FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA — Juliana Peres Magalhaes, a 23-year-old Reston resident, is in custody, months after a stabbing and shooting left two dead in a quiet Northern Virginia neighborhood.
Fairfax County Police responded to a call at a residence on Stable Brook Way around 8 a.m. on February 24. Officers discovered 39-year-old Joseph Nathan Ryan of Springfield shot to death. They also found 37-year-old resident Christine Ann Banfield fatally stabbed in an upstairs bedroom. Banfield, a nurse and mother, was later pronounced dead at a hospital.
According to authorities, the initial 911 call came from Magalhaes’ cellphone at 7:49 a.m., which resulted in an “open line hangup.” A second call, 13 minutes later, featured two voices: Christine Banfield’s husband and Magalhaes.
When the incident first came to light, police indicated that a woman initially called 911 to report that her friend was injured. A male voice then took over the call, allegedly informing the dispatch that he had shot another man. The caller claimed the deceased man had entered the home and stabbed Christine Banfield.
Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis previously described the incident as a “vicious and brutal attack” in a press conference held outside the crime scene.
Magalhaes is accused of shooting and killing Ryan, who did not reside at the Herndon home where the crimes occurred.