Judge Slams Brendan Banfield's 'Inhumane' Crimes Before Life Sentence

[00:00:00] Speaker 1: During COVID, she volunteered to take care of many of the people that were sick and struggling. She signed up for extra shifts. She signed up for vaccination clinics. She cared for her daughter. She enrolled her in dance lessons. She was there for recitals. I loved her very much, despite what you may think of my affairs. Our marriage worked for us. It wasn't something that I looked to end. It was told to other women that I was never going to leave Christine. That was always how it was said. Christine cared very much for her family and friends. I'm not trying to diminish in any way what her life was. She truly was a caring mother, a caring wife, a loving nurse. But I am not responsible for her death. This is not a knife that I ever held in my hand. And I never stabbed her. Thank you. [00:01:21] Speaker 2: Mr. Banfield, a jury of your peers, after hearing all the evidence, has found you guilty of count one of the indictment 2024-666, aggravated murder of two people in the same act or transaction. They found you guilty of count four of 2024-666, aggravated murder of two people within a three-year period, count five of 2024-666, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and count one of 2024-873, child endangerment. In accordance with Virginia law, although you have been found guilty of two counts of aggravated murder, the court can only sentence you on one count of aggravated murder, which will be count one of 2024-666. The statute requires a sentence of life imprisonment on this count, which is now the highest penalty one can receive in the Commonwealth of Virginia. This exact statute was our capital murder statute until Virginia abolished capital punishment in 2021. You should understand you were found guilty of crimes that five short years ago would have carried a sentence of death. That reflects the severity of your crimes and your actions. Life in prison is a punishment reserved for a very small number of individuals. Those whom the community has determined should never walk free again. It is a harsh sentence, but in this case, it is a justified one. In the 18 years I have been on the bench, I have seen hundreds of defendants appear before me, and I have had the arduous task of sentencing these individuals. In the vast majority of these cases, people made mistakes, were struggling with substance use disorders, or acting in anger, choosing violence in a moment that changed everything. They were not inherently bad people, but they made terrible decisions and suffered the consequences. Sentencing in those cases is difficult. It weighs on me, often long after the hearing is over. Only two times prior to today have I encountered something different in my courtroom. Two individuals that carried no remorse calculated and planned their violent crimes and left many victims and devastation in their path. As I listened to the evidence in this case and listened to your testimony, it is apparent that I am once again looking at that same kind of evil. The disregard of the life of your wife, someone you supposedly loved, is almost unfathomable. Scheming for months, a master plan involving so many moving parts, including deception and manipulation, luring a completely innocent man into your deadly trap, continuing on after the murders without a care, and not once thinking of the impact on Christine's daughter, the unspoken tragic victim of your behavior. You did not just take her mother from her. You placed her in the middle of the horror you created. She is young now, but one day she will understand your true self. And she will understand what you took from her, which is everything. The loss of her mother, who will never be a part of her life as she grows. The loss of her family and the security she lived under. All of this is lost based on your calculated and selfish behavior. It is impossible to comprehend what Joseph Ryan experienced, seeing you enter the room, being shot in the head, blinded, hearing you instruct the co-defendant to shoot him again. And Christine, to imagine her final thoughts as she initially thought you were there to save her from what she thought was a brutal attack. And then to see you over her, stabbing her again and again with a knife in her neck. Her final realization that this was all you're doing. And in her final moments, thinking of her daughter. The sentence I impose today reflects not only the law, but the judgment of the community. The jury did not find you credible on the stand. To testify as you did shows the court that you still think that you are the smartest person in the room. One would hope that someday you will become tortured by what you have done to Christine, Joe, Christine's daughter, and their families. But nothing I have seen suggests that you will. The level of cruelty, calculation, and inhumanity in this case reflects something far deeper than anger or impulse. It reflects evil. Which is why I carry no burden and find no hesitation in sentencing you to life. On count one of 2024-666, aggravated murder, I sentence you to life in the penitentiary for the rest of your natural life, without the possibility of parole, without good conduct allowances, or any earned sentence credits, or conditional release. On count five of 2024-666, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, I sentence you to three years in the penitentiary, which is a mandatory term and cannot be suspended. Since it is required by statute, an additional six months is ordered and suspended for post-release probation, which is a nullity in this case, but is required to be part of the sentence. On count one of 2024-873, child endangerment, I sentence you to five years in the penitentiary. Since it is required by statute, an additional six months is ordered and suspended for post-release probation, which is again a nullity in this case, but is required to be part of the sentence. Each of these sentences are consecutive, that is one after the other, and since you've been convicted of a felony in Virginia, a sample of your DNA will be taken and submitted to the Virginia State Police database. That is the sentence of the court. Are there any questions, Mr. Carroll? Any questions? [00:06:22] Speaker 3: No, Your Honor, but the Commonwealth does have one additional request, if I may. Yes, ma'am. The Commonwealth is asking that a condition of the sentence be that the defendant have no contact with his daughter, Valerie. This is at the request of her guardian ad litem, her therapist, and her counsel. [00:06:37] Speaker 2: I understand, but I'm not doing any probation, so how can I do a no contact order? [00:06:41] Speaker 3: Judge, I think with the six months of post-release, same action. Even though there is no likelihood of those six months ever being imposed, they are suspended on the condition as required by statute. This condition would operate similarly. [00:06:55] Speaker 2: But that would only work for those sentences, correct? That is correct. I mean, I can't order him no contact if I'm giving him life in prison. Understood, Judge. I'm making the request. All right. I just have to deny that request. Thank you. All right. Mr. Banfield, you have the right to the appeal of the decision of this court. You must note your appeal within 30 days of the final order of this case. It is my understanding that Mr. Carroll will not represent you on appeal. Is that correct, Mr. Carroll? All right. So, sir, Mr. Banfield, do you wish to hire your own attorney or have the court appoint you an attorney? [00:07:29] Speaker 1: Hasn't been decided. [00:07:30] Speaker 2: Appoint. Well, I'll go ahead and appoint an attorney for you now. If later on you decide to hire your own attorney, you can do that. Okay, sir? Sure. All right. Since Mr. Carroll told me of his intentions in advance, my clerk was able to find an appellate court-appointed attorney who is willing and able to take your case. So, the court appoints Brandon Sloan as your appellate attorney. The court ordered transcripts of the trial back in May, so those should be available now for your attorney to review. So, there should be no delay in your appeal. Okay? Mr. Sloan, I'm sure we'll come see you in the next few days. All right, sir? Yes. All right. Is there anything further in this matter? All right. You're a man of the custody of the sheriff. Thank you. And Ms. Gill, I'm going to take a 10-minute recess, and I'll come back and finish the rest of the sentencing docket, okay? All right. Anything further, Ms. Sands? All right. The court will be in recess. All rise. [00:08:22] Speaker ?: Court's in recess. All rise. Court's in recess. Court's in recess.