Fairfax County Double Murder

[Anonymous]

I always found it odd that the au pair didn't return to her country after the incident. Who would stick around after what happened and 1) continue living in the home where two people were killed and 2) continue living with the father of the house with no wife or other female relative around?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If they haven't charged anyone with the wife's murder, then Ryan did it.

No, they specifically said that the details of who stabbed Christine is still under investigation, and that they’re still looking into electronic/phone records to understand why Ryan was there in the first place.

Can someone with a legal or criminal justice background explain why she would have been charged with second-degree murder instead of manslaughter? Arent self-defense type crimes usually filed as manslaughter? Like an in the moment passion thing?

Former prosecutor and criminal defense attorney here.

If it was a clear case of her interrupting a stabbing by shooting the stabber, I doubt she would be charged at all. That would be a case of defense of others and there would be no reason for prosecutors to bring charges against her unless they were idiots.

I suspect that she is charged because she shot him without just cause. Like, she walked in after he had concluded stabbing the victim and she shot him out of rage/retaliation. That would qualify as second degree murder, especially if she shot him multiple times.

But it’s weird that they’ve charged her while saying the stabbing is still under investigation. I find this case puzzling at best.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If they haven't charged anyone with the wife's murder, then Ryan did it.

No, they specifically said that the details of who stabbed Christine is still under investigation, and that they’re still looking into electronic/phone records to understand why Ryan was there in the first place.

Can someone with a legal or criminal justice background explain why she would have been charged with second-degree murder instead of manslaughter? Arent self-defense type crimes usually filed as manslaughter? Like an in the moment passion thing?

Former prosecutor and criminal defense attorney here.

If it was a clear case of her interrupting a stabbing by shooting the stabber, I doubt she would be charged at all. That would be a case of defense of others and there would be no reason for prosecutors to bring charges against her unless they were idiots.

I suspect that she is charged because she shot him without just cause. Like, she walked in after he had concluded stabbing the victim and she shot him out of rage/retaliation. That would qualify as second degree murder, especially if she shot him multiple times.

But it’s weird that they’ve charged her while saying the stabbing is still under investigation. I find this case puzzling at best.

I don't disagree with you, but still find it really strange to charge her with 2nd degree murder under those circumstances. What jury is going to find the 23 year old au pair guilty of murdering her employer's killer if the guy is still alive and in in possession of a knife all while the 4 year old daughter is still in the house?

Something very different happened here. Either a murder for hire gone wrong or Ryan was in the wrong place at the wrong time situation.

[Anonymous]

I’m having a really hard time understanding what could make a very young woman in a new country with relatively new employers and tenuous permission to stay here fire a gun at anyone.

[Anonymous]

This whole thing suddenly feels very Robert Wone. Like we will never actually learn what happened.

Poor kid.

[Anonymous]

The au pair and host dad were/are together. And she posted a picture of them together as boyfriend and girlfriend on her social media.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The au pair and host dad were/are together. And she posted a picture of them together as boyfriend and girlfriend on her social media.

Oh. Well if that’s true, there’s no mystery.

[Anonymous]

pictures are circulating of the Au Pair with the Husband, she never posted for the public, but did post for some close friends. They were indeed together, but her being charged with 2nd degree is to strange. Waiting if any charges are being brought against the husband as well.

[Anonymous]

This is the update from the police. I’m posting it specifically for the jerk who kept going on about how the police don’t always update cases on their blog.

https://fcpdnews.wordpress.com/2023/10/19/family-au-pair-charged-in-reston-fatal-shooting-case/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:pictures are circulating of the Au Pair with the Husband, she never posted for the public, but did post for some close friends. They were indeed together, but her being charged with 2nd degree is to strange. Waiting if any charges are being brought against the husband as well.

It’s 2023 people! Who knows if they were monogamous, polyamorous, open, swapping, or whatever in these relationships!? They could have all been together!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is there any background on the au pair? What country is she from and does her family have money? Will she have a public defender or will the husband pay for a lawyer?

Her last name is Portuguese (Magellan). So I’m assuming she is likely Brazilian, otherwise Portuguese given that more au pairs seem to come from South America than Europe.

There is a lot of smoke, but behind it all, there is a husband and a young au pair in the house. All my Agatha Christie experience says that they were plotting to get rid of the wife.

I think that they planned to frame Ryan for the stabbing of the wife. They stabbed her, got Ryan to arrive on the scene, and were going to use the wife and Ryan’s purported history together as motive. Perhaps they meant to kill Ryan, but they may have just wanted him to be framed. But something went wrong and the au pair shot him. That would explain them not having their story straight when they called 911.

Pp who said the police want the au pair to give up the husband for killing Christine is probably correct. Once she gives up the husband, they can reduce her charge to manslaughter and charge the husband with murder one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is there any background on the au pair? What country is she from and does her family have money? Will she have a public defender or will the husband pay for a lawyer?

Her last name is Portuguese (Magellan). So I’m assuming she is likely Brazilian, otherwise Portuguese given that more au pairs seem to come from South America than Europe.

There is a lot of smoke, but behind it all, there is a husband and a young au pair in the house. All my Agatha Christie experience says that they were plotting to get rid of the wife.

I think that they planned to frame Ryan for the stabbing of the wife. They stabbed her, got Ryan to arrive on the scene, and were going to use the wife and Ryan’s purported history together as motive. Perhaps they meant to kill Ryan, but they may have just wanted him to be framed. But something went wrong and the au pair shot him. That would explain them not having their story straight when they called 911.

Pp who said the police want the au pair to give up the husband for killing Christine is probably correct. Once she gives up the husband, they can reduce her charge to manslaughter and charge the husband with murder one.

Yup. I definitely think it's something like this.

Man, I hope the very young daughter has a lot of loving relatives in her life. This is really horrible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:pictures are circulating of the Au Pair with the Husband, she never posted for the public, but did post for some close friends. They were indeed together, but her being charged with 2nd degree is to strange. Waiting if any charges are being brought against the husband as well.

It’s 2023 people! Who knows if they were monogamous, polyamorous, open, swapping, or whatever in these relationships!? They could have all been together!

They could, doesn't change the fact that she was an employee of the family, no need to say ANY kind of romantic relationship between her and any member of the family was inappropriate. All becomes even more suspicious when they decide to be a "happy family" once the wife dies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I always found it odd that the au pair didn't return to her country after the incident. Who would stick around after what happened and 1) continue living in the home where two people were killed and 2) continue living with the father of the house with no wife or other female relative around?

She likely wasn’t allowed to leave the country as a suspect.

[Anonymous]

Can you wash gunshot residue off your hands? Otherwise shouldn’t she have been charged immediately?