Second Detective Testifies on Command Pressure in Banfield Investigation скачать в хорошем качестве

Second Detective Testifies on Command Pressure in Banfield Investigation

Within the first week of the investigation, a supervisor told homicide detectives there were "two theories" and they needed to "get behind the right one." No evidence had been collected yet. Detective Leah Smith from Fairfax County Homicide takes the stand as a defense witness and describes the pressure campaign from command. She pushed back in front of the entire squad, telling her lieutenant that nobody should have a theory when they were still gathering facts. His response? Silence. The jury just heard testimony about investigators who were transferred for not falling in line. Smith describes the same pressure, the same pushback, and names multiple supervisors who wanted investigators to follow theories instead of evidence. The defense is building a picture of an investigation that decided on a conclusion first. Brendan Banfield faces four counts of aggravated murder in the deaths of his wife Christine and Joseph Ryan. He maintains his innocence. ⏰ KEY MOMENTS 00:00 - Detective Leah Smith sworn in 01:47 - Smith explains proper homicide investigation methodology 03:34 - "You don't have theories to begin with" 09:07 - Supervisor told squad to "get behind" a theory in first week 11:12 - Smith pushed back in front of entire squad 18:22 - Cross: "When was Mr. Banfield charged?" "When we got the blood evidence back" 19:26 - Smith names supervisors who applied pressure CASE BACKGROUND REPORT: https://www.justiceisaprocess.com/va-... 📖 CASE BACKGROUND On February 24, 2023, Christine Banfield was stabbed to death in her Herndon, Virginia home. Joseph Ryan was found shot dead beside her. Brendan Banfield and au pair Juliana Peres Magalhães initially claimed self-defense, saying they discovered Ryan attacking Christine and fired to stop him. That story held for 570 days. Police found no forced entry. They found communications on FetLife between Ryan and an account in Christine's name, planning a sexual encounter involving a knife for the morning she was killed. They found a framed photo of Brendan and the au pair on his nightstand eight months later. Magalhães was arrested in October 2023. She pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in October 2024. Under her deal, she gets time served if she testifies against Banfield, then deportation to Brazil. She's the State's star witness. Banfield was indicted in September 2024 after an investigation marked by internal conflict. The digital forensics examiner concluded Christine controlled her own accounts and was transferred out of the unit. The lead detective testified he was pressured to support the catfishing theory and was moved after the arrest. Christine Banfield was 37, a forensic nurse who spent her career helping sexual assault survivors. She left behind a four-year-old daughter who was in the house when her mother was killed. 📂 PLAYLISTS & RESOURCES 🌐 Website: https://justiceisaprocess.com ► Live Broadcasts:    • LIVE BROADCAST: VA v. Brendan Banfield   ► No Breaks Edition:    • NO BREAKS EDITION: VA v. Brendan Banfield   ► Trial Podcast:    • TRIAL PODCAST: VA v. Brendan Banfield   ► Key Moments:    • Key Moments and Testimony: VA v. Brendan B...   ► Subscribe:    / @justiceisaprocess   ⚖️ ABOUT JUSTICE IS A PROCESS This channel continues the work of Steven M. Askin, a criminal defense attorney disbarred in 1998 for refusing to violate attorney-client privilege, then criminally convicted in 2010 for teaching people their constitutional rights from a coffee shop in West Virginia. He passed away in February 2024, but not before we started this channel together. I am Steven M. Askin II. I am not an attorney. I am a watchdog. I cover trials to educate the public about due process, presumption of innocence, and constitutional protections. Every video is part of building the machine the system feared my father would create: a public trained to watch, question, and demand accountability. ⚖️ FAIR USE & EDUCATIONAL PURPOSE This content is produced under Fair Use (17 U.S.C. § 107) for news reporting, criticism, and educational purposes. We provide transformative commentary on public court proceedings with timestamps, analysis, and educational context. #JusticeIsAProcess #BanfieldTrial #BrendanBanfield #VirginiaTrials #TrueCrime #CourtroomCoverage #CriminalJustice #LegalAnalysis