Preparedness
Ex-Ballerina’s Guilty Verdict Sends Tremors Through Gun-Owner Community
Ashley Benefield, a former ballerina of 33 years, was found guilty in what has been dubbed the “Black Swan” murder trial. Benefield was convicted for the killing of her 58-year-old estranged husband, Doug Benefield, who she shot at her mother’s home in Bradenton, Florida, in 2020.
The couple had a whirlwind romance, meeting at a Republican Party fundraiser in 2016. At that time, Ashley was a young 24-year-old ballerina, and Doug was a 54-year-old Navy veteran and technology consultant. They tied the knot only 13 days after their first encounter.
Though charged with second-degree murder, a Manatee County jury in a Florida courtroom found Benefield guilty of the lesser crime of manslaughter. This crime carries a maximum prison sentence of 15 years in Florida. After the guilty verdict was announced, the presiding judge rescinded Benefield’s $100,000 bond and handed her over to the custody of the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office. Her sentencing date remains unknown.
Benefield’s defense, led by attorney Neil Taylor, argued that the fatal shooting was in self-defense. Taylor painted a picture of Doug as an abusive husband, stating that his client had filed numerous complaints about his abusive behavior with no subsequent action taken by authorities.
“Thirty years older than Ashley, he was obsessed with her, and he successfully portrayed himself as he was not in an effort to win her hand in marriage,” Taylor told the courtroom. He further alleged that Doug was a controlling, manipulative, and cunning man who regularly carried a loaded firearm.
“The only thing that is going to have been established here beyond a reasonable doubt is that Douglas Benefield was a violent abuser, Ashley Benefield’s efforts to placate him [were] absolutely consistent with what abused women do, especially when a child is involved, and that Ashley’s result and resource to deadly force was justified under the circumstances,” Taylor argued.
Their relationship seemed idyllic in the early days, according to Doug’s 23-year-old daughter from a previous marriage, Eva Benefield. “They were just with each other all the time. It was very lovey-dovey. They were very touchy-feely PDAs. Any event with school or extracurricular that I was in, they were together. They never left each other’s side,” Eva said.
A year after their wedding, Ashley was pregnant, and the couple had embarked on Ashley’s dream endeavor — the establishment of a ballet company. However, the relationship started to unravel and led to a court order that restricted the couple from contacting each other.
In the throes of this turmoil, Ashley moved from their South Carolina residence to her mother’s home in Florida while pregnant. She sought a domestic violence injunction against Doug, which would prevent him from seeing their child.
The state prosecutor, Assistant State Attorney Suzanne O’Donnell, portrayed the case as a custody battle that Ashley was determined to win at all costs. “The cost was the life of Doug Benefield, and that is murder,” she argued.
The fatal incident occurred on September 27, 2020, when Doug was allegedly assisting Ashley with moving. An argument ensued, leading Ashley to retrieve a handgun. She claimed that Doug slapped her, blocked her from leaving, and lunged at her, prompting her to shoot him.
Right after the incident, Benefield ran to her neighbor, John Sant’s house, and told him that Doug had attacked her. Sant’s 911 call was played during the trial, capturing Sant’s attempts to calm Ashley down.
However, the prosecutor, O’Donnell, argued that there was no evidence to support Ashley’s claim of physical assault. In contradiction to Ashley’s claim that Doug lunged at her, O’Donnell pointed out that the fatal bullet entered Doug’s body from the side, suggesting he wasn’t facing Ashley when she started shooting.
Watch a local news report about the incident below:
Let us know what you think, please share your thoughts in the comments below.
Carl
August 3, 2024 at 12:22 pm
Maybe, just maybe, he turned at the last second realizing she was going to shoot. President Trump is a perfect example of how that works. If he hadnt turned he would be dead. Unfortunately or fortunately, it didnt work for this guy🤔
David Veselenak
August 3, 2024 at 1:28 pm
Bitch got away with murder, that simple! There is now a plethora of ” domestic violence” KILLINGS. aka MURDERS that are being invoked! It’s easy to portray this when the so-called perpetrator is not able to repute the charges which now are made-up fairy tales! I don’t see someone that was kind enough to assist in her/it’s moving all of a sudden turning into an ogre! This bitch got away with murder, as have several others that hadn’t reported such behavior by their spouse! WTFU, TRANSFORMED and TRANSGENDERED AMERIKA, you’ve been had, hope your glad as your demise neighs!
Don
August 3, 2024 at 3:18 pm
She should have just left to parts unknown. Now she is going to jail and he is dead. We will never know the real story.
Holly
August 3, 2024 at 7:28 pm
I side with the woman, she was pregnant & left to stay at her mothers, she tried to get away from him. Abusers can be very controlling & manipulating, I say this from past experiences. They try to keep you from your friends & family. They tear you down mentally & emotionally & physically. Horrible that she has to spend time in prison & hopefully her mother can keep the baby for her & he does not get custody!
Don
August 4, 2024 at 10:20 am
Knowing that part of the country as I do I’d tend to believe her story. Abuse is common.
Bill Clay
August 23, 2024 at 10:00 pm
Based on the critical evidence the 12 jurors agreed she made a bad choice by choosing manslaughter. She trusted him to help move.
RobertC
September 17, 2024 at 7:44 pm
Holly, It’s apparent from your comment that you either didn’t read the article or didn’t comprehend what you read. She wasn’t “left” to stay with her mother, she chose to move there and he was actually helping her move. You’re hoping that “her mother can keep the baby for her and he does not get custody” – that would be rather difficult since HE’S DEAD. Your typical knee-jerk reaction of believing all women regardless of circumstances has no place in a fair and just society. Is it possible that he was abusive and she acted in self defense? Absolutely. Is it also possible that she was willing to resort to whatever means necessary – including murder – to avoid sharing custody of the child with him? Again, absolutely. Since none of us were present at the trial and have no knowledge whatsoever of the evidence presented, there is no way we can make an informed decision on the appropriateness of the sentence. If there’s one thing that I’ve learned from my nearly seven decades on this planet, it’s that there’s no shortage of evil in people, and that men and women are equally prone to it. To believe otherwise is to ignore reality.
David
November 4, 2024 at 2:26 pm
If the report is accurate about the circumstances leading up to the shooting, I support what she did to protect herself and her child. My question also is why would you have the person your trying ti get sway from help you move?