The trial of Brendan Banfield, a former IRS special agent accused of committing a brutal double murder to hide his affair with his family’s au pair, is set to commence with opening statements on Tuesday. The case has garnered significant attention due to the shocking nature of the allegations.

On Monday, a jury consisting of twelve members and four alternates was selected, paving the way for the trial to begin, as reported by FOX 5. The trial is unfolding in a Virginia courtroom, drawing interest from both local residents and the wider public.

Banfield faces charges of aggravated murder for the deaths of his wife, Christine Banfield, and Joseph Ryan. The tragic incident took place in February 2023 at the Banfields’ residence located in the serene suburb of Herndon, Virginia, just outside Washington, D.C.

Court documents reveal that at the time of the murders, Banfield and Juliana Peres Magalhães, a 22-year-old au pair from Brazil, were present in the home. They reportedly told investigators that they encountered Ryan, an unknown assailant, attacking Banfield’s wife in the main bedroom. According to their account, both Banfield and Magalhães fired shots to thwart the intruder.

Banfield is facing serious legal repercussions, charged with four counts of aggravated murder as well as the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. The Fairfax County Police Department is at the forefront of the investigation as the trial progresses.

Prosecutors, however, allege a more calculated plot. They say that Banfield and Magalhães lured Ryan to the house and staged the scene to make the homicides appear like an act of self-defense.

Prosecutors have said Banfield was impersonating his wife, Christine, in an online account on a fetish website. Prosecutors said the husband lured Ryan to the couple’s Herndon-area home as part of his plot to kill his wife.

“It is a theory in search of facts rather than a series of facts supporting a theory,” John Carroll, Banfield’s attorney, previously said.

A framed photo of Brendan Banfield and Juliana Magalhaes and the mistress’s lingerie were found in the room where the double homicide occurred, according to prosecutors. (Fairfax County Commonwealth Attorney’s Office)

When police initially responded to a 911 call from the residence in February 2023, they found Christine with stab wounds to the neck and Ryan with fatal gunshot wounds in the upstairs bedroom of the home.

Authorities took Christine to the hospital, where she was later pronounced dead, Fairfax County Police Department Chief Kevin Davis said. Officials recovered a knife and two guns from the scene.

The account used to summon Joseph Ryan was made and used on slain mother Christine Banfield’s laptop – but investigators have questioned whether she was the one communicating on the account. (Christine Banfield on Facebook)

Banfield has pleaded not guilty in the case, but Magalhães, a Brazilian national, pleaded guilty to manslaughter in late 2024.

She is expected to testify against Banfield during the trial and provide a first-hand account of the alleged plot.

Fairfax County police initially responded to the double homicide in the 13200 block of Stable Brook Way in Herndon on Feb. 24, 2023. (FOX 5 DC)

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If convicted, Banfield is expected to face life in prison. Fox News Digital has reached out to Banfield’s attorney, John Carroll, for comment.

The trial is expected to last four weeks. Court sessions will begin at 10 a.m. each day and run Monday through Thursday, according to court administrators.