‘Black Swan’ trial: Ex-ballerina guilty of shooting husband to death

A erstwhile ballerina has been recovered blameworthy of manslaughter for sidesplitting her estranged hubby successful 2020 erstwhile she was conscionable 28 years old.

Ashley Benefield, now 32, faces up to 30 years successful situation for nan manslaughter complaint because she utilized a firearm successful nan killing. She was initially charged pinch second-degree murder, but a Manatee County assemblage opted for a lesser offence.

The lawsuit has been dubbed nan “Black Swan trial,” referring to nan 2010 film Black Swan successful which Natalie Portman plays a young ballerina losing her grip connected reality.

Throughout nan trial, Ashley maintained that she killed her then-58-year-old estranged husband, Doug Benefield, retired of self-defence and that her hubby had abused her. Prosecutors based on that Ashley fabricated nan maltreatment allegations successful bid to summation sole custody of nan couple’s child.

The Benefield’s marriage

Ashley and Doug joined successful 2016 erstwhile she was a 24-year-old ballet dancer and Doug was a 54-year-old advisor and Navy veteran. The brace met a Republican fundraiser and sewage joined conscionable 13 days after.

Doug, 30 years Ashley’s senior, was a caller widower. His first woman had died conscionable 9 months prior, according to CBS’s 48 Hours.

A twelvemonth aft getting married, Ashley became pregnant and soon aft that, she near her husband. She allegedly fled nan matrimony aft an incident successful which Doug fired a weapon into nan ceiling of their location during an argument. Ashley past started accusing Doug of poisoning her and his first wife.

When their girl was calved successful March 2018, Ashley didn’t pass Doug aliases put his sanction connected nan commencement certificate. Doug met his girl six months later aft a judge intervened, 48 Hours reported. The mates yet reconciled and, successful 2020, Ashely suggested that they move to Maryland together. During this time, Ashley had been surviving pinch her mother successful Florida while Doug lived successful South Carolina.

The shooting

On Sept. 27, 2020, nan Benefields were unsocial astatine Ashley’s mother’s house, packing a moving van, while Ashley’s mother took their girl to nan park. A neighbour past reported proceeding screaming. Ashley went to nan neighbour’s house, weapon successful hand, and told them that she had conscionable changeable her hubby successful self-defence.

Doug was still live erstwhile emergency workers responded but he was incapable to talk. He died an hr later successful hospital.

During nan trial, Ashley testified that she and her hubby had been arguing and that he deed her pinch a moving container and “body-checked” her. She said she was “scared to death” and thought her hubby was going to termination her. She grabbed her gun, pointed it astatine Doug and told him to stop. When he continued to move towards her, she changeable him.

Investigators wished that Doug was changeable twice, and nan fatal slug struck him and went done his body, hitting his limb first and travelling into his chest. This suggests that Doug was turning distant from his woman erstwhile he was shot, contradicting Ashley’s testimony.

The trial

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Prosecutors based on that Ashley’s grounds was inconsistent and that she had killed her estranged hubby successful bid to get sole custody of their daughter.

“This lawsuit is astir a female who very early connected successful her gestation decided she wanted to beryllium a azygous mother,” Assistant State Attorney Suzanne O’Donnell told nan jury, according to The Post and Courier. “She did not want nan begetter of this kid to person immoderate visitation.”

Meanwhile, Ashley’s lawyer claimed that nan erstwhile ballerina was a unfortunate of friendly partner unit and that Doug was an abusive and controlling spouse.

“The grounds is going to show that Douglas Benefield was a very disturbed man,” Neil Taylor told nan jury. “Thirty years older than Ashley, he was obsessed pinch her, and he successfully portrayed himself arsenic everything he was not successful an effort to triumph her manus successful marriage. Despite promoting himself arsenic a belief and decent quality being, Douglas Benefield was a manipulative, cunning and abusive man who insisted, perfectly insisted, connected control.”

Prosecutors based on that Ashley did not suffice arsenic a unfortunate of home abuse because she and Doug had lived separately successful nan play earlier nan shooting, CBS reported. The tribunal besides heard of a erstwhile ineligible conflict betwixt nan mates successful which Ashley sought a home unit injunction against her hubby successful 2017. The injunction was denied by a judge who did not find her claims to beryllium credible.

After astir 7 hours of deliberation, nan assemblage recovered Ashley guilty, not of second-degree murder, but nan lesser offence of manslaughter. Her sentencing proceeding has yet to beryllium scheduled.

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If you aliases personification you cognize is experiencing maltreatment aliases is progressive successful an abusive situation, please sojourn nan Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime for help. They are besides reachable toll-free astatine 1-877-232-2610.