ABC World News Tonight viewers were thrilled to have their beloved host David Muir back on their screens following a short hiatus – but he came baring some awful news
David Muir returned to ABC World News Tonight after taking the weekend off(Image: ABC)
It was a bittersweet episode for ABC World News Tonight viewers on February 2.
David Muir, 52, returned to the long-running news program after taking a break over the weekend, but with his comeback came a slew of shocking and upsetting updates and developments from stories unfolding around the world.
At one point in the show, the 52-year-old journalist halted the scheduled show to deliverer a breaking news update, announcing to viewers, “The verdict just a short time ago in the case of that husband and father in Virginia accused of killing his wife so he could have a new life with his au pair, the jury finding him guilty on all counts just moments ago. And here’s Mola Lenghi.”
Mola then began his report, explaining to viewers, “Tonight, a Virginia jury finding Brendan Banfield guilty of murdering his wife and a stranger as part of an elaborate plot to start a new life with the family’s au pair.
“Banfield now faces potentially up to life in prison without parole, prosecutors pointing to photographic and digital evidence alleging Brendan Banfield posed online as his wife, Christine, to lure a stranger, Joseph Ryan, to the family home for sex in February of 2023.
“Instructing him to bring a knife and zip ties so that Banfield could frame the stranger. Prosecutors alleging it was the husband who then shot the stranger and stabbed his wife.”
A clip then played of the family’s au pair, Juliana Perez Margolis, who was the prosecution’s star witness, testifying in court, saying, “I was able to see him stabbing her.” Mola then noted how she told the jury, “Banfield told her he wanted to get rid of his wife, but Banfield later taking the stand in his own defense, claiming it was the stranger who killed his wife.”
“And tonight, Fairfax County prosecutors calling the crime monstrous, ‘just monstrous. I mean, that’s really what it is. It’s monstrous,'” Mola continued before speaking with David in the New York studio.
A Virginia jury found Brendan Banfield guilty of murdering his wife and a stranger (Image: ABC)
“Well, David, that husband, is scheduled to be sentenced in May, as for the au pair, as part of her plea deal, she previously pleaded guilty to manslaughter. Now that this trial is over, she’ll be sentenced in the coming weeks,” the ABC correspondent concluded.
The segment was posted on ABC World News Tonight’s Instagram account, where viewers weighed in on the story. One user shared, “Oh! this a copy cat crime, I seen a similar story like this on forensic files!! Huh so he probably got the idea from there!!! Crazy!!”
Brendan Banfield pictured with his Au Pair(Image: ABC)
“Hell is real,” a second person simply added, prompting another to echo, “Sounds similar to the case of Scott Peterson who killed his wife and unborn child just so he could be with another woman!!”
A fourth user suggested, “Coulda just got a divorce,” with a fifth agreeing, “Can you males stop murdering women???? Get a f–king divorce!!!!!!” Meanwhile, someone else declared, “May he NEVER have peace in any lifetime. What a monster!”
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