The Au Pair Affair: The Brendan Banfield Case | Daily Scaries: Wide Awake Ep. 1

Brendan Banfield was an IRS criminal investigator who used his forensic mind to plan the perfect double murder. He catfished a stranger named Joseph Ryan through a fetish website, lured him to his Herndon, Virginia home, shot him dead, and stabbed his wife Christine Banfield — all while carrying on an affair with the family's live-in au pair, Juliana Peres Magalhães.

This is the Brendan Banfield case — one of the most calculated double murders in recent American history. From the FetLife trap to the triple-pane windows installed for soundproofing, from the staged crime scene to the trial that took three years to unfold.

Brendan Banfield was sentenced to life in prison without parole on June 5, 2026. Juliana Peres Magalhães was sentenced to 10 years.

This is Daily Scaries: Wide Awake — true crime stories told in immersive detail. I'm Brian Scott.

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This episode contains descriptions of violence and may not be suitable for all audiences. Listener discretion is advised.

Keywords: brendan banfield, christine banfield, juliana peres magalhaes, joseph ryan, au pair murder, au pair affair, irs agent murder, true crime, true crime story, true crime documentary, crime, murder mystery, virginia, herndon virginia, fairfax county, scary stories, true crime podcast, daily scaries, wide awake

Three murders. Decades of silence. One breakthrough.

Tonight on Daily Scaries After Dark, we revisit three cold cases that sat unsolved for years — until modern forensic science changed everything.

The Lady of the Dunes — Ruth Marie Terry

She was found on a Cape Cod beach in 1974, hands severed, face beaten beyond recognition. For 48 years, no one knew her name. Then, in 2022, forensic genealogy finally gave her one.

Christine Jessop — Ontario, 1984

A nine-year-old girl vanished on her way home from school. An innocent man spent years in prison for a crime he didn't commit. The real killer wasn't confirmed until 2020 — long after he had died.

The Golden State Killer — California, 1974–1986

Fifty assaults. Thirteen murders. Then he simply disappeared into the suburbs. In 2018, a genealogist and a DNA database gave him a name: Joseph James DeAngelo.

Dim the lights. Get comfortable. These stories are now just whispers in the night.

Hosted by Brian Scott

New episodes every week.

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June 2026- Seven cases. Seven investigations that left seasoned detectives stunned. Narrated in a calm, measured voice — designed for nighttime listening.

A Wingstop cup that solved a 40-year-old murder. A sentence spoken on a neighbor's porch in Iowa that preceded the unthinkable. An 11-year-old girl in France whose disappearance ignited a national reckoning. A serial killer in Oregon now facing his fifth murder charge. A Jane Doe who finally got her name back after 26 years. A Hollywood actor whose death came from inside his own home. And the final collapse of a conviction that captivated the world.

No jump scares. No loud music. No sudden sounds.

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 — Intro

1:17 — The Wingstop Cup: How a Fast-Food Cup Solved a 40-Year Cold Case

6:06— The Muscatine Six: "Don't Worry About Money"

9:29 — Lyhanna: The Case That Shook France

13:22 — The Oregon Shadows: 5 Women, 1 Accused Killer

16:55 — Tiffany: A Jane Doe Gets Her Name Back

21:06 — The Actor: James Handy's Final Scene

23:39 — The Fall of Murdaugh: A Conviction Overturned

27:06— Outro

Narrated by Brian Scott.

New episodes every week. Follow so you never miss one.