Live updates: Closing arguments set to begin in Banfield trial

What to Know

• Brendan Banfield, a former IRS officer, is accused of killing his wife, Christine Banfield, and a stranger, Joseph Ryan, at the Banfields’ home in Fairfax County, Virginia. Prosecutors say the killings were part of a calculated plan so Brendan could get Christine out of the picture and start a new life with his family’s au pair, Juliana Peres Magalhães.
• Brendan, who pleaded not guilty to all charges, testified in his defense over the past two days. He said the accusation that he plotted Christine’s murder was “absolutely crazy.”
• Brendan gave a detailed account of what he said happened on the morning of the killings, telling the court he heard “moaning” and sexual sounds coming from the upstairs bedroom before the sounds “changed.” At another point in his testimony, he claimed Christine had a previous BDSM affair.
• He said he went upstairs and burst into the bedroom with his gun that morning after becoming concerned that someone was hurting Christine. “Almost immediately I said, ‘Police!'” Brendan testified.
• During cross examination, Brendan downplayed his relationship with the au pair. He said, “There was points that I told her that I loved her,” when the prosecution asked if he loved her. In some messages, Brendan and the au pair discussed baby names for future children.
• The trial is set to resume today with closing arguments.
• Watch a livestream of the trial in the video player above and follow here for live updates.