Au pair who plotted elaborate double murder with Brendan Banfield sentenced to 10 years in prison

Juliana Peres Magalhães is escorted into the courtroom before testifying at Brendan Banfield's double murder trial on January 14. - Tom Brenner/Pool/APThe au pair who crafted an elaborate double murder plot with former IRS agent Brendan Banfield and later testified against him in court was sentenced to 10 years in prison Friday, well above the sentencing recommendation from both parties.Juliana Peres Magalhães, 25, pleaded guilty in October 2024 to involuntary manslaughter of Joseph Ryan as part of a plea deal in connection to the killings of Ryan and Christine Banfield.She agreed to cooperate with prosecutors and testify against Brendan Banfield, Christine’s husband, and in exchange prosecutors agreed to recommend she be sentenced to time served. She has been in custody since her arrest in October 2023.Still, the final sentencing decision was in the court’s discretion.Judge Penney S. Azcarate said she could not accept the sentencing recommendation, saying this was “the most serious manslaughter scenario the court has ever seen.”“Your actions were deliberate, self-serving and demonstrated a profound disregard for human life,” the judge said. “So let’s get straight: You do not deserve anything other than incarceration and a life of reflection on what you have done to the victim and his family. May it weigh heavily on your soul.”The sentencing stems from the salacious double killing of Christine Banfield, 37, and Ryan, 39, in a case that featured allegations of a love triangle, BDSM sexual role play, trips to the gun range and false 911 calls.As prosecutors told it, Brendan Banfield began a romantic affair with Peres Magalhães, the family’s Brazilian au pair, in August 2022, and together they hatched a convoluted plot to kill off Banfield’s wife and be together.According to Peres Magalhães’ testimony, they created fake accounts under Christine’s name on a sexual fetish website and then lured Ryan to the home under the guise of a consensual but violent sexual encounter.When Ryan came to the home in February 2023, Brendan Banfield fatally stabbed his wife and shot Ryan, Peres Magalhães testified. Peres Magalhães also shot Ryan, she said.Banfield then staged the scene to make it look like he had stumbled upon a violent attack and shot Ryan in self-defense, she testified.Afterward, Peres Magalhães moved into Brendan Banfield’s bedroom; investigators later found a framed photo of the two on his bedside table.Banfield was convicted of two counts of murder earlier this month. He is expected to be sentenced to life in prison at his sentencing hearing May 8.What happened at Banfield’s trialPeres Magalhães was arrested and charged with second-degree murder and a firearm offense in October 2023. Banfield was indicted on murder charges in September 2024, just a month before Peres Magalhães officially agreed to her plea deal.At Banfield’s murder trial last month, Peres Magalhães admitted to the double murder scheme and laid out its particulars over three days of testimony. She said she finally came forward with the truth because she felt guilt and shame.“I withheld the truth for a long time, just to myself, and it was a lot for me to deal with and I just couldn’t deal with this anymore,” she said.Brendan Banfield took the stand in his own defense and, while admitting to an affair, denied that he and the au pair came up with any murderous plot.“No, there was no plan,” he said. “I think that it’s an absurd line of questioning for something that is not serious, that a plan was made to get rid of my wife. That is absolutely crazy.”He testified that he went to his home one morning and came upon a man raping and stabbing his wife, so he shot the man.The jury convicted Brendan Banfield of two counts of aggravated murder, a firearms offense and child endangerment. His daughter, who was 4 at the time, was in the home at the time of the killings, prosecutors said.This is a developing story and will be updated.CNN’s Lauren del Valle and Nicki Brown contributed to this report.For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com