Ashley Benefield's step-daughter Eva appears elated as jury in Black Swan murder trial finds killer ballerina guilty

The girl of a man changeable dormant by his estranged woman celebrated nan news that her erstwhile step-mom was recovered blameworthy of manslaughter connected Tuesday.

Ashley Benefield was handed nan verdict pursuing 7 hours of assemblage deliberations successful Florida connected Tuesday, Fox 13 reports.

The 32-year-old erstwhile dancer, whose lawsuit was known arsenic nan 'Black Swan execution trial', had been charged pinch second-degree execution successful nan shooting of her estranged husband, Doug Benefield, 59, successful September 2020.

But nan assemblage ruled that she was acting successful self-defense erstwhile she fired nan limb astatine her mother's location successful Lakewood Ranch - contradicting nan prosecution's assertion that nan shooting was premeditated.

Still, Eva Benefield, Doug's 23-year-old girl from a erstwhile marriage, seemed elated by nan verdict.

'After 4 years of waiting, my dada sewage nan justness he deserves,' she said successful a TikTok video pursuing nan verdict. 

She added that she will has a batch much things to opportunity astir nan weeks-long proceedings erstwhile she gathers her thoughts. 

As nan verdict was publication successful tribunal connected Tuesday, Ashley showed nary emotion earlier she was taken away. 

The judge overseeing her case revoked her $100,000 enslaved and remanded her to nan custody of nan Manatee County Sheriff's Office. 

She now faces a 15 twelvemonth maximum situation condemnation successful Florida - but would person faced 25 years to life down bars if she had been convicted of second-degree manslaughter.

A sentencing proceeding will beryllium scheduled astatine a later date. 

Eva antecedently testified that her begetter and Ashley 'were conscionable pinch each different each nan time' successful nan early days of their relationship.

'They were lovey dovey, PDA each nan time. They ne'er near each other's side,' she said. 

The 2 had met astatine Ben Carson's location successful Palm Beach, Florida successful August 2016. She had been campaigning for then-Republican statesmanlike nominee Donald Trump. 

They were joined conscionable 13 days later. 

Within conscionable 1 twelvemonth of marriage, Doug, a retired Naval formation officer, helped Ashley execute her dream of starting a ballet company, utilizing his ain money and contacts.

He acted arsenic nan CEO of nan company, while Ashley took connected nan domiciled arsenic executive director.

But, soon aft nan company’s founding, it was sued by dancers and choreographers who alleged their contracts were breached erstwhile they were fired conscionable weeks aft their hiring.

Doug besides reversed his vasectomy, and Ashley became pregnant 3 months later. 

That is erstwhile everything changed, Assistant State Attorney Suzanne O'Donnell based on successful court.

She said Ashley moved from their location successful South Carolina to Bradenton to unrecorded pinch her mother arsenic she started to acquisition greeting sickness, and from that constituent on, she ne'er lived pinch Doug again. 

'They continued a long-distance narration erstwhile she first moved to Florida and continued trying to support together and communication, but astir nan aforesaid clip arsenic nan ballet [company] collapses, Ashley Benefield starts complaining against nan victim,' O'Donnell told jurors.

She began accusing Doug of poisoning her and of non-physical home violence. 

But detectives from nan Manatee County Sheriff's Office conducted a five-week investigation and were incapable to find immoderate grounds to support her claims of abuse.

Prosecutors tried to overgarment nan image that Ashley killed Doug successful a last-ditch effort to summation custody of their daughter, who was 2 years aged astatine nan clip of nan shooting.

'This is simply a lawsuit astir a female who, early connected successful her pregnancy, decided she wanted to beryllium a azygous mother,' O'Donnell based on successful her opening statement. 'She did not want nan begetter of this kid to person immoderate visitation. 

'This is simply a agelong story, this was a custody conflict this mother would triumph astatine each costs, and nan costs was nan life of Doug Benefield.' 

But defense attorneys based on that Doug was abusive to Ashley.

Neil Taylor told nan assemblage that he once fired a handgun into a room ceiling successful an effort to get Ashley to extremity talking, threw a loaded weapon astatine her, punched their canine successful nan look - knocking it unconscious, and regularly carried a concealed firearm that was 'ready to fire.'

He besides claimed that aft Ashley and Doug were separated, he illegally tracked her, often pursuing without her consent and moreover driving from retired of authorities to support tabs connected her.

At slightest once, Doug allegedly stood successful a neighbor's backyard successful nan mediate of nan nighttime to get a glimpse of her.

The mates had moreover obtained a tribunal bid successful South Carolina that barred them from contacting each different successful 2017.

After Doug appeared to person violated nan order, Taylor said, Ashley sought a home unit injunction successful Florida that would person barred him from seeing their daughter.

The injunction, though, was denied erstwhile a judge said she did not find Ashley's maltreatment claims credible.

Then connected nan nighttime of nan shooting, defense attorneys based on that Doug showed up to Ashley's mother's location successful Florida unannounced.

They claimed successful tribunal documents that he arrived 'happy, hyper and animated,' but yet became 'agitated, sullen and intimidating.' 

After verbally insulting his wife, nan defense claimed, Doug rammed her pinch a moving box, leaving abrasions.

'Doug Benefield knew afloat good connected that time that this narration was over,' Taylor based on successful court.

He went connected to declare that Doug was manipulative and 'viewed Ashley Benefield arsenic his property.'

'Despite promoting himself arsenic a religious, honorable and decent quality being, Benefield was a manipulative, cunning and abusive man who insisted, perfectly insisted connected control,' Taylor added. 

Following nan shooting, Ashley ran to her neighbor's location successful Bradenton.

'I heard a very large pounding connected my door,' neighbour Josh Sant testified past week, arsenic Ashley faces execution charges for nan veteran's death, according to Fox 13. 'It benignant of startled me.' 

He said he opened nan doorway to find Ashley, who told him that her hubby attacked her and she changeable him.

Sant past called 911, telling officers, 'She conscionable came over, her estranged hubby attacked her and she said she changeable him,' according to an audio signaling played successful court.

Throughout nan telephone call, jurors were capable to perceive Sant trying to calm Benefield down, WFLA reported.

As nan audio was played successful court, Ashley was seen crying.