"That Is Absolutely Crazy" — Brendan Banfield Denies Murder Plot in Dramatic Courtroom Testimony
Hidden Killers With Tony Brueski | True Crime News & Commentary
True Crime Today
3.3 • 907 Ratings
🗓️ 29 January 2026
⏱️ 16 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The moment everyone has been waiting for finally happened. Brendan Banfield took the stand in his own defense — and went straight at the prosecution's case.
The former IRS criminal investigator, charged with orchestrating the murders of his wife Christine and Joseph Ryan, told the jury there was never any plan to kill anyone. He admitted the affair with au pair Juliana Peres Magalhães. He said it started in August 2022 when his wife was out of town. But according to Banfield, he made it clear to Juliana from the start — this was just another affair. It wasn't going to change his marriage.
When his attorney asked if he ever devised a plan with the au pair to "get rid of" Christine, Banfield didn't hesitate. He called the accusation absurd. He called it absolutely crazy. He said their relationship was barely two months old at that point — the idea that they were plotting murder was beyond belief.
Banfield walked the jury through the morning of February 24th, 2023. The McDonald's stop. The stressed phone call from Juliana. The calls to Christine that went straight to voicemail. The ten-minute drive home. His version directly contradicts everything the au pair told prosecutors after she flipped.
This trial now comes down to one question: which one of them is lying?
Cross-examination begins Thursday. That's when the prosecutor gets their shot at him.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is Hidden Killers with Tony Bruske. Here now, Tony Bruske. |
| 0:07.2 | Brendan Banfield did something that most defense attorneys spend their entire careers begging their clients not to do. |
| 0:14.9 | He took the stand in his own double murder trial. |
| 0:20.5 | It's not a small decision. |
| 0:22.4 | When the defendant testifies, they're not just telling their story. |
| 0:26.5 | They're handing the prosecution a loaded weapon. |
| 0:30.4 | Everything you say, undirect examination, becomes ammunition for cross. |
| 0:34.9 | Every word, every pause, every flicker of emotion, get scrutinized by |
| 0:39.7 | 12 people who are actively deciding whether you're a murderer. Most defendants don't take |
| 0:46.1 | that risk. Their lawyers put on a case, poke holes in the prosecution's evidence, and let |
| 0:53.2 | reasonable doubt do the heavy lifting. |
| 0:55.6 | But Brendan Vanfield |
| 0:56.7 | looked at the woman who flipped on him, |
| 1:00.6 | looked at the case, |
| 1:01.5 | the Commonwealth's wealth built |
| 1:03.0 | around her testimony, |
| 1:04.7 | and decided the only way out was |
| 1:06.7 | through this. |
| 1:10.7 | Getting on the stand. |
| 1:12.6 | He's betting his life |
| 1:14.3 | that he can outsell her. |
| 1:17.9 | Banfield has pled not guilty |
... |
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