Overview
- Deliberations began Friday after closing arguments capped a trial that featured conflicting accounts of the 2023 killings of Christine Banfield and Joseph Ryan.
- the defense rested Thursday following two days of testimony from Banfield, who denied any plan to kill his wife, admitted an affair with the au pair, and said he shot Ryan while trying to stop an attack without first calling 911.
- Prosecutors allege Banfield and the au pair created a fake FetLife profile to lure Ryan to the home, then staged the scene; DNA on the knife was from Christine and Ryan, not Banfield, according to testimony.
- Au pair Juliana Peres Magalhães pleaded guilty to manslaughter in 2024 and testified for the state, with her credibility attacked by the defense as motivated by a plea deal and potential media payments; her sentencing is set after this case.
- Jurors also saw newly released body‑camera video from the hospital and heard dueling digital‑forensics and investigative testimony, while Banfield, a former IRS agent, faces a potential life sentence if convicted.