In this CA, Jesse covers two major Virginia murder cases: first, the sentencing of the Banfield au pair, who received the maximum 10 years for her role in the staged home invasion that killed Christine Banfield and Joseph Ryan, and then a disturbing new case out of Norfolk, where Lina Maria Guerra was found dead in her apartment freezer after her Navy reservist husband allegedly fled to Hong Kong and fabricated a story about her imprisonment, triggering an international manhunt with potential extradition and national security complications.

Current Affairs is Love Murder’s shorter show about the cases of love gone fatally wrong that are in the news right now.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murders_of_Christine_Banfield_and_Joseph_Ryan

https://abc7chicago.com/post/lina-guerra-case-us-navy-husband-david-varela-flew-hong-kong-missing-wife-was-found-kitchen-freezer-norfolk-virginia/18616404/

https://www.fox5dc.com/news/navy-reservist-accused-murdering-wife-believed-have-fled-hong-kong

https://www.wtkr.com/investigations/international-manhunt-underway-for-norfolk-man-accused-of-killing-wife-hiding-body-in-freezer

https://gtvnewshd.com/world/2026/02/18/virginia-woman-lina-guerra-found-dead-in-freezer-husband-david-varela-flees-to-hong-kong/

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Credits: Love Murder is hosted by Jessie Pray and Andie Cassette, researched by Sarah Lynn Robinson and researched and written by Jessie Pray, produced by Nathaniel Whittemore and edited by Kyle Barbour-Hoffman

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The Banfield Sentence & A Navy Reservist on the Run [Current Affairs]