The jury returned the verdict after seven hours deliberating whether or not Ashley Benefield shot and killed her husband in self-defense, or as part of a calculated effort to take him away so that she could be a single mother.
After the prosecution and the defense introduced a vastly different story behind admitting to taking pictures of her husband Doug Benefield, Ashley Benefield was led away in handcuffs last Tuesday as her trial ended.
“It sounds almost as good as it looks,” Doug’s cousin Tommie Benefield advised him Sarasota Herald-Tribune, saw Ashley taken into custody. After seven hours, the jury returned a guilty verdict.
Ashley was found guilty of manslaughter, a lesser charge than the second-degree murder charge that prosecutors were seeking. His defense was that he was appearing in self-defense, but the jury clearly wasn’t buying it.
While his legal professionals tried to get him out on bail until his sentencing, the state argued he had an incentive to run through up to 30 years in prison. The ruling ordered that he be held in custody until sentencing.
Doug’s daughter Eva, 23, did not buy the story of Ashley suffering at home, both of them, telling the media, “I’m sorry for all the women who have experienced domestic violence. I believe that Ashley is not fair to people He deserves justice and I am very happy that my father got the justice he deserved.
Assistant State’s Attorney Suzanne O’Donnell, who tried the case against Ashley, said, “Domestic violence is an understatement. There are many, many women who could be in horrible situations.
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“Ladies, and most men, who may be in a situation where they can be harassed and oppressed on a regular basis,” she continued. “People who feel that they cannot get out, there is no technique to get out. This is not this defendant, and no one else.
During the week-long trial, prosecutors painted Ashley, 32, as an opportunistic killer who killed her husband so she could be sole guardian after he tried to deny her custody, but her defense presented a different picture.
All through the week before this, Ashley’s legal professional Neil Taylor shared the story of the couple’s fear of his wife after allegedly suffering from many cases of emotional abuse. Ashley shot and killed Douglas on September 27, 2020.
Ashley herself took a stand there and tearfully testified that while she had killed her husband, this was done in self-defense after he turned violent.
One of the witnesses, Bruce Ferris, a psychologist who specializes in domestic and domestic trauma, testified that Ashley’s behavior was consistent with that of someone who had suffered domestic abuse. He called it a “compliance method, not wanting to chase the bear.”
Dr. Jason Quintal, who previously worked with the couple, described Doug as “domineering” and “super-controlling.” A realtor, Vincent Vizzaccaro, testified that Doug had to buy the house directly behind the house where Ashley lived during the separation.
Finally, a forensic expert, Michael Haag, stood up and spoke about the trajectory of the bullet from the crime scene. He testified that Ashley had to go through taking the picture, which is very different from the prosecution saying that he shot his wife from behind.
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According to the prosecution, Ashley killed her husband so she could become a single mother.
“This is a case of a couple of Lady who very early in her pregnancy decided she should be a single mother,” argued Assistant State Attorney Suzanne O’Donnell. “He will stop at nothing to achieve that goal.”
He introduced his own evidence of taking pictures, well. “Principally based on the entrance wounds on Douglas, it appears that he did not pass Ashley when he started taking pictures,” the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office said in an affidavit obtained by Post New York.
“It also did not appear that Douglas took a defensive or aggressive stance. He was not found to have a weapon on any particular person or near him,” the affidavit said.
The conclusion: “Detectives found no evidence that he appeared in self-defense when he fired multiple shots at his wife.”
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Ashley and Douglas first met in 2016 at a GOP fundraiser in Palm Seaside when they were 24 years old. An accomplished dancer, Ashley shared her aspirations of opening her own ballet company. Two weeks after meeting, the couple got married and he financed her studio.
According to the lawsuit, the problem took a flip when the cash began to expire and Ashley’s ballet really faltered. The ensuing divorce battle turned ugly with accusations of infidelity on each side and abuse.
When they were married only 4 years, Ashley filed allegations of abuse in opposition to Douglas several incidents, along with the narrative that she ‘d shot a gun in the ceiling to “off her up,” which ‘d kicked. his canine was unconscious, and he had even tried to poison her when she was pregnant.
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All through the trial, it was revealed that the couple was estranged when their daughter, now six, was born with Doug only to find that Ashley had been given since when he filed for restraining in opposition to him, each. WTVT.
A will previously found no evidence of abuse by Douglas in relation to the allegations, the NY Send reported. Prosecutors said it was all part of a calculated technique by the defendant to gain sole custody of the minor. And if that doesn’t work, they take a bigger step.
They enjoyed an interval of reconciliation after that, according to the outlet, until Ashley shot and killed her husband in September 2020.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the Nationwide Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or visit thehotline.org. The hotline is available 24/7 in over 170 languages; Confidential and toll-free calls.