Woman charged in bizarre love-triangle murder whines she’s ‘unhappy and tired of jail’

A 24-year-old Brazilian au pair, Juliana Peres Magalhaes, charged in a complex love-triangle double murder in Virginia, has expressed frustration about her time in jail.

Magalhaes, who is accused of fatally shooting a man involved in the slaying of her lover’s wife, wrote an email to her mother from Fairfax County Jail, saying, “I am tired of this place, this situation. 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.”

Magalhaes is at the center of a true-crime case that has garnered global attention. Prosecutors allege that she was having an affair with her 39-year-old employer, IRS investigator Brendan Banfield, and was present when a stranger, Joseph Ryan, fatally attacked Banfield’s wife, Christine, at the couple’s mansion on February 24, 2023.

Ryan, who was reportedly brought to the house via a fetish-oriented dating site, was allegedly stabbing Christine when Magalhaes and Brendan entered the room.

While Brendan wounded Ryan with a gun, it was Magalhaes who allegedly delivered the fatal shots after grabbing another firearm from inside the house.

Although Magalhaes claims she acted in self-defense, prosecutors argue that the entire situation may have been a setup to eliminate Christine, with Ryan being an unsuspecting participant in the plot.

Investigators have yet to determine who created the dating account under the name Annastasia9, which lured Ryan to the house.

Magalhaes had left earlier that day for a zoo trip with the Banfields’ child but returned after allegedly forgetting their lunches. Brendan, who had left the house around 7:10 a.m., met her upon her return, and the two walked in together before the fatal encounter occurred.

Prosecutors are questioning why Brendan waited until Ryan was stabbing his wife to use his service weapon and why Magalhaes retrieved a separate gun to finish him up.

They also point to the fact that the pair waited ten minutes before calling 911 as suspicious. Deputy Commonwealth Attorney Kelsey Gill remarked, “That is not what a person in that situation would do unless they were trying to cover something up.”

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While Brendan has not been charged and invoked the Fifth Amendment during court proceedings, Magalhaes is currently charged only with Ryan’s death. The investigation into Christine’s murder remains ongoing.