The State's Own Expert Just Destroyed Their Case

I just watched the prosecution's case collapse in real time.

Detective Brendan Miller took the stand today as a defense witness. Let that sink in. The State's own digital forensics expert, the guy who analyzed terabytes of data from Christine Banfield's phone and laptop, testified for the defense. Not the prosecution. The defense.

And what he said should end this case.

That's what Detective Miller said when asked if anything in the digital evidence changed after Juliana Peres Magalhães recanted her original story and started blaming Brendan Banfield. The data didn't change. The forensic artifacts didn't change. Christine's pattern of life on her devices didn't change. The only thing that changed was the codefendant's story.

And here's the thing about digital forensics: they don't lie. People lie.

What Miller Actually Found

Miller analyzed the devices and concluded that Christine Banfield controlled her own phone and laptop. On January 9th, 2023, when the Gmail account was created that would later be linked to the FetLife profile, Miller found nothing indicating Christine had lost "dominion and control" of her devices. Same for January 17th when the FetLife account was created.

His findings were sent for peer review. The University of Alabama reviewed his work. They concurred.

This is the catfishing theory the entire prosecution is built on. Brendan Banfield allegedly took over his wife's devices to create fake profiles and lure Joseph Ryan to the house. But the State's own digital forensics expert says the data doesn't support that. The peer review confirmed it.

So what did command staff do with this inconvenient finding?

They Transferred Him

Miller testified that roughly a year ago, he was transferred out of digital forensics. When asked if the transfer was related to his work on the Banfield case, he said yes. He was asked to "review" his executive summary "in light of the proffer." He reviewed it. He didn't change his conclusions. Because the data didn't change.

No new executive summary was ever created. Miller stood by his findings. And then he was moved to a different unit.

When Juliana gave her recantation interview in October 2024, Miller wasn't there. He wasn't even told it was happening. The department's own digital forensics expert, the one person who could have challenged her story with actual data, was kept out of the room. He found out after it was over.

When asked if he could have assisted in that interview, Miller said: "I believe so."

What This Means

The prosecution didn't call Miller in their case-in-chief. Think about that. They had a digital forensics expert who analyzed all the devices, and they didn't put him on the stand. The defense did.

Because his findings destroy their theory.

Here's where we are: The blood spatter evidence was shown to be inconclusive by defense expert Leanne Singley. The digital forensics, peer-reviewed by a university, say Christine controlled her own devices. Multiple investigators who questioned the catfishing theory have been transferred out of homicide.

What's left? Juliana Peres Magalhães. A codefendant who was facing life for murder and got it reduced to time served on manslaughter. A witness who changed her story. A witness with a reported Netflix deal waiting on the other side of this trial.

The State cannot prove its case with "well, it could have happened." The burden is beyond a reasonable doubt. And their own expert just testified that the digital evidence doesn't support their theory.

▶️ WATCH NOW Digital Forensics Expert's Peer-Reviewed Findings DESTROY State's Catfishing Theory

My father spent his career watching the system decide on guilt before weighing the evidence. He watched investigators work backward from a conclusion. He watched experts get sidelined when their findings were inconvenient.

This is that case.

The jury will decide. But if they're paying attention to the actual evidence, the peer-reviewed forensics, the transferred investigators, the codefendant with every reason to lie, there's only one verdict that makes sense.

Watch the system. Question everything.