magalhaes to get rid of Ms Banfield. They maintain that Mr Ryan was a dupe lured into the sordid plot.

Ms Magalhaes, 24, allegedly had an affair with her employer before his wife was killed. Picture: Fairfax County Police

Investigators have not determined who created the dating app account allegedly linked to Ms Banfield under the name Annastasia9, which lured Mr Ryan to the house.

Prosecutors also question the circumstances that had Ms Magalhaes leave the house shortly after 7am for a day at the zoo with the Banfields’ young child – only to return after allegedly forgetting their lunches.

Mr Banfield had left the house at 7.10am and waited in the parking lot of a nearby McDonald’s until the au pair called him around 7.37am when she returned to the house.

The two walked in together and shot Mr Ryan, authorities said.

Prosecutors have questioned why Mr Banfield didn’t fire his service revolver until after Mr Ryan was allegedly stabbing his wife, and are puzzled why Ms Magalhaes then retrieved her own gun.

The pair waited 10 minutes before calling 911, the outlet reported.

“That is not what a person in that situation would do unless they were trying to cover something up,” Deputy Commonwealth Attorney Kelsey Gill said at a court hearing in the case in December.

Mr Banfield has not been charged and pleaded the Fifth when questioned in court. No one has been accused of his wife’s death.

Joseph Ryan was allegedly summoned to the Banfield home in February 2023 through a fetish dating site. Picture: WUSA9

Ms Magalhaes, who joined the Banfield household in 2021, remains charged only in Mr Ryan’s shooting death while investigators continue to try to unravel the murder case.

Her mother, Marina Peres Souza, continues to maintain her daughter is innocent.

She told reporters in Portuguese that Ms Magalhaes, who she calls “little rare jewel”, is not the one who should be behind bars.

“I pray for the prosecutors and the judge to understand who is guilty in this case, because it is not Juliana,” she said.

This article originally appeared on The New York Post and was reproduced with permission

Originally published as Au pair charged in ‘love-triangle murder’ complains she’s ‘tired’ of jail