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By Eric Levenson, CNN

(CNN) — The au pair who crafted an elaborate double murder plot with former IRS agent Brendan Banfield and later testified against him in court was sentenced to 10 years in prison Friday, well above the sentencing recommendation from both parties.

Juliana Peres Magalhães, 25, pleaded guilty in October 2024 to involuntary manslaughter of Joseph Ryan as part of a plea deal in connection to the killings of Ryan and Christine Banfield.

She agreed to cooperate with prosecutors and testify against Brendan Banfield, Christine’s husband, and in exchange prosecutors agreed to recommend she be sentenced to time served. She has been in custody since her arrest in October 2023.

Still, the final sentencing decision was in the court’s discretion.

Judge Penney S. Azcarate said she could not accept the sentencing recommendation, saying this was “the most serious manslaughter scenario the court has ever seen.”

“Your actions were deliberate, self-serving and demonstrated a profound disregard for human life,” the judge said. “So let’s get straight: You do not deserve anything other than incarceration and a life of reflection on what you have done to the victim and his family. May it weigh heavily on your soul.”

The sentencing stems from the salacious double killing of Christine Banfield, 37, and Ryan, 39, in a case that featured allegations of a love triangle, BDSM sexual role play, trips to the gun range and false 911 calls.

As prosecutors told it, Brendan Banfield began a romantic affair with Peres Magalhães, the family’s Brazilian au pair, in August 2022, and together they hatched a convoluted plot to kill off Banfield’s wife and be together.

According to Peres Magalhães’ testimony, they created fake accounts under Christine’s name on a sexual fetish website and then lured Ryan to the home under the guise of a consensual but violent sexual encounter.

When Ryan came to the home in February 2023, Brendan Banfield fatally stabbed his wife and shot Ryan, Peres Magalhães testified. Peres Magalhães also shot Ryan, she said.

Banfield then staged the scene to make it look like he had stumbled upon a violent attack and shot Ryan in self-defense, she testified.

Afterward, Peres Magalhães moved into Brendan Banfield’s bedroom; investigators later found a framed photo of the two on his bedside table.

Banfield was convicted of two counts of murder earlier this month. He is expected to be sentenced to life in prison at his sentencing hearing May 8.

What happened at Banfield’s trial

Peres Magalhães was arrested and charged with second-degree murder and a firearm offense in October 2023. Banfield was indicted on murder charges in September 2024, just a month before Peres Magalhães officially agreed to her plea deal.

At Banfield’s murder trial last month, Peres Magalhães admitted to the double murder scheme and laid out its particulars over three days of testimony. She said she finally came forward with the truth because she felt guilt and shame.

“I withheld the truth for a long time, just to myself, and it was a lot for me to deal with and I just couldn’t deal with this anymore,” she said.

Brendan Banfield took the stand in his own defense and, while admitting to an affair, denied that he and the au pair came up with any murderous plot.

“No, there was no plan,” he said. “I think that it’s an absurd line of questioning for something that i

CNN

By Adam Cancryn, Sarah Owermohle, Ben Tinker, Brenda Goodman, CNN

(CNN) — Two top aides to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are leaving the US Department of Health and Human Services, according to three people familiar with the moves.

HHS Deputy Secretary Jim O’Neill and General Counsel Mike Stuart are expected to soon leave HHS as part of a broader restructuring at the agency ahead of the midterm elections. Trump administration officials have discussed offering them other positions in the government, two people said.

O’Neill, who is second-in-command behind Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at HHS and the interim leader of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has been a controversial figure at the agency, where he helped to amplify anti-vaccine messaging and concerns about Medicaid fraud, and cheered the United States’ departure from the World Health Organization.

Within the administration, O’Neill was viewed as a shaky public communicator who had struggled to find his fit within the department, one of the people familiar with the matter said.

HHS did not immediately comment. The White House did not respond to a request for comment. Politico first reported the planned departures.

Although he doesn’t have any formal medical or public health background, O’Neill was named acting director at the CDC after the ouster of Dr. Susan Monarez in late August. Before coming to HHS, O’Neill was CEO of the Thiel Foundation and an investment manager at Clarium Capital. He previously served at HHS under President George W. Bush.

O’Neill seldom visited the CDC, according to former agency leaders who declined to be named because they weren’t authorized to comment on the situation. HHS did not immediately comment on his level of engagement at the agency.

O’Neill’s planned departure comes amid a broader shakeup at the top-most levels of HHS spurred by Trump officials’ desire to better focus the department’s policy priorities and improve its public messaging.

The White House is planning to make health care a central element of its midterm strategy in the coming months, touting its efforts to cut drug prices and encourage healthier eating while also making another run at passing sweeping legislation aimed at cutting health costs.

To advance that mission, White House and health officials in recent weeks decided to elevate four staffers well-regarded by senior Trump aides — including naming Medicare head Chris Klomp the new chief counselor at HHS. Klomp, who was central to the administration’s drug price initiative, is expected to run the daily operations at HHS and serve as the department’s de facto chief of staff.

This is a breaking news story.

The-CNN-Wire

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Por Adam Cancryn, Sarah Owermohle, Ben Tinker y Brenda Goodman, CNN

Dos asesores principales de Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dejarán el Departamento de Salud y Servicios Humanos de EE.UU. (HHS, por las siglas en inglés), según tres personas familiarizadas con el asunto.

Se espera que el subsecretario del HHS, Jim O’Neill, y el asesor general, Mike Stuart, dejen pronto el HHS como parte de una reestructuración general de la agencia antes de las elecciones de mitad de término. Funcionarios del Gobierno de Trump han considerado ofrecerles otros puestos dentro de la administración, según informaron dos personas.

O’Neill, quien es el segundo al mando después del secretario Robert F. Kennedy Jr. en el HHS y líder interino de los Centros para el Control y la Prevención de Enfermedades de EE.UU. (CDC), ha sido una figura controvertida en la agencia, por ayudar a amplificar los mensajes antivacunas y las preocupaciones sobre el fraude a Medicaid, y por celebrar la salida de Estados Unidos de la Organización Mundial de la Salud.

Dentro de la administración, O’Neill era visto como un comunicador público inestable que había tenido dificultades para encajar en el departamento, según una de las personas familiarizadas con el asunto.

El HHS no hizo comentarios hasta el momento. La Casa Blanca tampoco respondió a una solicitud de comentarios. Politico fue el primer medio en informar sobre las salidas.

Aunque no tiene experiencia médica ni en salud pública, O’Neill fue nombrado director interino de los CDC tras la destitución de la Dra. Susan Monarez a finales de agosto. Antes de incorporarse al HHS, O’Neill fue director ejecutivo de la Fundación Thiel y gestor de inversiones en Clarium Capital. Anteriormente, trabajó en el HHS durante la presidencia de George W. Bush.

O’Neill rara vez visitaba los CDC, según antiguos directivos de la agencia que prefirieron no ser identificados por no estar autorizados a hacer comentarios sobre la situación. El HHS no hizo comentarios sobre su nivel de compromiso con la agencia.

La salida planeada de O’Neill se produce en medio de una reestructuración más amplia en los niveles más altos del HHS, impulsada por el deseo de los funcionarios de Trump de enfocar mejor las prioridades políticas del departamento y mejorar su comunicación pública.

La Casa Blanca planea convertir la atención médica en un elemento central de su estrategia de mitad de mandato en los próximos meses, promocionando su intento de reducir los precios de los medicamentos y fomentar una alimentación más saludable, a la vez que intenta aprobar una legislación radical destinada a reducir los costos de la salud.

Para impulsar esta misión, la Casa Blanca y las autoridades sanitarias decidieron en las últimas semanas ascender a cuatro miembros del personal con gran prestigio entre los asesores principales de Trump, incluyendo el nombramiento del director de Medicare, Chris Klomp, como nuevo asesor jefe del HHS. Se espera que Klomp, quien fue clave en la iniciativa de precios de los medicamentos de la administración, dirija las operaciones diarias del HHS y se desempeñe como el jefe de gabinete de facto del departamento.

Esta es una noticia de última hora y será actualizada.

The-CNN-Wire
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