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Black Swan manslaughter case
The Black Swan manslaughter case[a] occurred in Lakewood Ranch, Manatee County, Florida, on September 27, 2020. Ashley Benefield (née Byers),[4] a former ballerina was accused of the shooting mariticide[5] of her estranged husband 58-year-old Douglas "Doug" Benefield.[6] The murder trial is known by this name due to the defendant's former profession and in reference of 2010 film Black Swan.[1] The murder and subsequent trial received national media attention.[1][2][7][8] On September 27, 2020, Doug was found shot twice in Ashley's mother's house,[1][9] he died in a hospital approximately an hour later.[1] Ashley and her defense attorney during the trial claimed that she did it in self-defense during a domestic dispute.[3] Prosecutors argued that Ashley fabricated the abuse allegations to gain sole custody of their child.[6][10] On November 4, 2020,[11] Ashley was charged with second-degree murder.[12][8] In July 2024, a jury found Ashley guilty of manslaughter with a firearm, instead of second-degree murder.[8][13][14] In December 2024, she was sentenced to 20 years in prison.[15] BackgroundDouglas Benefield
Douglas "Doug" Glass Benefield was born on October 2, 1961, in Palo Alto, California.[16] Doug grew up in Huntsville, Alabama, where he attended Huntsville High School.[17] He graduated in 1984 of Texas A&M University, in College Station, Texas, with a degree in Biology.[17][16] Doug was charter member of Aggie Cowboys (now Beta Theta Pi) fraternity.[17] After college,[17] Doug joined the Navy and was a Naval Flight Officer.[10][7] Doug was a flight officer for 3 years in San Diego, California.[17] When he met Ashley, Doug had a daughter and was a widower.[7][10][14] He lived in Charleston, South Carolina. Ashley BenefieldAshley Benefield (née Byers) is a graduate of the Maryland Youth Ballet,[5] she was a swimsuit model[7] and ballerina.[5] In August 2016, Doug and Ashley met in Palm Beach, Florida, during the presidential campaign.[14][4] Ashley was 24 years old and Doug was 54 years old at the time, Ashley was working in a campaign office in support of Donald Trump.[7][14] Doug and Ashley married 13 days later.[5] The couple moved to Charleston, South Carolina, where they founded the American National Ballet (ANB), a ballet company which closed months after.[11][4] In July 2017, Ashley became pregnant[14] and gave birth in March 2018.[18] Abuse accusationsAccording to some witnesses and reports, the couple had tensions and fights. On one occasion, Doug fired a gun at the ceiling during an argument.[14] One of Doug's close friends said that he told him: “I did the dumbest thing I’ve ever done in my life", referring to that event.[19] Due to marital and pregnancy complications, Ashley moved with her mother to Florida until she gave birth.[18] When Ashley gave birth, she asked for full custody of her baby and she did not allow Doug to visit or have contact with their child.[1][6] On March 15, 2018, Doug said in an emailed letter that he wanted to be a part of the child's birth and life.[6] Ashley filed domestic violence claims in court, alleging that Doug was a "manipulative", "controlling" and "abusive" man.[20] She also accused him of attempting to poison her[4][18] and of poisoning Doug's late wife.[14] However, the judge considered that Ashley's story didn't possess a "scintilla of truth".[11][18] In March 2020, Doug then wrote an email to the sheriff's office accusing Ashley of having a "split personality".[7] On May 6, 2020, Ashley filed a restraining order against Doug.[9] Shortly after, Ashley planned to move with her mother to Maryland.[9] Around that time, Doug filed for divorce, although he was still in love with her and wanted to live with Ashley in Maryland.[21] MurderOn September 27, 2020, in Lakewood Ranch, Florida, Ashley with the help of Doug was packing a U-Haul truck for the move. Ashley's mother, Alicia, took her granddaughter to a park, leaving Doug and Ashley alone in her house.[1] Around 7 p.m,[11] the couple started an argument. Ashley claims Doug struck her in the head and he tried to keep her in a room.[9] Ashley claims she feared for her life, shot Doug multiple times in self-defense, and then arrived at a neighbor's house.[20][9] The neighbor called 911.[11] When the police and paramedics arrived at the residence, they found Doug shot twice, once in the leg and once in the arm.[1][9] That second bullet traveled into his chest cavity.[1][9] Doug died one hour later at a hospital.[1][9] Criminal proceedingsPre-trial
On November 4, 2020, Ashley was charged with second-degree murder and without the right to bail.[11] In July 2023, a judge refused to dismiss the charges following a two-day Stand Your Ground hearing.[13] TrialOn July 23, 2024, the trial began in Manatee County Judicial Center.[22] The prosecution was represented by Assistant State's Attorney Suzanne O'Donnell and Ashley was represented by defense attorney Neil Taylor.[3] The prosecution explained that this was a case where "the mother already knew she wanted to be a single mother and had no intention of giving the father visitation rights".[3] The prosecution argued that Ashley fabricated the abuse allegations to gain sole custody.[10] Ashley and her defense attorney Neil Taylor argued that she did it in self-defense.[23] Attorney Taylor also mentioned that the authorities did not give her help when she reported her husband's abuse.[3][23] Ashley testified that she did it in self-defense and that she feared for her life.[9][20][23] Ashley's defense attorney argued that she suffers from “battered woman syndrome”.[13] ConvictionAfter six days of trial, on July 30, 2024,[13] a jury found Ashley guilty of the lesser offense of manslaughter with a firearm.[12][8] On December 3, 2024, Ashley was sentenced to 20 years in prison, followed by 10 years of probation.[15] ReactionsThe murder and Ashley's imprisonment attracted national media.[7][8] When the murder trial was presented, received a major media coverage, becoming a high-profile trial in Florida.[9][3] The case is known by the media as the "Black Swan murder", in reference of the 2010 film Black Swan, a story of a tortured artist whose quest for perfection leads to mental instability,[9] and since Ashley was a ballet dancer and former owner of a dance academy, that inspired the nickname. See alsoNotesReferences
External linksInformation related to Black Swan manslaughter case |
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