Ashley Benefield is accused of killing her husband, Douglas Benefield, in September 2020. The Florida couple were in the middle of a heated custody battle when Ashley shot Doug. Prosecutors believe Ashley murdered Doug so she could gain full custody of their young daughter, however, Ashley claims she shot Doug in self-defense after months of alleged abuse. The medical examiner does not believe Doug was facing Ashley when she fired off four rounds at him.

• State Opening Statement – ASA Suzanne O’Donnell
• Defense Opening Statement – Neil G. Taylor
• State witness 1 – Tommie Douglas Benefield, Jr.
• State witness 2 – Eva Benefield, daughter of Douglas and Renee Benefield
• State witness 3 – John Sant, the neighbor who made 911 call
• State witness 4 – Deputy Thomas Baurle, Patrol Division
• State witness 5 – John Jones, Property Crimes Detective
• State witness 6 – Detective Tyler Ackerman, Violent Crimes Task Force
• State witness 7 – Meghan Dvorack, Crime Scene Technician
• State Witness 8 – Amanda Conlon, Crime Scene Technician

Ashley Benefield is accused of killing her husband, Douglas Benefield, in September 2020. The Florida couple were in the middle of a heated custody battle when Ashley shot Doug. Prosecutors believe Ashley murdered Doug so she could gain full custody of their young daughter, however, Ashley claims she shot Doug in self-defense after months of alleged abuse. The medical examiner does not believe Doug was facing Ashley when she fired off four rounds at him.

• State witness #9 – Alicia Byers, Defendant’s Mother
• State Witness #10 – Dr. Barbara Russell, LCSW
• State Witness #11 – Lt. Daniel Dickerman
• State Witness #12 – Stephanie Murphy, Family Law Attorney
• State Witness #13 – Det. Chris Gillum, Domestic Violence Investigator
• State witness #14 – Det. Brian Moreland, Crimes Against Children (CAC) detective
• State witness #15 – Dr. Brad Broder, Clinical Psychologist
• State witness #16 – Dr. Jason Quintal, PhD, LCSW

Ashley Benefield is accused of killing her husband, Douglas Benefield, in September 2020. The Florida couple were in the middle of a heated custody battle when Ashley shot Doug. Prosecutors believe Ashley murdered Doug so she could gain full custody of their young daughter, however, Ashley claims she shot Doug in self-defense after months of alleged abuse. The medical examiner does not believe Doug was facing Ashley when she fired off four rounds at him.

Ashley Benefield is accused of killing her husband, Douglas Benefield, in September 2020. The Florida couple were in the middle of a heated custody battle when Ashley shot Doug. Prosecutors believe Ashley murdered Doug so she could gain full custody of their young daughter, however, Ashley claims she shot Doug in self-defense after months of alleged abuse. The medical examiner does not believe Doug was facing Ashley when she fired off four rounds at him.

• Defense Witness 4 – Bruce Ferris, licensed mental health counselor
• Defense witness 5 – Gianna Torchia, ex-employee for Stephanie Murphy
• OJP – issue over police report argued outside the jury’s presence
• Defense witness 6 – Vincent Vizzaccaro, Realtor
• Defense witness 7 – Dr. Jason Quintal, Ph.D, LCSW

Ashley Benefield is accused of killing her husband, Douglas Benefield, in September 2020. The Florida couple were in the middle of a heated custody battle when Ashley shot Doug. Prosecutors believe Ashley murdered Doug so she could gain full custody of their young daughter, however, Ashley claims she shot Doug in self-defense after months of alleged abuse. The medical examiner does not believe Doug was facing Ashley when she fired off four rounds at him.

During a pretrial hearing for the ballerina murder trial, the judge expressed confusion about the nature of defendant Ashley Benefield’s case. The state filed a motion to have a domestic violence specialist testify during the trial, but this was denied after the judge stated, “We are less than a week away from trial, and I’m confused about what kind of case this is.” Trial is expected to begin next week.

The two-day hearing on the justifiable use of force immunity defense concluded Friday, July 7, 2023 at the Manatee County Judicial Center in Bradenton, Florida.

Crime scene photos were presented in court Thursday during former ballerina Ashley Benefield’s pre-evidentiary hearing. The photos show a bloody bedroom and multiple shell casings marked with evidence markers. The defense also presented photos showing Ashley with a swollen eye and cheek. Ashley has been charged with second-degree murder in her husband’s death. She claims she shot Doug Benefield in self-defense.