Alleged killer husband Brendan Banfield had particular triple-glazed soundproof home windows put in in his home to muffle the screams of his spouse and a stranger whereas they had been murdered, the jury at his trial in Virginia heard Thursday.
A window manufacturing facility salesman testified that he had spoken with former IRS agent Banfield in regards to the home windows once they had been put in, not lengthy earlier than he’s alleged to have murdered Christine Banfield and Joseph Ryan on the home in a leafy Washington, DC, suburb.
He described them as “30% higher in vitality financial savings and noise degree” in his testimony throughout the trial for Banfield, who’s accused of masterminding a twisted double-murder rape plot so he may very well be together with his Brazilian au pair, with whom he was having an affair.
“When somebody goes to a triple pane, that’s one other degree. And that could be a kind of degree the place they’re making an attempt to do extra than simply defend the home from the solar,” the salesperson added.
Earlier this week, Banfield’s au pair, Peres Magalhaes, testified that the married father had the house’s home windows changed so neighbors wouldn’t hear screams throughout the murders.
Magalhaes, who earlier pleaded responsible to manslaughter for her position within the killings, claimed Banfield had her take a look at out the home windows by screaming to see if she may very well be heard from outdoors.
Banfield allegedly purchased a gun from a capturing vary in Northern Virginia a month earlier than the murders, the jury was informed.
Paperwork present he purchased a Glock 43X pistol on Jan. 28, 2023. Amy Shotwell, an worker at Silver Eagle Group capturing vary, testified that he had bought the weapon that day.
Banfield has pleaded not responsible to murdering his spouse and Ryan as a part of a scheme to cowl up his affair together with his baby’s nanny.
He and Magalhaes allegedly used images of Christine to arrange a faux profile on a fetish web site, which they used to lure Ryan to the home to rape her, beneath the guise of a consensual BDSM sexual encounter.
Earlier on Thursday, the jury heard that Magalhaes had moved her lingerie into the main bedroom simply months after the killings.
Images of Banfield and his spouse had been additionally changed with images of him and Magalhaes between the date of the murders on Feb. 24, 2023, and October 2023, when the au pair was arrested.
