Disclaimer: Article contains mentions of murder. Readers are advised to exercise caution.
Ballerina Ashley Benefield kills husband in 'self-defense'
In September 2020, police discovered the dead body of Navy veteran Doug Benefield in his mother-in-law’s Florida home. Reports indicated that Benefield’s wife, Ashley Benefield, had shot him in her mother’s home. After emergency responders arrived, Ashley told them she had shot him in self-defense, claiming her husband had attacked him first. Police subsequently arrested Ashley for her husband’s murder. The ongoing Black Swan Murder Trial will decide her guilt or not.
People Magazine stated that Ashley Benefield killed her husband in self-defense. However, police rejected her claims, saying they found no evidence that Doug Benefield was the first to attack. Furthermore, they claimed in a sworn statement that Doug was not even looking at Ashley when she shot him. People Magazine noted, "Based on Douglas' entry wounds, it does not appear that he was looking at Ashley when she began shooting. Nor does it appear that Douglas assumed a defensive or combative posture."
During the trial, the defense claimed that Ashley Benefield killed Doug out of “fear for her life,” the New York Post reported. Meanwhile, the prosecution argued that the defendant killed the victim because she wanted to be a single mother.
