- Juliana Peres Magalhaes has been charged in the shooting death of 39-year-old Joseph Ryan
- At the same address, a mother was found with stab wounds who later died
- Police are still investigating who stabbed the woman, but they say it was the man Peres Magalhaes shot
A 23-year-old au pair has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with a double murder at a $1 million home in Virginia, authorities announced Thursday.
Juliana Peres Magalhaes of Reston, Virginia, was arrested Friday and charged in the shooting death of 39-year-old Joseph Ryan of Springfield.
Both Ryan and a woman, Christine Banfield, 37, were attacked and killed on Feb. 24 in Banfield’s $1 million home in the Herndon area.
Police reportedly believe Peres Magalhaes shot Ryan, who is accused of stabbing Banfield. Peres Magalhaes has not been charged in Banfield’s death.
No further details of the bizarre crime were disclosed. No motive was given, and police said Ryan was likely no stranger to Christine Banfield, but declined further comment.
Juliana Peres Magalhaes of Reston, Virginia, has been charged in the shooting death of 39-year-old Joseph Ryan of Springfield
On the day of the murders in February, police received a call from Peres Magalhaes around 7:50 a.m., but they immediately hung up.
Ten minutes later she called back and told them her “friend” was hurt.
Both Ryan and a woman, Christine Banfield (pictured), 37, were attacked and killed in Banfield’s $1 million home in the Herndon area on February 24
At that moment, Banfield’s husband, identified in court documents viewed by Fox News as Brendan Robert Banfield, also answered the phone.
Brendan Banfield reportedly told a dispatcher that he shot Ryan, who he said stormed into his home and stabbed his wife, Christine Banfield.
When police arrived at the residence at 8:13 a.m., they found Ryan dead and Christine Banfield, who had been stabbed, in an upstairs bedroom.
She was taken to hospital but later died.
Police have not confirmed whether Ryan stabbed Banfield, but reportedly said there were no signs of forced entry into the home.
Police also found Banfield’s four-year-old daughter inside the home, who was not physically injured.
“The truest victim in all of this is this poor girl,” Fairfax Police Chief Kevin Davis told Fox News at the time.
Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said in February, “I think the person or people who are responsible for this are already known to us.”
The $1 million Virginia home where a man died and a woman was stabbed in February
“We just need to find out who was responsible for what, we need to establish the exact nature of Mr. Ryan’s presence in the house.”
He added: “We don’t believe he is necessarily a stranger, but we are still working to establish more facts before describing him.”
Chief Davis didn’t know if Ryan had been to the house before. He reportedly added that the au pair had spoken to the police, but Banfield had not.
Peres Magalhaes is in the Fairfax County Jail. Online court records viewed by Fox News show she has not yet pleaded to the second-degree murder charge.