The Murders of Christine Banfield and Joseph Ryan: The Au Pair's Testimony + Trial Update

The Murders of Christine Banfield and Joseph Ryan: The Au Pair's Testimony + Trial Update

Author: Moms and Mysteries Podcast January 22, 2026 Duration: 54:16
What happens when a suburban love affair turns deadly? When the prosecution's star witness is also negotiating a Netflix deal from her jail cell?On February 24, 2023, Christine Banfield, a beloved pediatric ICU nurse, was found dead in her Fairfax County, Virginia home. Also dead: Joseph Ryan, a man Christine had allegedly been communicating with online about violent fantasies. But prosecutors say Christine never sent those messages. They say her husband Brendan Banfield and their au pair Juliana Peres Magalhães were having an affair, and instead of getting a divorce, they hatched a plan to kill Christine and stage it as a home invasion gone wrong. In this episode, we break down the first four days of Brendan Banfield's murder trial, including Juliana's explosive testimony as the prosecution's star witness. We cover the fake online persona created to lure Joseph Ryan, the forensic evidence pointing to a staged crime scene, jailhouse love letters, and why Juliana is negotiating a Netflix deal while testifying. Make sure to check-out One Strange Thing Podcast. If you love the weird and mysterious, THIS is the show! Thank you to this week's sponsors! Get organized, refreshed, and back on track this new year for WAY less. Head to Wayfair.com right now to shop all things home. Join the more than 3 million families who have been served by K12, and empower your student to reach their full potential now. You can make the switch at anytime. Go to K12.com/MOMS today to learn more. New episodes every Tuesday and Thursday! Follow us on Instagram: @momsandmysteries Join our Patreon: patreon.com/momsandmysteries Visit our website: momsandmysteries.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Between school drop-offs and grocery runs, Mandy and Melissa found a shared obsession with the unanswered questions lurking in the shadows. Moms and Mysteries: A True Crime Podcast is the result: a conversation that feels like sitting at a kitchen table with two friends who are deeply curious about the human condition. Their perspective is uniquely grounded, examining each story not just for its shock value, but for the societal threads and personal tragedies that weave it together. You’ll hear them discuss everything from the strangely specific weirdness of a Florida crime to a globally known cold case, always with a blend of empathy and a dash of necessary, dark humor. This isn't a clinical report; it's a twice-weekly deep dive fueled by a lifelong fascination with mysteries, both big and small. The tone is warm, the research is thorough, and the conversation is the kind you get hooked on. New episodes of this true crime podcast arrive every Tuesday and Thursday, ready to be your companion during a commute or while folding laundry. They’ve been asking "how did this happen?" since they were kids, and now they’re pulling up a chair for you to join that ongoing, compelling discussion.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

Moms and Mysteries: A True Crime Podcast
Podcast Episodes
The Starvation Doctor: Linda Hazzard & The Williamson Sisters [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:51
A quick note on today's episode: Linda Hazzard's 'treatments' heavily involved extreme fasting and starvation. We want to mention this up front for anyone who might be sensitive to discussions around restrictive diets or…
The Murder of Angie Resendiz & The Legacy of Vanessa Guillen [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:23
At 2:14 AM, Navy sailor Angelina “Angie” Resendiz made a frantic, crying phone call to a friend, begging to be picked up from a fellow sailor’s barracks. Moments later, a man took the phone and insisted she was fine, eve…
The Teenage CEO Who Scammed Wall Street: Barry Minkow [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:00
At 16, Barry Minkow started a carpet cleaning company in his parents' garage. By 21, he was one of the youngest CEOs of a publicly traded company in America, with a business valued at over $200 million. But the entire em…
The Scott Family Massacre: The Trial of Amy Vilardi [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:53
On Halloween weekend in 2015, a quiet community in Pendleton, South Carolina, was shattered by a brutal quadruple homicide. Four members of the Scott family were found dead in their home, the victims of a savage knife an…
[Missing] The Disappearance of Lars Mittank [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:42
In July 2014, 28-year-old German tourist Lars Mittank walked into Varna Airport in Bulgaria, preparing to fly home after a vacation. He had suffered a minor ear injury and needed a quick medical check before his flight.…
A Birthday Party in Hocking Hills [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:14
A birthday party at a rental cabin in the scenic Hocking Hills of Ohio should have been a night of celebration. But fueled by alcohol and jealousy, the night spiraled into a violent confrontation that left a young father…
The Betrayal of Skylar Neese [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:26
In 2012, 16-year-old Skylar Neese vanished without a trace from her Star City, West Virginia home. What initially seemed like a runaway case soon unraveled into a story of unimaginable betrayal. Her two best friends, She…
The Lindsay Shiver Story: A Murder Plot in Paradise [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:47
In the summer of 2023, police in The Bahamas were investigating a local bar burglary when they accidentally discovered a shocking murder-for-hire plot in a series of WhatsApp messages. The alleged target was Robert Shive…
[Florida Files] The Suitcase Murder: The Trial of Sarah Boone [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:55
In February 2020, Sarah Boone zipped her boyfriend, Jorge Torres Jr., into a suitcase during what she claimed was a drunken game of hide-and-seek. She then filmed him as he suffocated, taunting him and ignoring his pleas…