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Brendan Miller, Detective with the Fairfax Co. Police Department, took the stand in the murder trial of Brendan Banfield, the former IRS agent charged with four counts of aggravated murder in the deaths of his wife Christine Banfield and Joseph Ryan. Prosecutors allege Banfield and the family's au pair, Juliana Peres Magalhães, lured Ryan to their Herndon home through a fetish website and staged the killings as a home invasion.The defense argues digital forensics contradict the catfishing theory and that investigators who disagreed were reassigned. Banfield faces life without parole if convicted. The four-week trial continues i...

Two children are now orphans. A one-year-old and a four-year-old were in the home when their parents Spencer and Monique Tepe were allegedly shot to death. Over a thousand people attended the funeral. A community is still reeling.And the question that haunts this case: Monique Tepe did everything right. She recognized the abuse early. She left within seven months. She told family about the threats. She moved on and built a healthy new life. She followed every piece of advice we give domestic violence victims. It wasn't enough.In Part 3 of our three-part expert...

Saly Fayez, Victim Services Division of Fairfax Co. Police Department, took the stand in the murder trial of Brendan Banfield, the former IRS agent charged with four counts of aggravated murder in the deaths of his wife Christine Banfield and Joseph Ryan. Prosecutors allege Banfield and the family's au pair, Juliana Peres Magalhães, lured Ryan to their Herndon home through a fetish website and staged the killings as a home invasion.The defense argues digital forensics contradict the catfishing theory and that investigators who disagreed were reassigned. Banfield faces life without parole if convicted. The four-week trial c...

Lt. David Giaccio, Fairfax Police Department, took the stand in the murder trial of Brendan Banfield, the former IRS agent charged with four counts of aggravated murder in the deaths of his wife Christine Banfield and Joseph Ryan. Prosecutors allege Banfield and the family's au pair, Juliana Peres Magalhães, lured Ryan to their Herndon home through a fetish website and staged the killings as a home invasion.The defense argues digital forensics contradict the catfishing theory and that investigators who disagreed were reassigned. Banfield faces life without parole if convicted. The four-week trial continues in Fairfax County.</p...

Breaking down the legal troubles Michael McKee was facing before he was charged with killing Monique and Spencer Tepe. Court records reveal two active lawsuits in Nevada that paint a picture of a doctor allegedly running from accountability long before the murders.In Clark County, a patient named Guilherme Schwanz is suing McKee and Las Vegas Surgical Associates over a July 2023 procedure gone wrong. The lawsuit alleges a catheter sheared during surgery, leaving 8.6 inches of plastic inside the patient's body. He required emergency surgery. The complaint claims defendants concealed the error and failed to provide truthful medical...

John Brusch took the stand in the murder trial of Brendan Banfield, the former IRS agent charged with four counts of aggravated murder in the deaths of his wife Christine Banfield and Joseph Ryan. Prosecutors allege Banfield and the family's au pair, Juliana Peres Magalhães, lured Ryan to their Herndon home through a fetish website and staged the killings as a home invasion.The defense argues digital forensics contradict the catfishing theory and that investigators who disagreed were reassigned. Banfield faces life without parole if convicted. The four-week trial continues in Fairfax County.#TrueCrimeToday #BrendanBanfield #A...

Leah Smith, Detective with the Fairfax Co. Police Department, took the stand in the murder trial of Brendan Banfield, the former IRS agent charged with four counts of aggravated murder in the deaths of his wife Christine Banfield and Joseph Ryan. Prosecutors allege Banfield and the family's au pair, Juliana Peres Magalhães, lured Ryan to their Herndon home through a fetish website and staged the killings as a home invasion.The defense argues digital forensics contradict the catfishing theory and that investigators who disagreed were reassigned. Banfield faces life without parole if convicted. The four-week trial continues i...

Brian Ames, Sgt. with the Fairfax Co. Police Department, took the stand in the murder trial of Brendan Banfield, the former IRS agent charged with four counts of aggravated murder in the deaths of his wife Christine Banfield and Joseph Ryan. Prosecutors allege Banfield and the family's au pair, Juliana Peres Magalhães, lured Ryan to their Herndon home through a fetish website and staged the killings as a home invasion.The defense argues digital forensics contradict the catfishing theory and that investigators who disagreed were reassigned. Banfield faces life without parole if convicted. The four-week trial continues i...

Family members say Monique Tepe talked about being terrified of Michael McKee for eight years. She described the abuse. She warned people about the death threats. She carried that fear while building a new marriage, raising two children, and living what looked like a happy life.She never filed a police report. There were no stalking complaints on record.Why do victims of coercive control stay silent when it comes to the legal system — even when they clearly understand the danger?In Part 2 of our three-part expert interview series, psychotherapist Shavaun Scott examines th...

The defense came out swinging on Day 6 of the Brendan Banfield murder trial — and the prosecution is now playing defense.It started with a failed motion to throw out the au pair's testimony. Judge denied it. Then came the body camera footage: Brendan Banfield at the hospital the morning his wife died, breaking down when doctors delivered the news. He cried again today watching it. The defense wants the jury to see a grieving husband. The prosecution says it's an act.But the real battle today was forensic. Defense expert LeeAnn Singley challenged every conclusion th...

The people who knew Michael McKee are finally talking. And they're all describing the same thing.His ex-girlfriend dated him for a year after his divorce from Monique. She called him "nice" and "kind" — but also "boring" and "surface level." She said there was a wall she could never get past. She ended it because she couldn't form a real connection with him.A former coworker told Fox News he was "always nice, always kind" — never had emotional outbursts even under pressure. But that same coworker described a "downward spiral" that began after surgical mishaps in L...

What turns a failed seven-month marriage into an alleged eight-year obsession ending in double homicide?Michael McKee, a 39-year-old vascular surgeon, is charged with four counts of aggravated murder in the shooting deaths of his ex-wife Monique Tepe and her husband Spencer. Family members say Monique lived with McKee for only seven months before escaping what they describe as emotional abuse and repeated death threats. She divorced him in 2017, remarried in 2020, built a new life with two children. Prosecutors allege McKee drove six hours from Illinois, entered their home without forced entry, shot both victims at 3:52 AM...

Brendan Miller, Detective with the Fairfax Co. Police Department, took the stand in the murder trial of Brendan Banfield, the former IRS agent charged with four counts of aggravated murder in the deaths of his wife Christine Banfield and Joseph Ryan. Prosecutors allege Banfield and the family's au pair, Juliana Peres Magalhães, lured Ryan to their Herndon home through a fetish website and staged the killings as a home invasion.The defense argues digital forensics contradict the catfishing theory and that investigators who disagreed were reassigned. Banfield faces life without parole if convicted. The four-week trial continues i...

Harry Lidsky, Digital Forensics Investigator, took the stand in the murder trial of Brendan Banfield, the former IRS agent charged with four counts of aggravated murder in the deaths of his wife Christine Banfield and Joseph Ryan. Prosecutors allege Banfield and the family's au pair, Juliana Peres Magalhães, lured Ryan to their Herndon home through a fetish website and staged the killings as a home invasion.The defense argues digital forensics contradict the catfishing theory and that investigators who disagreed were reassigned. Banfield faces life without parole if convicted. The four-week trial continues in Fairfax County.<p...

What turns a failed seven-month marriage into an alleged eight-year obsession ending in double homicide?Michael McKee, a 39-year-old vascular surgeon, is charged with four counts of aggravated murder in the shooting deaths of his ex-wife Monique Tepe and her husband Spencer in Columbus, Ohio. Family members say Monique lived with McKee for only seven months before escaping what they describe as emotional abuse and repeated death threats. She divorced him in 2017, remarried in 2020, and built a new life with two children.Prosecutors allege McKee drove six hours from Illinois, entered the Tepe home without...

What does the law say about killing someone who was out on bond for alleged crimes against your child and then allegedly kidnapped her? What does it say about using a silencer to allegedly murder your ex-wife years after divorce? Defense attorney Bob Motta breaks down two cases that will test justification, premeditation, and reasonable doubt.Aaron Spencer is one week from trial. His daughter was 13 when Michael Fosler allegedly victimized her. Fosler faced 43 felony charges. He posted bond. Three months later, Spencer found his daughter in Fosler's truck at 1 AM and killed him with 16 shots. Prosecutors...

Bryan Kohberger wasn't invisible. He wasn't quiet. According to a new lawsuit filed by the families of his four victims, Washington State University received at least 13 formal complaints about his threatening, stalking, and predatory behavior in a single semester—and allegedly failed to act in any meaningful way. Today on True Crime Today, former FBI Special Agent Robin Dreeke breaks down what these warning signs mean from a professional threat assessment perspective. Robin served 21 years with the Bureau, including as Chief of the FBI's Counterintelligence Behavioral Analysis Program, and he specializes in understanding the behavioral patterns that pre...

If you're defending Michael McKee, you don't need to prove he didn't do it. You need to create reasonable doubt. And this case has gaps.How did McKee allegedly enter the Tepe home with no forced entry? Prosecutors haven't said. The aggravated burglary charge suggests they have a theory, but it hasn't been disclosed publicly. That's an opening for the defense.There's no motive on the record. McKee and Monique divorced years ago. Police confirmed there were no prior reports from the Tepe address about McKee — no restraining orders, no 911 calls, no documented conflict. The st...

California's mental health conservatorship system has a 57% failure rate. More than half of the people released from conservatorships deteriorate afterward. The state's response? Follow-up care is voluntary.Nick Reiner was under a court-ordered LPS conservatorship in 2020. A judge found him gravely disabled. A licensed fiduciary named Steven Baer was appointed to oversee his treatment. He could be forced to take psychiatric medication. He could be placed in a locked facility against his will. The system intervened.Then the conservatorship expired in 2021. It wasn't renewed. And for four years, no one with legal authority was watching.<...

LeeAnn Singley, Forensic Scientist, took the stand in the murder trial of Brendan Banfield, the former IRS agent charged with four counts of aggravated murder in the deaths of his wife Christine Banfield and Joseph Ryan. Prosecutors allege Banfield and the family's au pair, Juliana Peres Magalhães, lured Ryan to their Herndon home through a fetish website and staged the killings as a home invasion.The defense argues digital forensics contradict the catfishing theory and that investigators who disagreed were reassigned. Banfield faces life without parole if convicted. The four-week trial continues in Fairfax County.#T...