Defense Expert Dismantles State's Blood Evidence Interpretation | VA v. Banfield

Описание: The prosecution's blood spatter expert said the stains proved Joe Ryan was lying on the ground. The defense expert just said that's not true.

Leanne Singley has spent 39 years in forensics. She's testified over 90 times. She helped write the national standards for blood pattern analysis. And she told this jury that the blood on Joe Ryan's arm can't be classified the way the State's expert classified it. The surface was too distorted. The data wasn't there. When you can't classify something, you don't guess. You stop.

The defense also highlighted DNA evidence: the knife handle had Christine and Joe Ryan's DNA. Brendan Banfield was eliminated. His jeans were tested in areas avoiding visible staining. Christine and Joe Ryan's DNA was present. Brendan was eliminated again. And body cam footage confirmed EMTs found no injuries on Banfield's hands.

⏰ KEY MOMENTS

00:00 - Defense calls blood spatter expert Leanne Singley
06:42 - Qualified as expert, no objection from prosecution
14:06 - DNA on knife: Christine and Joe Ryan present, Brendan eliminated
20:37 - Body cam confirms no injuries on defendant's hands
46:10 - Singley disagrees with prosecution expert's classification
49:31 - "No" to conclusion that Ryan was lying on ground
55:28 - Proper methodology: when you can't classify, you stop

CASE BACKGROUND REPORT:
https://www.justiceisaprocess.com/va-...

🎥 HOW WE COVER TRIALS

Uninterrupted courtroom footage with live chat discussion. Our coverage includes:

*Justice Breakdowns:* Written legal analysis after every trial day at justiceisaprocess.com. Free.
*No Breaks Editions:* Full proceedings edited for seamless catch-up viewing.
*Key Moments Library:* Curated clips of significant testimony and rulings.
*Justice Watcher Toolkit:* Members get organized access to all coverage materials.

Justice Is A Process. Works Better When We Watch.

📖 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