FAIRFAX, VIRGINIA: Marina Peres Souza is the mother of 23-year-old Juliana Peres Magalhaes, the Brazilian au pair who has been accused of shooting a man dead in the Virginia home of her employer in February.
The accused's mom has made multiple new claims about the case after the recent arrest of her daughter, including that she had acted in self-defense.
On February 24, 37-year-old Christine Banfield was fatally stabbed and 39-year-old Joseph Ryan was shot to death inside a bedroom at Banfield's home on Stable Brook Way. Both Banfield's husband and their au pair, 23-year-old Juliana Peres Magalhaes, were at the scene when Fairfax County officers arrived
During the 911 call, Banfield's husband, Brendan, had admitted that he shot Ryan, after the latter had stabbed his wife.
However, on Thursday, October 19, Peres Magalhaes was the one charged with second-degree murder in the death of 39-year-old Joseph Ryan in the town of Herndon. Meanwhile, the husband has not been charged with any crime.
Investigation into Christine Banfield's stabbing is underway
Fairfax Police Chief Kevin Davis stated that the authorities did not consider Ryan as a complete stranger, and there was no sign of forced entry at the home, according to the Daily Beast.
Police say forensic evidence and multiple interviews showed that Peres Magalhaes shot Ryan.
However, there is no official information on who investigators think stabbed Banfield. Currently, the evidence from the scene of crime is being reviewed and detectives are still doing interviews.
"Just because we've made an arrest, doesn't mean that this case is closed," Lt Erin Weeks told NBC.
Marina Peres Souza's account of what happened on the day of the killings
In an interview with Brazil’s Folha newspaper published on October 22, Souza stated that she was deeply worried about Juliana's situation.
She claimed that her daughter felt scared when she saw a man entering the house while she was arriving for work and called Brendan. On entering the property they found Christine wounded, and the three of them got into a dispute. It was then that Juliana allegedly shot Ryan to “defend herself and her family.”
“She told me that the case had been closed and that the police had concluded that it was Ryan who killed Christine because they were ex-partners. And then we found out about two days before the arrest that they were investigating (her). They ambushed her on Thursday before work,” Souza was quoted as saying.
Fairfax police have not confirmed Souza's statements.
According to Souza, Juliana wanted to return home to Brazil after staying in the US for a couple of years. She had applied for renewing her visa which had recently expired.
“They are saying horrible things about my daughter, that she only did this to stay in the country, but it’s not true,” claimed Souza, adding that Juliana did not have contact with a lawyer yet and was not being assisted by the Brazilian government either.
