(GoRealNewsNow.com) – A mysterious double homicide in a suburban Virginia home, which has baffled law enforcement for several months, may now be half-resolved as a young nanny has been charged with one of the two murders that claimed her boss’s life.
On Friday, 23-year-old Juliana Peres Magalhaes was taken into custody due to her alleged involvement in a double murder in February in Hattontown, an upscale community in Fairfax County, Virginia.
According to the Fairfax County Police Department, Magalhaes was charged with second-degree murder in relation to the February shooting of Joseph Ryan.
Yet, she hasn’t been charged in connection to the brutal stabbing of Christine Banfield in her bedroom in Hattontown, The New York Post reports.
On the day of the incident, Magalhaes contacted the police shortly before 7:50 a.m. She hung up abruptly, then dialed again three minutes later, stating her “friend was hurt.”
Christine Banfield’s husband then took the call, explaining to the dispatchers that he had shot an intruder who had stabbed his wife.
When the police arrived at the scene, they found no evidence of forced entry. They discovered Banfield still alive but severely injured from multiple stab wounds.
Nearby, Joseph Ryan had already died from a gunshot wound. Christine Banfield was quickly taken to a hospital but unfortunately did not survive.
During the violent episode, a 4-year-old girl was also present in the house but was found unharmed.
“The truest victim of all of this is that poor girl,” said Fairfax Police Chief Kevin Davis.
After an extensive investigation for over seven months, the police concluded that Banfield’s husband did not shoot Ryan.
“Through forensic evidence and multiple interviews, detectives determined the au pair, 23-year-old Juliana Peres Magalhaes, of Reston shot Joseph Ryan,” a police statement said.
The investigation regarding Christine Banfield’s death is ongoing.
Police Chief Davis later revealed to the press that the Banfields were acquainted with Ryan.
Both Banfield’s husband and Magalhaes, who lived with the Banfield family, interacted with the responding police officers. It remains uncertain if any charges were pressed against Banfield’s husband for potentially misleading the police initially.
Currently, Magalhaes is being held at the Fairfax County jail without the possibility of bail. As per online court records, she hasn’t yet responded to the charge of second-degree murder.
