This Feels Criminal: A True Crime Podcast (Formerly Killer Queens)

"It’s easier to fall in love with someone that saved you."

Those were the words of Brendan Banfield as he attempted to explain away an affair, a dead wife, and a dead stranger to a jury of twelve. In Part 2 of our deep dive into the VA v. Brendan Banfield trial, we move past the "catfish" plot and into the courtroom moments that sealed the defendant's fate.

In this episode, we discuss:


Brendan’s Performance: Was he a grieving husband or a cold-blooded manipulator? We analyze his claims that Christine could speak after seven stab wounds to the neck.


The Forensic "Gotcha": Why the defense’s own digital investigator became the prosecution’s best witness during cross-examination.


The Fatal Flaw: The specific pattern of FetLife logins that proved "Anastasia 9" only existed when Brendan or Juliana were home.



The Rebuttal: How a brief testimony from Brendan’s supervisor, T. Smith Patrick, turned a "work meeting" alibi into a documented lie.


Closure: The sentencing of Juliana Magalhães and what this case says about the "Double Murder" plot that nearly worked.


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© 2026 Killer Queens Podcast. All Rights Reserved

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n the first installment of this explosive trial coverage, we dive into the Commonwealth’s case against federal agent Brendan Banfield. What initially appeared to be a tragic home invasion and the heroic defense of his wife, Christine, quickly unraveled into a twisted plot involving an affair with the family’s 22-year-old au pair, Juliana Magalhaes.

We break down the prosecution’s opening statements, which allege Brendan masterminded a "fake rape fantasy" on FetLife to lure an unsuspecting man to his home—setting the stage for a double murder he hoped to blame on an intruder. Hear the chilling details of the initial 911 calls and the star witness testimony of Juliana Magalhaes, who describes the moments Brendan allegedly turned a knife on his own wife.

Want access to our first 45 episodes? Grab em here! We've made them available for free to anyone who signs up! Remember, these episodes were recorded when we had no idea what we were doing, so just keep that in mind. The audio isn't the quality we would want to put out now, but the cases are on point! Visit killerqueens.link/og to download and binge all the archived episodes today!

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© 2026 Killer Queens Podcast. All Rights ReservedAudio Production by Wayfare Recording

Music provided by Steven Tobi

Logo designed by Sloane Williams of The Sophisticated Crayon
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Netflix documentary Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart gave us a definitive look at one of America’s most harrowing cases—this time, told entirely in Elizabeth’s own voice. But even a feature-length doc can’t cover everything.

In this episode of This Feels Criminal, we’re breaking down the documentary and layering in the raw, deeply personal details Elizabeth shared during her recent milestone interview on Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard.

In this episode, we discuss:


The "Parenting" Perspective: How Elizabeth navigates teaching her own children about safety and body autonomy without passing on her trauma.


Outsmarting the Captors: The specific psychological tactics Elizabeth used to manipulate her captors toward her own rescue—details that go deeper than the documentary’s timeline.


The Faith Factor: A look at her evolved relationship with her upbringing and how she processed the "twisted prophecy" used against her.


Healing vs. Heroism: Why Elizabeth rejects the "victim" label and how she really feels about being the face of child safety advocacy today.

Whether you’ve watched the doc or are hearing these updates for the first time, join us as we explore the resilience of a woman who didn't just survive—she outplayed her circumstances.

Want access to our first 45 episodes? Grab em here! We've made them available for free to anyone who signs up! Remember, these episodes were recorded when we had no idea what we were doing, so just keep that in mind. The audio isn't the quality we would want to put out now, but the cases are on point! Visit killerqueens.link/og to download and binge all the archived episodes today!

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© 2026 Killer Queens Podcast. All Rights ReservedAudio Production by Wayfare Recording

Music provided by Steven Tobi

Logo designed by Sloane Williams of The Sophisticated Crayon
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In Part 1, we looked at the TikToks that turned a community against a grieving teenager. But is there a darker side to this story? Today, we’re digging into the 'mountains of evidence' the state claims to have—and the shocking details about the Brock family’s past that the investigators might have overlooked.

Was Sarah Grace Patrick a master manipulator, or is she the victim of a rush to judgment? The second half of this investigation starts now.

Want access to our first 45 episodes? Grab em here! We've made them available for free to anyone who signs up! Remember, these episodes were recorded when we had no idea what we were doing, so just keep that in mind. The audio isn't the quality we would want to put out now, but the cases are on point! Visit killerqueens.link/og to download and binge all the archived episodes today!

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© 2026 Killer Queens Podcast. All Rights Reserved

Audio Production by Wayfare Recording

Music provided by Steven Tobi

Logo designed by Sloane Williams of The Sophisticated Crayon
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84-year old Nancy Guthrie was abducted from her Arizona home on Feb 1. This story has immediately drawn nationwide attention. One possible reason is the bizarre nature of the case and the other being that the victim is the mother of Today Show Host Savannah Guthrie. We recorded this on Feb 5th.
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