Ashley Benefield gives emotional testimony in her defense at murder trial: 'I thought he was going to kill me'
BRADENTON, Fla. - A tearful Ashley Benefield took the stand in her own defense Friday in the so-called ‘Black Swan’ murder trial.
Benefield's testimony centered on the day her husband, Doug, was killed in Manatee County nearly four years ago.
On September 27, 2020, Doug Benefield came by Ashley’s home to help her pack a moving truck.
Pictured: Doug and Ashley.
"My things would be going in last, right at the front, so they'd be easy to get out first," she told the jury.
The pair was moving to Maryland, but would be living separately. Ashley said she noticed their items mixed together and brought it up to Doug, who became upset.
"He said ‘it shouldn’t be your stuff, my stuff, your house, my house,’" Ashley said.
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Ashley said Doug started to get agitated as they continued to pack.
"He said ‘I can see what you’re doing. You’re trying to get me to leave.’ He said ‘I don’t have to leave, I can stay and spend the night if I want to because I’m your husband,’" she said.
Ashley claims he body checked her twice while moving boxes.
Pictured: Ashley Benefield on the stand
"I just blurted it out and said ‘I’m done. And you need to leave now,’" she said.
Ashley told the jury that’s when things escalated and Doug hit her for the first time. Then she ran.
"I was scared to death. I thought he was going to kill me. There was nowhere to go. I was trapped," she said.
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Ashley told jurors she ran to her room and armed herself with a gun.
"Doug was standing in the doorway, his face was red. The veins were bulging in his neck. The way he was looking at me, it didn’t even look like Doug. His eyes were black," she said.
Ashley told the jury she doesn’t remember how many shots she fired, but shot after Doug appeared to be in a fighting stance and told her she was "done."
Pictured: Ashley and Doug.
"I thought when he’d see it, he would leave," she said.
"Did he?" asked attorney Neil Taylor.
"No," she responded.
"At that point Ashley, what are you thinking?" Taylor asked.
"That he is going to kill me," she responded.
The prosecution cross-examined her, asking if Doug ever hit her prior to this instance. She said no.
Assistant State Attorney Suzanne O’Donnell also questioned her about whether Doug was supposed to move back in with her. Ashley said yes, but then told him not to and started dating another man.
That was around the time Doug filed for divorce, but still wanted to reconcile with her and move to Maryland with her.
Ashley Benefield
O’Donnell also showed the jury photos of their wedding reception in South Carolina prior to moving to Florida.
"You said around the time you were pictured here you were living the nightmare? How about at this moment?" O’Donnell asked.
"It was a good day," said Ashley Benefield.
A judge has told Ashley that she faces anywhere from 25 years to life in prison if found guilty.
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