Ashley Benefield Wiki – Ashley Benefield Biography

Ashley Benefield a former professional dancer, swimsuit model, and founder of the American National Ballet company who stands accused of fatally shooting her husband Douglas Benefield in 2020, is set to go to trial in the sensational murder case. Reports suggest that Benefield will argue her own defense at the upcoming trial, as she previously claimed to have shot her husband to protect himself from her during a domestic dispute at her Lakewood, Florida home.

The Benefields were reportedly in the middle of a complicated custody battle over her two-year-old daughter when Douglas was shot and killed, according to the Daily Mail. On Thursday, June 6, Benefield’s defense team filed a motion to drop the second-degree murder charges against the ballet dancer, alleging that she killed Douglas in self-defense. Benefield’s upcoming trial has since been dubbed by the press the “Black Swan murder trial”.

Douglas was reportedly a consultant from South Carolina and a former Navy pilot who worked with technology companies and defense contractors, according to CBS News. His wife shot him to death on September 28, 2020. He reportedly met Benefield at a dinner party in Florida in August 2016 while working at Donald Trump’s campaign office in Sarasota, Florida. At the time of their meeting, Douglas was 54 years old, while his future wife was 24. Despite their 30-year age difference, the duo fell in love and were married just 13 days after meeting.

Ashley Benefield Age

The age of Ashley Benefield is 28 year old.

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Ashley Benefield accused of killinh husband

“He immediately thought Ashley was the most beautiful and amazing person in the world,” Alice Robb, a contributing writer for Vanity Fair, told the publication. Benefield reportedly dreamed of creating a ballet company that included dancers of all ethnicities with all body types, and Douglas was committed to making his wife’s dream come true. The couple soon founded the American National Ballet in Charleston, South Carolina, to welcome ballet dancers from all corners of the country.

While Benefield served as CEO of the company, Douglas served as CEO. However, the company soon ended up in legal trouble after being sued by dancers and choreographers, who accused the couple of breach of contract, claiming they were fired just weeks after they were hired. Douglas and his wife became pregnant with his first child in 2017.

Douglas was also the father of Eva, whom he shared with his former partner Renee. Nearly nine months before the former’s marriage to Benefield, Renee reportedly died of an undiagnosed heart condition. While the incident left Eva traumatized, he said Douglas became her biggest support. “After my mom died…he made sure…that I could go to him with the kids’ problems, with the school drama, with anything. And he would take care of it,” Eva told CBS. .

However, their father-daughter relationship took a hit after Douglas’s remarriage. “He basically told him that he needed someone…he needed a mothering role in my life. And I didn’t think he needed that,” Eva told Axelrod. Tensions escalated after Benefield moved in with Douglas after her wedding. At one point, Douglas and Benefield reportedly began arguing about Eva, prompting the latter to fire a gun into the roof of his house.

Several of his friends said the incident was out of character for Douglas. “I did the dumbest thing I’ve ever done in my life,” Douglas said after the incident, his friend Cormeny said. A pregnant Benefield reportedly moved back to Florida to live with her mother. However, she returned home one night when Douglas hosted a party for the American National Ballet and wrote a four-page letter, listing Douglas’ shortcomings and accusing him of being “possessive” and “controlling”.

“I could see the look on his face when he read it. I could tell his heart was broken,” Eva said as she spoke about her father’s reaction to the incident. Despite their growing differences, Douglas and his wife eventually reconciled after the birth of their daughter in 2018. However, Benefield reportedly did not tell Douglas when their daughter was born and did not put her name on his certificate. of birth.

He was only allowed to see the girl six months after her birth. After their reconciliation, Douglas and his wife stayed together for a year. However, Benefield decided to move to Maryland with her then two-year-old daughter and her mother, Alicia Byers. While Douglas agreed with Benefield’s decision, the couple allegedly had a dispute when the latter was moving in on September 27, 2020, and Benefield killed him after she shot him inside her home.

On the day of Douglas’s murder, she was reportedly helping Benefield pack the family’s possessions into a U-Haul truck. At around 7 p.m., Benefield’s mother took her granddaughter to a park, leaving Benefield and her husband alone in the house. Shortly after, a neighbor heard screaming inside the home and called 911. Meanwhile, Benefield went to another neighbor to confess to her crime, Douglas’s cousin, Tommie Benefield, told CBS. “She walks next door, gun in hand. She tells the neighbor… ‘I shot Doug in self-defense.’ The neighbor calls 911.”

Douglas was reportedly alive when police arrived on the scene, but he died of his gunshot wounds an hour later at a nearby hospital. Authorities said Douglas was shot twice while he was away from his wife, once in the leg and once in the arm. The bullet reportedly traveled into his chest cavity, killing him in the process. Benefield was arrested on second-degree murder charges five weeks after the incident.

Although he did not comment, his mother Alicia and attorney Faith Brown said Benefield lived in fear of Douglas for 3 1/2 years. Alicia said that Douglas “knows how to play the game” and was therefore never charged with a crime even though Benefield’s accusation led authorities to investigate him. Due to Benefield’s history of being a talented and passionate ballet dancer and her involvement in a major crime, she was soon dubbed the “black swan”, in reference to the classic Darren Aronofsky film ‘Black Swan’ in which she starred. by Natalie Portman. As of now, it is unknown if Benefield was really a victim who shot her husband to save her own life or if she really was “Black Swan” all along.Read More……..