Virginia murder suspect Brendan Banfield admitted to an affair with his au pair in bombshell testimony, but denied allegations they plotted to murder his wife together. Banfield, 39, took the stand in his own defense on Wednesday as he faces life behind bars for the February 2023 killing of his wife Christine, 37. Magalhães previously testified that Banfield shot Ryan in hopes of it appearing as 'self-defense', before he also stabbed his wife to death to frame Ryan. She has become the key witness in Banfield's murder case, and will be sentenced at the conclusion of his trial. Magalhães was sleeping in the bed Christine had shared with her husband eight months after the murders, Fairfax County Sgt.