Former dancer Ashley Benefield was charged with killing her husband, Doug Benefield. Here is all the information you require regarding the accused and her family.
Ashley Benefield is accused of killing her own husband, Doug Benefield, after a brief affair in Florida evolved into a horrific tragedy. When he first met Benefield, who was 30 years his junior, he fell in love right away.
Nine months after his wife Renee passed away from a cardiac problem, he met Ashley. Doug, who married the dancer 14 days after first meeting her, was captivated with her right away.
Benefield’s account of how a ballet dancer came to be charged with killing her husband is highlighted in “The Black Swan Murder.” On Saturday, June 4 at 10/9c, CBS will air the piece, which was written by “48 Hours” contributor Jim Axelrod and will also be accessible on Paramount+.
Ashley Benefield whereabouts
After spending more than two weeks in jail, Ashley Benefield was freed on bond. Five weeks after the death, Ashley was found and charged with second-degree murder; she pled not guilty.
Whether Ashley genuinely felt in danger of losing her life or if she is a cunning “black swan” from a Hollywood thriller is unknown. 2023 is when her trial is scheduled to begin.
Ashley wanted to create a ballet company that would accept dancers of all ethnicities and body types. According to friends, Doug was motivated to fulfil Ashley’s goal because he wanted to see her happy.
Dancers from all over the country started to arrive in Charleston at the end of the 2017 summer to join the American National Ballet, or ANB.
Ashley Benefield Daughter
The couple’s daughter was born in March 2018 thanks to Ashley Benefield. She kept their child a secret from Doug at the time.
She also neglected to include his name on the birth certificate for the child. After six months, the judge finally allowed him to see their daughter.
When Ashley proposed moving to Maryland in the spring of 2020 with their daughter, who was then 2 and a half years old, and Ashley’s mother, Alicia Byers, Doug agreed.
On September 27, 2020, Doug helped Ashley pack the family’s things onto a U-Haul truck. At seven o’clock in the evening, Ashley and Doug were left alone in the house as Ashley’s mother took her granddaughter to a nearby park.
He was shot dead at that point, ending his life.
Ashley Benefield’s guilt or innocence in the murder case
In the second-degree murder of Doug Benefield, Ashley Benefield was found not guilty. A neighbour heard screaming and dialled 911 while Doug and Ashley were home alone.
Later, she showed up at their home with a gun. She said that she killed her husband out of self-preservation.
When the police and medical officials came, Doug was still breathing but unable to speak. He passed suddenly in a nearby hospital an hour later. Ashley’s mother and attorney Faith Brown did communicate with the sheriff’s deputies, though.
Her mother asserted that for three and a half years, she and Ashley had been afraid of Doug. She stated that they requested assistance from the authorities but were denied.
Doug was never charged with a crime despite the authorities looking into Ashley’s allegations against him. Doug “knows how to play the game,” Alicia shot back.
Doug was shot twice while facing Ashley, according to the investigators. He was shot three times: twice in the leg, once in the arm, and once through his chest.