Ashley Benefield convicted of manslaughter in 'Black Swan' murder trial
BRADENTON, Fla. - A jury has convicted former professional ballerina Ashley Benefield of manslaughter in the so-called ‘Black Swan’ murder trial in Manatee County.
Benefield was charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of her estranged husband, Doug, in 2020. Benefield argued she shot him in self-defense.
The jury's late night verdict on a lesser charge came after about seven hours of deliberations on Tuesday.
During closing arguments earlier Tuesday, Assistant State Attorney Suzanne O'Donnell challenged Benefield's claim, using her recorded actions to show Doug did not physically abuse her until Sept. 27, 2020, the day of the shooting.
‘She wasn’t saying ‘I’m so afraid of this man. Please help me, I'm a victim of domestic violence. I need help.' Not at all. She's saying ‘I want to keep my baby,’" O'Donnell told the jury.
Defense attorney Neil Taylor countered, telling jurors Doug's actions leading to the shooting proved he was abusive toward her.
"How would one feel sitting in their kitchen, having their husband pull out a gun and actually fire it into the ceiling of their kitchen? Can you imagine the trauma of such a statement?" Taylor said.
The shooting happened as the pair was packing up to move to Maryland and live separately.
Pictured: Ashley and Doug.
Ashley testified in her defense last week, saying Doug became upset after noticing their items were mixed together, eventually hitting her as they argued.
That's when Ashley said she ran into her room and armed herself with a gun, at which point she claimed Doug followed her and she feared for her life as she opened fire.
No sentencing date has been set.
In Florida, manslaughter carries a 15-year maximum prison sentence. She would have faced 25 years to life behind bars if she had been convicted of second-degree murder.
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