Unraveling the Banfield Murders: A Web of Deceit and Betrayal

[00:00:00] We are Teresa and Nemo and that's why we are to Shopify.

[00:00:03] The platform, which we used before Shopify, has used regularly updates, which have sometimes led to that the shop didn't work.

[00:00:11] Our Nemo Boards shop makes so much on mobile devices a good figure.

[00:00:15] The illustrations on the boards come now much clearer, what is important to us and what our brand also does.

[00:00:22] Start your test today for 1€ per month on shopify.de.

[00:00:29] The case featured in this episode has been researched using police records, court documents, witness statements and the news.

[00:00:38] Listener discretion is advised.

[00:00:40] All parties mentioned are innocent until proven guilty and all opinions are my own.

[00:01:04] Hey everyone, my name is Nikki Young and this is Serial Napper, the true crime podcast for naps.

[00:01:10] I'm back with another true crime story to lull you to sleep or perhaps to give you nightmares.

[00:01:17] On the morning of February 24th, 2023, calls to 911 from the Banfield family home set off a chain of events that would unravel a dark and twisted tale of betrayal, love and murder.

[00:01:31] When police arrived, they found Christine Banfield, a mother and wife, barely alive with multiple stab wounds to her body.

[00:01:41] Nearby, a man named Joseph Ryan was found dead, shot in cold blood.

[00:01:46] The scene was puzzling.

[00:01:49] Christine's husband, Brendan Banfield, the couple's au pair, Juliana Megalais and their 4-year-old daughter were all present at the home, yet unharmed.

[00:01:58] So, what had happened?

[00:02:01] According to the au pair, Juliana, she had left the house early that morning with the child to go to the zoo, only to return later after forgetting the packed lunches.

[00:02:11] What she found when she returned was a strange car that she didn't recognize parked in the Banfield home driveway.

[00:02:20] Concerned, she decided to call her employer, Brendan Banfield, and he rushed home to see what was going on.

[00:02:27] Brendan and Juliana claimed that they entered the home together and heard noises coming from upstairs.

[00:02:34] When they walked into the master bedroom, they discovered an unknown man, Joseph Ryan, with the naked, bloody body of Christine Banfield.

[00:02:44] In an attempt to save Christine, Joseph was shot and killed.

[00:02:49] Apparently, he had been invited to the home by Christine for a tryst after chatting on a fetish website, and things got out of hand.

[00:02:58] But during the investigation, this story quickly fell apart.

[00:03:02] What started as a case of self-defense soon crumbled under the weight of suspicion, lies, and secrets that no one was prepared to uncover.

[00:03:13] So, dim the lights, put your phone down, and listen to a story of love, betrayal, and murder, as we ask ourselves, how well do we really know the people who are closest to us?

[00:03:25] So, let's jump right in.

[00:03:27] To those who knew them, the Banfields appeared to be a happily married couple in love.

[00:03:33] As almost all of these stories go, Christine and Brendan Banfield looked like the picture-perfect couple with a picture-perfect life.

[00:03:42] Both had fantastic jobs, with Christine working as an intensive care nurse at a suburban Virginia hospital, and Brendan working as a criminal investigator for the Internal Revenue Service.

[00:03:55] They had moved from the Long Island, New York area to Virginia in 2019, shortly after their baby girl, Valerie, was born.

[00:04:03] Christine was known to be a very loving and engaged mother, but she truly shined in her work at the hospital.

[00:04:11] One of her former patients, a man named Rodrigo Valdemera, had been taken care of by Christine during his battle with COVID.

[00:04:19] He would later say, quote,

[00:04:21] She was an angel for me. She shaved me. She helped me to set up a Zoom call with my family.

[00:04:27] Her kindness and attentiveness during this hospital stay led to the pair striking up a friendship.

[00:04:33] With their busy schedules, Christine confided in him that she and her husband Brendan were having trouble balancing the housework and finding proper childcare for little Valerie.

[00:04:43] In 2021, Christine said that she was planning on hiring an au pair from Brazil just to help out with taking care of the home and their young daughter.

[00:04:53] And with him being from Colombia, she asked him for local South American restaurant recommendations, mostly because she wanted to help the au pair to feel at home.

[00:05:03] This was Brendan and Christine's second au pair hired from Brazil, so they knew the drill.

[00:05:09] They had to find someone who was caring, professional, and most importantly, had a personality that would fit their family dynamic.

[00:05:18] They found 21-year-old Juliana Perez-Megale's post through a large agency called Culture Care Au Pair, whose LinkedIn profile says they are, quote,

[00:05:29] Proud to be the largest and most experienced au pair organization in the world, having successfully placed more than 120,000 au pairs into welcoming American homes since 1989.

[00:05:41] Through their conversations online, Brendan and Christine seemed to hit it off with Juliana, so they hired her, inviting her to come live with them in Virginia.

[00:05:52] Most families who hire an au pair don't actually get to meet them until the day that they quite literally arrive at their home.

[00:06:00] Maybe it's because I read, listen to, and watch far too much true crime content, but I just can't imagine inviting a stranger from across the world to move to my country, to live in my home, and to care for my child.

[00:06:16] What if their vibe is just off?

[00:06:19] You're sponsoring a stranger to come live with you, and you're responsible for them.

[00:06:24] If you've ever met anyone from online in person, you know that sometimes the person on the computer just doesn't match the person that they are in real life.

[00:06:34] Not only does it seem kind of dangerous or at the least like an uncomfortable situation for the family doing the hiring, but what about the au pair?

[00:06:42] Leaving your home country to move into a stranger's home, where you quite literally depend on your employer to house you, feed you, pay you, and allow you to stay in this new country.

[00:06:55] Side note, I did an episode many years ago now on Sophie Leonet, an au pair who suffered a really tragic fate at the hands of the couple that she moved in with.

[00:07:05] I highly suggest you go listen to it.

[00:07:08] Either way, Juliana was said to be over the moon excited to have this opportunity.

[00:07:14] One of her friends from Brazil would say, quote,

[00:07:17] Juliana wanted to travel and learn English.

[00:07:20] She was excited because she had just graduated from nursing classes and was coming to live with a nurse.

[00:07:26] So they had much in common.

[00:07:29] And at first, when Juliana arrived at the Banfield's home, everything seemed to be great.

[00:07:35] Her friend would say,

[00:07:36] She seemed happy.

[00:07:37] It was easy.

[00:07:38] Everything was working perfectly.

[00:07:41] Or so it seemed.

[00:07:43] On the morning of February 24th, 2023, Juliana left with the four-year-old, Valerie, for a day trip to the zoo.

[00:07:51] It was just after 7 a.m.

[00:07:54] Mr. Banfield left for work around the same time, while Mrs. Banfield remained at the home.

[00:08:00] Juliana had been working for the Banfields for just under two years at this point.

[00:08:04] Shortly after leaving, Juliana realized that she had forgotten their packed lunches.

[00:08:10] So they returned to the home to get them.

[00:08:14] However, Juliana would say that she stopped in her tracks when she discovered an unfamiliar car parked in the driveway.

[00:08:21] Now, personally, this wouldn't immediately bother me or worry me.

[00:08:27] But for whatever reason, this seemed to concern her.

[00:08:31] So she called Christine.

[00:08:32] But there was no answer.

[00:08:34] When Christine didn't pick up, she decided to call Brendan Banfield, who told her that he was coming home to see what was going on.

[00:08:43] When he arrived, the two went inside the home together, with Brendan heading upstairs and Juliana bringing little Valerie to the basement.

[00:08:51] According to their statements, Juliana heard loud shouting coming from upstairs, so she ran up to the master bedroom to see what was going on.

[00:09:01] There, she found a strange man holding a knife to Christine Banfield.

[00:09:06] Christine was naked, and it appeared that she had already been stabbed.

[00:09:11] Brendan was holding his service weapon aimed at the man shouting,

[00:09:15] Drop the knife!

[00:09:16] When he didn't, Brendan shot him.

[00:09:20] Then, according to what Juliana would later tell investigators,

[00:09:24] Mr. Banfield told her to go to a safe located in the bathroom and retrieve a second gun, giving her the code to open it.

[00:09:32] She did as instructed, and when the downed man appeared to move, she fired the gun at him again,

[00:09:39] later arguing that she acted in self-defense in order to protect the family.

[00:09:45] 911 dispatch would receive at least two phone calls from the Banfield home within one minute of each other,

[00:09:51] but the caller kept hanging up before dispatchers could get out any information.

[00:09:57] Then, approximately 10 minutes after the last hang-up, they received a phone call from the au pair, Juliana,

[00:10:03] who said something to the effect that,

[00:10:05] a friend had been hurt.

[00:10:07] It could have very well been due to the language barrier.

[00:10:11] Either way, Mr. Banfield grabbed the phone from Juliana and told dispatch that

[00:10:16] he had just shot an intruder in his home who was stabbing his wife.

[00:10:20] When police arrived on the scene, they found Christine Banfield suffering from multiple stab wounds.

[00:10:26] She was barely alive and quickly transported to the hospital,

[00:10:31] where she would unfortunately die from her injuries.

[00:10:35] As for the strange man or intruder who had been shot,

[00:10:39] he would be identified as 38-year-old Joseph Ryan.

[00:10:43] But what was he doing there?

[00:10:47] It's time for a quick break and a word from tonight's sponsors.

[00:10:50] Hang on, I'll be back before you know it.

[00:10:54] Is your daily routine filled with hidden hormone disruptors?

[00:10:58] Believe it or not, there are over 1,000 of these sneaky culprits lurking in our environment.

[00:11:04] Everything from our food and water to the air we breathe and even in our skincare products.

[00:11:09] And they wreak havoc on our hormones.

[00:11:12] But here's the good news.

[00:11:14] You don't have to put up with it any longer.

[00:11:17] Introducing Hormone Harmony,

[00:11:19] a game-changing formula crafted from all natural herbal ingredients

[00:11:23] designed to ease hormonal symptoms for women of all ages.

[00:11:27] Hormone Harmony isn't just for those going through menopause.

[00:11:30] It's for any woman navigating the ups and downs of hormone balance.

[00:11:35] Join the movement.

[00:11:37] Hormone Harmony has become a sensation.

[00:11:40] With a bottle flying off the shelves every 24 seconds

[00:11:43] and over 17,000 rave reviews,

[00:11:47] it's clear that women everywhere can't stop talking about it.

[00:11:51] If you're fed up with unexpected monthly surprises

[00:11:53] or menopause symptoms that zap your energy and joy,

[00:11:57] it's time to reclaim your vitality with Hormone Harmony.

[00:12:01] And here's a special treat.

[00:12:03] For a limited time, enjoy 15% off your first order at happymammoth.com.

[00:12:09] Just use the code SERIALNAPPER at checkout.

[00:12:12] That's right, head to happymammoth.com

[00:12:15] and enter SERIALNAPPER for your discount today.

[00:12:19] It's time to feel like you again.

[00:12:23] Now back to our story.

[00:12:27] Police interviewed both Mr. Banfield and Juliana

[00:12:30] about what had happened,

[00:12:31] some of which was captured on body cam footage,

[00:12:34] which I will play for you now.

[00:12:37] You people have sex.

[00:12:38] I can talk to her if you want.

[00:12:39] Thank you.

[00:12:40] I'm sorry.

[00:12:41] What's going on this morning?

[00:12:43] I was going on.

[00:12:47] It's okay.

[00:12:48] Take a breath.

[00:12:49] It's okay.

[00:12:50] Take a minute, okay?

[00:12:52] I need some water.

[00:12:59] You want to sit down somewhere?

[00:13:03] Go.

[00:13:04] I'm just going to...

[00:13:06] I'll come.

[00:13:09] I'm sorry.

[00:13:10] In English, she's almost listening.

[00:13:11] It's fine.

[00:13:12] You're fine.

[00:13:14] I was going out.

[00:13:15] It's so...

[00:13:17] It's so...

[00:13:18] It's so...

[00:13:18] It's so...

[00:13:19] Okay.

[00:13:19] Yeah, she's sitting over there.

[00:13:23] And then I forgot our lunch to bring it.

[00:13:27] And I was coming back to the house to get the lunch.

[00:13:30] Okay.

[00:13:32] Yes?

[00:13:35] Then we saw this...

[00:13:37] This car, a streetcar.

[00:13:39] Then I called her.

[00:13:41] Why...

[00:13:41] Why the fire is here?

[00:13:43] I don't know who he is.

[00:13:45] Why it was here.

[00:13:46] It was a streetcar, a voicemail.

[00:13:48] So I couldn't talk to her.

[00:13:49] Then I called Brandon.

[00:13:51] It was...

[00:13:52] Her...

[00:13:54] Her husband.

[00:13:55] Okay.

[00:13:57] Then he said,

[00:13:58] Wait for me.

[00:13:59] I'll go there.

[00:14:00] Don't go inside.

[00:14:03] And then he came back here.

[00:14:06] And we went inside.

[00:14:08] And then we went upstairs.

[00:14:10] And then I went to see what's going on.

[00:14:12] And I heard...

[00:14:13] Who is...

[00:14:14] The guy was...

[00:14:16] I don't know what...

[00:14:17] It's...

[00:14:19] Sometimes...

[00:14:21] I don't know what was going on.

[00:14:23] This dude...

[00:14:25] It spanking her.

[00:14:26] I don't know.

[00:14:27] You heard what?

[00:14:28] It spanking her.

[00:14:29] And I heard, like...

[00:14:30] I don't know what was that.

[00:14:32] And Brandon said...

[00:14:33] Who is drop the knife?

[00:14:34] Drop the knife.

[00:14:35] Because he had a knife.

[00:14:37] And then he...

[00:14:38] He said...

[00:14:39] Drop the gun to Brandon.

[00:14:40] They were yelling.

[00:14:41] I couldn't understand.

[00:14:42] Who are...

[00:14:43] To...

[00:14:43] To prepare for us.

[00:14:45] Okay.

[00:14:46] Ah.

[00:14:47] No.

[00:14:52] It's okay.

[00:14:53] You want me to see if I can try to get you some water?

[00:14:55] Yeah.

[00:14:56] Yeah.

[00:14:58] Yeah.

[00:14:59] I don't know.

[00:15:00] Hold up.

[00:15:01] I'm...

[00:15:01] I'm...

[00:15:02] I'm anxious.

[00:15:05] It's okay.

[00:15:06] So...

[00:15:07] You live here?

[00:15:08] I'm an alpair.

[00:15:10] You're an alpair?

[00:15:11] Okay.

[00:15:13] Yeah.

[00:15:14] Okay.

[00:15:15] But...

[00:15:17] It's okay.

[00:15:19] It was...

[00:15:19] I love to play.

[00:15:21] And...

[00:15:22] We're seeing that.

[00:15:23] It's okay.

[00:15:24] I know it's...

[00:15:25] It's traumatizing.

[00:15:27] Let's see if we...

[00:15:28] Oh.

[00:15:29] Oh.

[00:15:31] Oh.

[00:15:32] Just watch your step here, all right?

[00:15:34] No.

[00:15:34] You're okay.

[00:15:37] I...

[00:15:37] I need to calm down to that.

[00:15:40] Okay.

[00:15:41] We'll find...

[00:15:42] All right.

[00:15:43] You can give her a big hug.

[00:15:44] Okay?

[00:15:48] Hey, do we know where the little girl went?

[00:15:50] Yes.

[00:15:51] I last saw her with Batani.

[00:15:52] I did with Batani.

[00:15:53] Okay.

[00:15:53] I'll check with them.

[00:15:55] All right.

[00:15:57] All right.

[00:15:59] Get out of town.

[00:16:02] I know the...

[00:16:03] Where was...

[00:16:05] Where was...

[00:16:06] Where was...

[00:16:06] It's terrible.

[00:16:09] There she is.

[00:16:11] Okay?

[00:16:12] Can you give her a big hug?

[00:16:13] All right.

[00:16:14] I'll hold your water for it while we get upstairs.

[00:16:16] Yes, you can do this.

[00:16:17] Oh, f***.

[00:16:19] She's okay.

[00:16:20] All right.

[00:16:21] I'll give you a minute to talk with her.

[00:16:23] Uh-huh.

[00:16:23] I have to...

[00:16:24] I don't know what to tell her.

[00:16:26] You don't have to tell her anything, okay?

[00:16:28] I'm gonna get out of town.

[00:16:29] You just give her a big hug, tell her she's okay?

[00:16:31] What if she's gonna ask what happened?

[00:16:33] Okay.

[00:16:34] You don't need to tell her this yet, okay?

[00:16:36] Yes.

[00:16:36] Police would recover a knife and two guns from the scene.

[00:16:40] But what was really unusual is that they found no signs of forced entry.

[00:16:45] So, was Joseph Ryan, this man who had been stabbing Christine, invited into the home?

[00:16:52] They had to dig further.

[00:16:54] When they looked at Joseph's devices, they learned that he was actually at the Banfield home that day for a hookup after communicating with a woman identified as Anastasia 9 on a fetish website called FetLife.

[00:17:09] Anastasia 10.

[00:17:10] Anastasia's profile featured a photo of a petite woman in a bathing suit.

[00:17:14] And in the messages exchanged with Joseph, she talked about being into knife play and binding.

[00:17:21] They planned to meet up that morning at the Banfield home for rough sex.

[00:17:26] So, one could assume that Anastasia was actually Christine Banfield.

[00:17:32] But police noticed that there was something off about the messages.

[00:17:36] Of course, you can never tell what a person is into in the bedroom just by looking at them.

[00:17:41] But the way this Anastasia woman was speaking, it was much different than how everyone had described Christine's demeanor.

[00:17:49] They just didn't have the same sort of language and way of talking.

[00:17:54] Investigators were immediately suspicious about these messages on the fetish website.

[00:17:58] And they thought that it could be possible that someone had chatted with Joseph,

[00:18:04] pretending to be Christine in order to set up that rendezvous in the Banfield home.

[00:18:08] Police had also found evidence to indicate that Mr. Banfield and the au pair,

[00:18:14] they had been having an affair for quite some time now.

[00:18:18] They discovered lovey-dovey text messages between the two,

[00:18:22] as well as photos of a romantic trip to New York City that they had just recently taken together.

[00:18:28] They also learned that Mr. Banfield and Juliana,

[00:18:32] they had visited a gun range together about two months before the incident,

[00:18:36] and that Brendan had purchased the gun that Juliana had used to shoot Joseph.

[00:18:43] Meanwhile, an autopsy was conducted on Joseph's body,

[00:18:46] and it revealed that he had been shot twice,

[00:18:49] once in the head by Mr. Banfield's gun and once in the chest by Juliana.

[00:18:55] However, it was the bullet shot by Juliana that had actually killed Joseph Ryan.

[00:19:01] Because he had already been incapacitated by Brendan Banfield when she shot him,

[00:19:06] the police were able to get an arrest warrant and arrest Juliana for second-degree murder.

[00:19:11] When they returned the Banfield home in October of 2023 to arrest Juliana,

[00:19:17] approximately eight months after the incident,

[00:19:20] they discovered something pretty brazen.

[00:19:23] It appeared that Juliana had pretty much moved into the master bedroom with Brendan Banfield,

[00:19:29] which he used to share with his now-deceased wife, Christine.

[00:19:33] All of Juliana's clothing was now hanging in the master bedroom closet.

[00:19:38] She also had lingerie lying on the bed,

[00:19:41] and to top it all off,

[00:19:43] there was a framed photo of Brendan and Juliana

[00:19:46] sitting on the nightstand beside the table,

[00:19:48] looking very close, very lovey-dovey.

[00:19:52] Mr. Banfield seemingly had moved on from his grief quite quickly,

[00:19:56] and he wasn't even trying to hide it.

[00:19:59] Now that they had Juliana in police custody,

[00:20:03] investigators worked to try to get more information out of her about what had really happened.

[00:20:08] They told her straight up that they knew she had been having an affair with her employer,

[00:20:13] Mr. Banfield.

[00:20:14] They presented her with those messages between Joseph Ryan

[00:20:17] and someone pretending to be Christine on the fetish website.

[00:20:22] They asked about the gun range,

[00:20:24] how she had learned how to shoot a weapon,

[00:20:26] and how they had purchased a Glock that matched the murder weapon.

[00:20:30] They really worked with the evidence that they already had in hand

[00:20:33] to find out even more about what had happened the day of this double homicide.

[00:20:38] And it worked.

[00:20:41] Juliana hated her life in jail,

[00:20:44] and according to information obtained by the Washington Post,

[00:20:47] she wrote an email to her mother that said,

[00:20:50] I am tired of this place,

[00:20:52] this situation.

[00:20:53] I am unhappy and nothing makes me happy.

[00:20:56] I just want to get out of here and go back home to be with you guys.

[00:21:00] We will be together soon.

[00:21:02] With God's grace,

[00:21:03] Julie,

[00:21:04] Juliana took a plea deal,

[00:21:07] agreeing to cooperate in this murder investigation involving Brendan Banfield.

[00:21:12] Investigators believed that the two had worked together

[00:21:15] to plot the murder of Christine Banfield,

[00:21:18] and then to try to pin it on Joseph Ryan,

[00:21:21] but they needed more information from her in order to seal the deal.

[00:21:24] She would plead guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter

[00:21:28] in exchange for her cooperation.

[00:21:30] It would take nearly another full year for the general attorney's office

[00:21:35] to bill their case against Brendan Banfield.

[00:21:39] In September 2024,

[00:21:41] he was finally arrested after forensic experts found evidence

[00:21:45] that the bodies of both victims,

[00:21:47] Christine and Joseph,

[00:21:48] had been moved after the murders.

[00:21:51] In fact,

[00:21:52] post-mortem,

[00:21:54] Joseph's arms had been moved and then smeared with Christine's blood

[00:21:57] to make it look like he had stabbed her to death

[00:22:00] and was now covered in all of her blood.

[00:22:03] But the prosecution believed that it was actually Brendan Banfield

[00:22:06] who had killed his wife

[00:22:07] and then framed Joseph.

[00:22:10] And they had a very strong case to support that theory.

[00:22:14] Messages between Brendan and Juliana dating back as far as August 2022

[00:22:19] showed that he had a desire to get rid of his wife.

[00:22:22] There was also evidence that showed premeditation.

[00:22:26] Just a few weeks before the incident,

[00:22:29] it's alleged that Brendan created a profile on the fetish website

[00:22:33] FetLife,

[00:22:34] which caters to adults who enjoy BDSM,

[00:22:37] bondage,

[00:22:37] and role-playing.

[00:22:39] He set up the Anastasia 9 profile,

[00:22:42] pretending to be his wife,

[00:22:44] Christine.

[00:22:45] Then he began communicating to Joseph Ryan,

[00:22:48] who was very open about his sexual preferences.

[00:22:51] Brendan even directed Juliana to speak to Joseph on the phone,

[00:22:56] pretending to be Christine,

[00:22:58] to set up this rendezvous.

[00:23:00] On that call,

[00:23:01] they agreed to a, quote,

[00:23:03] consensual sexual encounter

[00:23:05] involving the restraints used on them,

[00:23:08] the clothing being cut with a knife,

[00:23:10] and other violent role-playing games.

[00:23:13] They set up the perfect scenario.

[00:23:16] Shortly before the murders,

[00:23:17] both Brendan and Juliana replaced their cell phones

[00:23:20] to try to get rid of any evidence,

[00:23:22] but of course we know that doesn't necessarily work.

[00:23:25] Most things are backed up these days in the cloud.

[00:23:28] They also weren't able to delete things on Joseph Ryan's phone.

[00:23:32] Brendan was allegedly supposed to be at work that day,

[00:23:35] but police were able to confirm that

[00:23:37] he was actually waiting outside of a McDonald's near the home.

[00:23:41] That's how he was able to get back to the Banfield house so quickly.

[00:23:45] Then, Joseph Ryan came to the Banfield home

[00:23:48] to have sex involving knife play

[00:23:49] with a woman he believed he had been chatting with,

[00:23:53] Christine Banfield.

[00:23:54] But she had no idea about this plan at all.

[00:23:58] They set it up to look like

[00:24:00] Brendan and Juliana tried to save Christine from this knife attack,

[00:24:04] from this crazy guy that was just into rough sex

[00:24:07] who just got out of hand and started stabbing her.

[00:24:10] However, the prosecution believes that

[00:24:12] it was actually Brendan who stabbed his wife to death,

[00:24:15] not Joseph Ryan.

[00:24:16] Brendan Banfield was indicted on four counts of aggravated murder

[00:24:20] and one count of use of a firearm

[00:24:23] in the commission of a felony.

[00:24:25] His trial is set for February,

[00:24:27] where Juliana is expected to testify against him.

[00:24:31] Juliana Magalese faces up to 10 years in prison

[00:24:35] for her manslaughter charge,

[00:24:37] and she's scheduled to be sentenced in March.

[00:24:40] However, it sounds like prosecutors

[00:24:43] are actually recommending that she be released for time served

[00:24:46] after she testifies against Brendan,

[00:24:49] meaning she could be released from jail

[00:24:52] after serving just over a year behind bars.

[00:24:55] Truthfully, that makes me kind of sick to my stomach.

[00:24:59] I find it a bit disheartening

[00:25:01] that the au pair is only being charged with manslaughter

[00:25:05] and that she might serve about a year,

[00:25:08] a little over a year of jail time.

[00:25:10] According to the evidence,

[00:25:12] she was very much involved in every step of planning this double murder,

[00:25:16] with the goal being to get the wife out of the picture.

[00:25:20] On the day in question,

[00:25:21] she even brought the couple's four-year-old little girl

[00:25:24] back into the home

[00:25:25] where her mother was either already stabbed to death

[00:25:28] or was about to be upstairs.

[00:25:31] At least she had the decency to bring her to the basement

[00:25:33] where, hopefully,

[00:25:35] the little girl didn't hear the murders happen.

[00:25:38] But she now has to live without her mummy

[00:25:41] for the rest of her life,

[00:25:43] all so that daddy could be with his side piece.

[00:25:46] Juliana also went to the gun range

[00:25:49] to learn how to shoot

[00:25:50] so that she could kill Joseph Ryan,

[00:25:53] an innocent man

[00:25:54] who was unwittingly caught up in this whole thing.

[00:25:57] She chatted with him on the phone,

[00:25:59] inviting him to the house,

[00:26:01] and it was her bullet that killed him.

[00:26:04] So, is a manslaughter charge truly justice?

[00:26:09] In the meantime,

[00:26:11] Joseph Ryan's friend, Zulu Bey,

[00:26:13] expressed gratitude

[00:26:14] that the truth is finally emerging

[00:26:16] about his friend's accidental involvement

[00:26:18] in this twisted murder plot.

[00:26:21] He said,

[00:26:22] quote,

[00:26:22] I know he didn't do what they said he did.

[00:26:25] He was just a pawn.

[00:26:27] Joe was the guy who took in dogs

[00:26:29] that had no chance of being adopted

[00:26:30] and just loved the hell out of them.

[00:26:34] Which brings me to the question

[00:26:35] that always puzzles me in cases like this.

[00:26:39] Why do these men,

[00:26:40] these husbands,

[00:26:41] who kill their wives after starting an affair,

[00:26:44] not just get a divorce?

[00:26:46] Why do they destroy so many people's lives,

[00:26:49] including the lives of their own children,

[00:26:51] by killing their spouse

[00:26:53] instead of just walking away from their marriage?

[00:26:56] Are they worried about having to pay alimony?

[00:26:59] Do they just, like,

[00:27:00] not want to be a failure in their marriage?

[00:27:02] Are they stressed about losing

[00:27:04] some of their marital assets?

[00:27:06] It's not only downright evil,

[00:27:08] it's idiotic.

[00:27:10] They have to know that

[00:27:12] the husband is always going to be suspect number one.

[00:27:16] Add in an affair,

[00:27:17] and, well,

[00:27:18] you're gonna get caught.

[00:27:20] I'll be watching this case closely

[00:27:22] as it goes to trial,

[00:27:22] and I'll make sure to keep you updated

[00:27:24] over on social media,

[00:27:26] so make sure you're following me.

[00:27:28] That's it for me tonight.

[00:27:30] If you want to reach out,

[00:27:31] you can find me on Facebook

[00:27:32] at Serial Napper.

[00:27:34] You can find my audio

[00:27:35] on Apple or Spotify

[00:27:37] or wherever you listen to podcasts.

[00:27:39] I post all of my episodes

[00:27:41] in video format

[00:27:42] over on YouTube,

[00:27:43] so go check it out.

[00:27:44] And if you're watching on YouTube,

[00:27:46] I would love if you can give me

[00:27:48] a thumbs up and subscribe.

[00:27:50] I'm also on Patreon

[00:27:52] if you'd like to get your

[00:27:53] Serial Napper episodes

[00:27:54] early and ad-free,

[00:27:56] so hop on over and check it out

[00:27:58] at patreon.com

[00:27:59] slash serialnapper.

[00:28:01] Until next time,

[00:28:03] sweet dreams,

[00:28:05] stay kind,

[00:28:06] especially in the comments.

[00:28:09] Bye.

[00:28:29] Wir sind Teresa und Nemo

[00:28:31] und deshalb sind wir

[00:28:32] zu Shopify gewechselt.

[00:28:33] Die Plattform,

[00:28:34] die wir vor Shopify verwendet haben,

[00:28:36] hat regelmäßig Updates gebraucht,

[00:28:38] die teilweise dazu geführt haben,

[00:28:39] dass der Shop nicht funktioniert hat.

[00:28:41] Endlich macht unser Nemo Boards Shop

[00:28:42] dadurch auch auf den Mobilgeräten

[00:28:44] eine gute Figur

[00:28:44] und die Illustrationen

[00:28:46] auf den Boards

[00:28:46] kommen jetzt viel, viel klarer rüber,

[00:28:48] was uns ja auch wichtig ist

[00:28:49] und was unsere Marke auch ausmacht.

[00:28:52] Starte deinen Test nur heute

[00:28:53] für 1 Euro pro Monat

[00:28:55] auf shopify.de slash radio.