Naman Shrestha
The episodes titled ‘The Black Swan Murder?’ of CBS’ ’48 Hours’ and ‘The Pointe of No Return’ of ABC’s ’20/20′ delve deep into the murder case of Doug Benefield, who was killed in September 2020. While his estranged wife, Ashley Benefield, claimed she shot him down in self-defense, the truth might be far from it. As the investigators looked for clues, some new developments were made in the case. Since these episodes also feature interviews with the victims’ loved ones, the viewers get to learn more about the aftermath of Doug’s demise.
Ashley Benefield Married Doug Benefield and Founded a Ballet Company
In August 2016, a 24-year-old swimsuit model and ballerina named Ashley Byers crossed paths with 54-year-old Doug Benefield who was a single father, at a dinner party in Florida. While the latter worked as a consultant for technology companies and government contractors, Ashley was an integral part of Donald Trump’s campaign office in Sarasota, Florida. Just 13 days later, they had fallen head over heels in love with each other and got married, surrounded by very few guests.
Eva Benefield was not supportive of her father’s decision to remarry only a few months after the passing away of her mother and his first wife, Renee Benefield. So, naturally, there was tension between Eva and her step-mother, Ashley. Meanwhile, Doug supported Ashley’s dream of opening up an inclusive ballet company that takes in dancers of all body types and ethnicities and helped her establish the American National Ballet, or ANB, in Charleston. Less than a year into their marriage, she became pregnant with their child in July 2017. However, the couple’s marriage wasn’t all butterflies and rainbows.
Ashley and Doug Benefield’s Marriage Deteriorated Until It Became Fatal
During one of the arguments about Eva, Doug reportedly fired a bullet into the ceiling and threatened to take his own life. According to Ashley, he was a controlling husband who had also thrown a gun at her and allegedly punched their dog in the face during one of his raging fits. Soon, claiming that he had tried to poison her, she left to live with her mother. She also accused him of killing his first wife, Renee, by poisoning too. In March 2018, she gave birth to a healthy baby daughter but did not let Doug see her before a judge intervened. Gradually, they returned to seeing each other on amicable terms, but when he learned that she had been seeing another man, he filed for divorce in November 2019. Around that time, Ashley accused him of sexually abusing their toddler daughter, but he denied the claims.
Things seemed to cool off again between the estranged couple and they decided to relocate to Maryland to give their marriage another try. On September 27, 2020, Doug was reportedly packing their possessions into a U-Haul truck when an alleged argument broke out. As per Ashley’s account, he struck her in the face and prevented her from getting out of the house. Fearing for her life, she claimed that she shot Doug twice in self-defense, before running to her neighbor’s house and asking for help. After the investigators looked into the case for several weeks, on November 4, 2020, they charged Ashley Benefield with second-degree murder of Doug and took her into custody. As she pleaded not guilty, she got out on bond after spending a couple of weeks in jail.
Ashley Benefield is Awaiting Her Sentencing While Hoping to Get a New Trial
Almost four years after the shooting death of Doug Benefield, Ashley Benefield stood trial in July 2024. During the trial, she defended herself and claimed, “I just held the gun like in front of me and I said, stop, and he like turned and he got into this like almost like a fighting stance. He started like moving his arms and his hands around…he started coming towards me and he lunged at me, and I just pulled the trigger.” She testified that she was extremely scared and thought that Doug would murder her. On the other hand, the prosecution argued that since the bullet had traveled side to side through the victim’s body, it contradicted her claims of shooting him while he was approaching her.
After hearing both sides of the story, the jury returned with a guilty verdict and convicted the former ballerina of the lesser crime, manslaughter, on July 30, 2024. Following the conviction, the defense attorneys wasted no time and tried to get a retrial for her as they pointed out numerous issues that occurred during the trial. They claimed that one of the jurors had brought a cell phone into the room and communicated the details during the deliberations. As of now, she faces up to 30 years in prison, and her sentence is scheduled for October 22, 2024.
Read More: Eva Benefield: Where is Doug Benefield’s Daughter Now?
