‘Black swan’ ballerina who claimed self-defense after fatally shooting husband, blasted for her courtroom performances as victim’s family say she faked tears and was ‘dry crying’

33-year-old Former ballerina, Black swan’ ballerina who claimed self-defense after fatally shooting husband, blasted for her courtroom performances as victim’s family say she faked tears and was ‘dry crying’ was charged with second-degree murder in the death of her 58-year-old estranged husband, Doug Benefield, in 2020

On the stand Ashley, aka ‘Black swan’ ballerina, tearfully recounted of her tumultuous relationship with her husband, including instances of abuse leading up to the fatal shooting

Her testimony riled victim’s family and the prosecution as they claimed she was dry crying to gain sympathy from the jury

Defendant’s July 26 testimony, included moments where she appeared to sob and shake, describing alleged abuse by her husband and the day she shot him

Ashley Benefield, however was convicted on the lesser charge of manslaughter Her testimony

Ashley Benefield’s sentencing is set for Dec. 3, even as the defense team filed a motion for a new trial, citing potential juror misconduct 

The emotional testimony of Ashley Benefield, on trial after shooting her husband, Doug Benefield, riled family members and the prosecution as they claimed she was dry crying to gain sympathy from the jury. She was convicted on the lesser charge of manslaughter

The family of a South Carolina killed by his much younger wife have torn into the widows emotional performances in court, accusing her of faking her tears and ‘dry crying’ for the judge. 
Former ballerina Ashley Benefield, 33, was charged with second-degree murder in the death of her 58-year-old estranged husband, Doug Benefield, on September 27, 2020, but was convicted last month, on the lesser charge of manslaughter.
Ashley and recently widowed businessman Doug Benefield, were introduced in 2016 and wedded after a 13-day whirlwind romance despite the three decades age gap.
A year into their marriage the Doug, a retired Naval flight officer, funded and helped Ashley achieve her dream of owning a ballet company.
The couple launched the American National Ballet Company based in Charleston, SC. However, the venture did not take long to go belly up, and so did their marriage.
After the marriage fell apart in 2017, Ashley pregnant with their daughter, moved in with her mother in 2017.
When her estranged husband turned up at her Florida home on September 27, 2020, Ashley claims, he became agitated and attacked her. Fearing for her life she shot him multiple times, in self defense.
At the time Ashley shot Doug, the now estranged couple were in a tough custody battle.
The prosecution accused The widow of wanting ‘to win the custody battle at all costs’, that ‘cost being the life of Doug Benefield’.
Ashley’s defense countered that their client was ‘trapped in an abusive marriage,’ going further to claim that ‘Doug Benefield was a manipulative, cunning and abusive man, who insisted, absolutely insisted on control’.

Former ballerina Ashley Benefield, 33, was charged with second-degree murder in the death of her 58-year-old husband, Doug Benefield, [photo], in 2020.

During her trial, Ashley took the stand to tell her side of the story. Her teary recollection of life with her late husband, included instances of abuse leading up to the fatal shooting. However, her emotional testimony did not sit well with the victim’s loved ones and the prosecution, who accused her of ptutting on a show. 
Tommie Benefield, has been outspoken in his criticism of his cousin’s widow, insisting the teary testimony was an act. It was ‘a good show’ Tommie claimed in a recent interview, pointed out that there were no actual tears.
‘She’s like 10, 15 minutes into pretending to cry, and she’s putting on a good show, but there’s no tears.
‘And the judge says to her at some point, ‘Hey, there’s a box of Kleenex if you need it,’ because he can’t see she’s not crying. But everyone in the courtroom and the jury can see she’s not crying.’ 

Despite a 30-yearage gap, Ashley and Doug Benefield who met in 2016, wed after 13-day whirlwind romance

Ashley’s testimony, delivered on July 26, included moments where she appeared to sob and shake, describing her alleged abuse by her husband and the day she shot him. 
The emotional display was a focal point of the trial, and even inspired an episode of Black Swan Murder, a true crime podcast produced by Law & Crime. The sixth episode delved into her testimony and the impact it had on the proceedings.

The ballerina and her new husband then set up the American National Ballet Company in Charleston, SC. However, the venture did take long to go under, as did their marriage. The couple shared a toddler. Benefield had an older daughter with his late wife

Ashley Benefield grew emotional in the Florida courtroom listening to her neighbor’s 911 call. She fled to the residence after shooting Doug and told the owner of the male voice heard on the call that her estranged husband attacked her, so she shot him defending herself

Prosecutor Suzanne O’Donnell also took attacked the defendant’s somewhat theatrical emotional outbursts on the stand.
O’Donnell points out one occasion when proceedings had to pause due to defendant’s apparent hysteria, as she recalled that while Ashley seemed to be crying, her behavior did not match the intense emotion she was portraying.
‘There was one point where we had to stop, because she was crying so hysterically, and take the jury out and take a break,’ O’Donnell said. ‘And she did not look like she was crying. She looked exactly the way she did before, so that was not lost on the jury.’ 

During her trial, Ashley took the stand to tell her side of the story, offering a tearful recount of her tumultuous relationship with Doug, which she claimed included instances of abuse leading up to the fatal shooting

Insisting defense account of the events surrounding the shooting was exaggerated, the prosecution questioned the credibility of the defendant’s portrayal of fear in justifying the self-defense argument
‘I didn’t feel most of it was genuine,’ O’Donnell said. ‘I felt most of it was overdone.’
Despite the dramatic nature of Ashley’s testimony, jurors deliberated for six hours before returning a verdict of manslaughter, a lesser charge than the second-degree murder originally sought by prosecutors. 
Tommie Benefield is not surprised his sister-in-law was convicted of manslaughter rather than murder, given the complexity of the case: ‘We knew it was confusing enough that they would struggle to get a second-degree murder conviction,’ he said.

In an ABC News interview Ashley Benefield who was facing a sentence of 25 years to life in prison if convicted, maintained that it was ‘self-defense’, that her husband was abusing her

Doug Benefield has daughter from his first marriage. Eva Benefield, [photo], 23, in her testimony debunked her stepmother’s claim of abuse. Eva emphasizing that the victim was a good dad. She believes Ashley wanted her father dead, asking, ‘if it was self-defense, why did she have to shoot him multiple times?’

Defense attorney, Neil Taylor, expressed disappointment with the verdict while stating that he and his team believed they had successfully defended their client: ‘We really can’t get over it because we all thought we’d won’. 
Adding a dramatic twist to the case, the defense team has filed a motion for a new trial, citing potential juror misconduct. Taylor points to a suspicious online post made by someone identified as ‘That Hoodie Guy.’ The unidentified poster accurately predicted the jury’s decision in real time.
Defense contends that a juror possibly smuggled a phone into the deliberation room, using it to access outside information: ‘Of course, we realize chat rooms, you can say anything you want, but we can’t figure out the uncanny accuracy of these posts,’ Taylor said. 
A postmortem background check on the jurors uncovered concerning oversight in vetting, the defense said. One juror had a history of domestic violence, including filing for a restraining order and being named as a defendant in two domestic violence cases. 
The juror did not disclose this information during jury selection, nor did she reveal that she had been involved in a custody dispute with her ex-husband: ‘Now we know—oh my God, this juror lied,’ Taylor said.
The impending legal challenge has not affected the sentencing schedule, set for December 3.