Former ballerina, Ashley Benefield, 33, was found guilty of manslaughter in a Manatee County, FL court. Originally charged with second-degree murder, Benefield ended up getting the verdict on the lesser charge.
In Ashley’s case, dubbed as the “Black Swan Murder Trial,” she was accused of fatally shooting her husband, Doug Benefield, 58. Ashley’s attorney, Neil Taylor, argued she was trapped in an abusive relationship and that she acted in self-defense.
Prosecutors accused Ashley of wanting sole custody of the couple’s daughter. “This case is about a woman who, very early on in her pregnancy, decided she wanted to be a single mother, said prosecutor Suzanne O’Donnell. “Her husband and everything she did from that point on was to attain that goal and she would stop at nothing to attain that goal. When there was no other option, she shoots him and kills him and claims self-defense.”
Ashley will remain in custody and her $100,000 bond was revoked. Ashley could face up to 30 years in prison. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled for a later date.
By - FZ
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