Au Pair Reveals New Grisly Details Of Herndon Double Murder

HERNDON, VA — The au pair who pleaded guilty to manslaughter in connection with a double murder in Herndon revealed grisly details about the killings in a video used as evidence in the case, according to a report.

As part of her plea agreement, prosecutors questioned Juliana Peres Magalhaes, who pleaded guilty last October to one count of manslaughter in the death of 39-year-old Joseph Ryan of Springfield.

In the interview obtained by NBC Washington, Peres Magalhaes said Brendan Banfield was the "mastermind" behind an elaborate, months-long plot to kill Ryan and Banfield's wife, Christine Banfield.

Banfield has been charged with four counts of aggravated murder in connection with the killings of his wife and Ryan. His trial is scheduled to begin in October, and he faces a life sentence for each of the charges.

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The killings happened at the Banfield home in the 13200 block of Stable Brook Way in the Hattontown neighborhood in the Herndon area. At the scene, police found Christine Banfield with upper-body stab wounds and Ryan suffering from upper-body gunshot wounds. Banfield was taken to the hospital and pronounced dead, while Ryan died at the scene.

A 4-year-old girl was home when the shooting occurred and was not hurt, police said.

Prosecutors previously said Banfield posed as his wife on a fetish website and lured Ryan to the home for what he thought was consensual sex. Banfield then shot Ryan in the bedroom and stabbed his wife, prosecutors have said, while Peres Magalhaes also shot Ryan.

In her interview with prosecutors, Peres Magalhaes outlined what happened the day of the killings.

Peres Magalhaes said that morning, Banfield pretended to go to his job but instead went to a nearby restaurant after instructing her to call him as soon as Ryan arrived at Banfield's home. Peres Magalhaes then took the 4-year-old child to a car under the pretense of going to the zoo, according to NBC Washington.

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When Banfield arrived at the home, he and Peres Magalhaes entered the house through the basement and left the child there.

Banfield then entered the couple’s bedroom with a gun drawn and announced himself as law enforcement, she said. Ryan was on top of Christine Banfield, who yelled, "Brendan, he has a knife!" Banfield immediately shot Ryan in the head, Peres Magalhaes said.

Peres Magalhaes then told prosecutors that Banfield took Ryan’s knife and stabbed his wife multiple times.

"He was stabbing her, and she was just telling him, 'Let me go. I'm gonna die anyways. I'm gonna bleed to death,'” Peres Magalhaes said. “She was just, 'Leave me here. Let me die.' And he was telling her, 'I can't.' I don't know why he said 'I can't.’"

Watch the interview obtained by NBC Washington.