The second day of Brendan Banfield’s double-murder trial focused on the testimony of Juliana Peres Magalhaes, his former au pair, who accused him of orchestrating a scheme to frame a stranger, Joseph Ryan, for the murder of his wife, Christine. Banfield, 40, has pleaded not guilty to the charges stemming from the February 2023 deaths, and if convicted, could face life in prison. Peres Magalhaes, who accepted a plea deal for manslaughter, alleged that they created a fake profile to lure Ryan into the Banfield home. Under cross-examination, her motivations for the plea deal and the details of her testimony were scrutinized, revealing her emotional struggles and changing perceptions of loyalty to Banfield.
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