BANFIELD TRIAL DAY 7: Daughter Asked Au Pair "Can I Call You Mommy?" Hours After Mother's Death — Detective Reveals Pressure From Supervisors
True Crime Today | Daily True Crime News & Interviews
Tony Brueski
4.2 • 612 Ratings
🗓️ 23 January 2026
⏱️ 20 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Two bombshells dropped on Day 7 of the Brendan Banfield double murder trial in Fairfax County, Virginia.
First, the defense landed a significant blow. Homicide Detective Leah Smith testified that leadership pushed the catfishing theory before evidence supported it. According to Smith, she was told: "There are two theories and you need to get behind the right one." Defense attorney John Carroll revealed a forensic analyst was removed from the case after theorizing that Christine Banfield — not Brendan — was communicating with Joseph Ryan on the fetish website FetLife. The defense argues investigators had tunnel vision from the start.
Then came the prosecution's counter-punch. Victim services officer Saly Fayez testified that an intel detective overheard a conversation in a hotel lobby just hours after Christine's death. According to Fayez, Brendan's daughter Valerie asked the au pair Juliana Peres Magalhães: "Can I call you mommy now?" Juliana allegedly said yes. Then Valerie asked if Juliana would marry her daddy. The reported response: "I wish."
Lt. David Giaccio testified that Juliana's account only confirmed what forensic evidence already indicated. Even Detective Smith admitted Banfield's arrest was based on evidence, not the au pair's testimony.
Court resumes Friday. Brendan Banfield has pleaded not guilty and is presumed innocent.
#BrendanBanfield #TrueCrimeToday #AuPairAffair #ChristineBanfield #MurderTrial #FairfaxCounty #JulianaMagalhaes #FetLife #JosephRyan #BreakingCrime
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is Hidden Killers with Tony Brewski. Here now, Tony Brucey. |
| 0:06.9 | According to testimony in the Alper Affair murder trial of Brandon Banfield, |
| 0:14.2 | Christine's body, Christine Banfield, wasn't even in the morgue yet when something happened in a hotel lobby that should stop everyone following this trial cold. |
| 0:24.3 | Police had the family sequestered. |
| 0:27.3 | Brendan, his younger daughter, Valerie and the au pair, Juliana Perez, Mangalas, |
| 0:33.6 | Sally Fayez, a victim services officer with Fairfax County Police testified that an Intel detective overheard Valerie approach, Juliana, and ask Valerie. |
| 0:47.0 | Just in case you're following along at home and haven't recognized the name yet, this is the of brandon and christine the little girl with the |
| 0:55.2 | backpack the fairfax county police officer testified that she heard the little girl come up to |
| 1:06.0 | juliana and ask can I call you, mommy, no? |
| 1:19.1 | Juliana allegedly said yes. |
| 1:21.3 | And the little girl reportedly asked, |
| 1:23.1 | Are you going to marry my daddy? |
| 1:26.0 | And according to Fayette's testimony, |
| 1:27.3 | Julianna's answer was, |
| 1:35.3 | I wish, you know, like you say to a little confused girl whose mother is not coming back, |
| 1:41.5 | who probably doesn't fully really grasp this idea that your little girl's mom is gone. |
| 1:42.6 | And you're like, I wish. |
| 1:46.5 | Sure, call me mommy, yeah. I don't know exactly how that conversation went. But if that testimony is true, if those allegations are true, |
| 1:53.7 | what does that tell us about the character of Juliana Perez Mogulis? I mean, does it tell us much, I guess, is the question. |
| 2:04.1 | Does it tell us much, or is that how any dumb 22-year-old would be acting if they also saw it to be a great idea to have an affair with the older guy who's got a wife and a kid who doesn't really give a shit about any of that because she's out for herself and she wants what she has. |
| 2:27.4 | So she's going to do whatever she can to get it with her being a younger woman. |
| 2:35.0 | Is that all that? |
... |
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