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Ashley Benefield – Black Swan Trial
Ashley Christina Benefield, 32, was arrested in November 2020 for the shooting that killed her husband, Doug Benefield. Ex-ballerina, Ashley Benefield, claims self-defense in the shooting death of her husband, Doug, while
prosecutors allege it was about a custody dispute.
Domestic Violence History
- Doug Benefield fired a handgun into the ceiling of their kitchen – Exhibit 1
- Doug Benefield threw a loaded gun at Ashley Benefield – Exhibit 2
- Doug Benefield punched their dog in the face hard enough to render the canine unconscious – Exhibit 3
- Doug Benefield placed a tracker on her car, and Ms. Benefield frequently observed him tailing her car – Exhibit 4
- Doug Benefield was caught by a neighbor, at night, standing in her backyard and peering into Ashley’s Benefield home – Exhibit 5
- Doug Benefield punched numerous holes in the wall of their home – Exhibit 6
- Doug Benefield previous marriage had a history of domestic violence – Exhibit 7
Motion to Dismiss
February 2023, Ashley Benefield’s defense team filed a motion for dismissal – claiming she shot and killed her husband in self-defense.
- Ashley Benefield was preparing to move to Maryland with her mother and daughter. Ashley Benefield was staying at their home, but Doug Benefield was living in a temporary apartment.
- Doug Benefield was planning to move to Maryland with Ashley Benefield and their child, but they planned to live separately.
- Doug Benefield showed up to their home around 5:30 p.m.
- Alicia Byers Ashley Benefield’s mother took their daughter to the splash pad.
- While packing up a U-Haul outside and in the garage, Doug Benefield’s mood was “consistent to his prior history: happy, hyper and animated, then agitated, sullen and intimating.”
- Doug Benefield allegedly became angry, screaming “we are moving together as a family, making a fresh start, but you’re dividing us” and “it’s time you start acting like a wife.”
- Later, Doug Benefield allegedly drove a moving box directly into Ashley Benefield “in an upward motion, resulting in considerable pain and scratches to her right side.”
- Ashley Benefield tried to leave their home, but Doug Benefield allegedly grabbed her by the left hand, yanked her backward, and asked her where she was going. He’s accused of wagging his finger in her face stating “You can’t leave me!”
- Ashley Benefield snapped, yelling at him to leave.
- “Raising his right hand, with a closed fist, the decedent drove his knuckles, at the second joint, into the left side of Ms. Benefield’s head,” the motion reads. “Her worst fears realized, Ms. Benefield now believed her life was in danger.”
- Ashley Benefield ran into the master bedroom and grabbed a gun that she legally owned. Doug Benefield allegedly followed her and he barged into the bedroom “with a fierce scowl.”
- Ashley Benefield pointed the gun at Doug Benefield and ordered him to leave her alone and leave the home.
- “He postured like a mixed martial arts fighter (blading, hands parallel with his chest/shoulders, moving his arms/hands in small circular motions) and advanced toward her, according to the motion.
- Ashley Benefield shot at Doug Benefield – Doug Benefield allegedly kept moving toward her. She kept shooting.
- “She saw the deceased’s legs go up in the air as if his feet slipped out from underneath him, and he fell backward.”
- Ashley Benefield ran to a neighbor’s home yelling for help.
- Two neighbors out walking their dogs saw her running outside with the gun, crying and screaming “Help!”