Man Goes to Prison for Life for Two Murders

男子因兩起謀殺案被判終身監禁

Jun 5, 2026, 21:05
USSociety

Introduction

Brendan Banfield was a police officer for the government. Now, he must stay in prison for the rest of his life. He killed his wife and another man in Virginia.

Brendan Banfield 曾是一名政府警察。現在，他餘生必須在監獄中度過。他在維吉尼亞州殺害了他的妻子和另一名男子。

Main Body

Brendan wanted to keep his money and his daughter. He worked with a woman named Juliana. They used a website to trick a man named Joseph Ryan. They told Joseph to come to their house.

Brendan 想保留自己的錢財和女兒。他與一名叫 Juliana 的女子合作。他們利用一個網站欺騙了一名叫 Joseph Ryan 的男子。他們要求 Joseph 前往他們的住家。

On February 24, 2023, Brendan put his daughter in the basement. He killed his wife with a knife. Then he shot Joseph with a gun. Juliana also shot Joseph to make sure he died.

在 2023 年 2 月 24 日，Brendan 將女兒安置在地下室。他用刀殺害了他的妻子。接著他用槍射擊 Joseph。Juliana 也射擊了 Joseph 以確保他死亡。

Brendan said he did not do it. He said he wanted to protect his wife. But the jury did not believe him. They said he killed the people on purpose.

Brendan 聲稱自己沒有這麼做。他說他想要保護妻子。但陪審團並不相信他。他們認定他是故意殺害那些人的。

Conclusion

Brendan will stay in prison forever. Juliana will stay in prison for ten years.

Brendan 將終身監禁。Juliana 將被監禁十年。

Vocabulary Learning

🕒 The 'Past' Secret

Look at these words from the story:

  • Want →\rightarrow Wanted
  • Work →\rightarrow Worked
  • Trick →\rightarrow Tricked

The Rule: To talk about things that already happened, we often just add -ed to the end of the action word.

⚠️ The 'Rule Breakers'

Some words are rebels. They don't use -ed. They change completely:

  • Say →\rightarrow Said
  • Put →\rightarrow Put (Stays the same!)
  • Do →\rightarrow Did

💡 Quick Guide

NowThen (Past)
I workI worked
I tellI told
I killI killed

Vocabulary Learning

government (n.)
The group of people who rule a country
Example:The government makes new laws for the city.
trick (v.)
To make someone believe something that is not true
Example:He tried to trick me into giving him money.
basement (n.)
A room below the ground floor of a house
Example:We keep our old boxes in the basement.
protect (v.)
To keep someone or something safe from danger
Example:Parents always want to protect their children.
jury (n.)
A group of people who decide if someone is guilty in court
Example:The jury listened to the story and decided the man was guilty.
on purpose (adv. phr.)
Doing something because you wanted to do it, not by accident
Example:I did not break the glass on purpose!
Practice A2 words in a crossword→