Former ballet dancer Ashley Benefield is charged with killing her husband, Douglas Benefield. The murder of a ballerina has received attention as a result of two days of motion hearings over the stand-your-ground defence.
Douglas attacked Ashley, so Ashley shot him in self-defense, she claimed. Investigations, however, showed that Douglas most likely had Ashley’s back when the gunshot occurred.
Despite Ashley’s claims of self-defense, investigations have not turned up any proof to support her abuse claims.
The outcome of this unfortunate incident and whether Ashley’s claim of self-defense will be maintained will depend on the judicial processes.
The allegations and defense strategy
Former professional ballerina Ashley Benefield, 31, will rely on a self-defense defence in her upcoming murder trial.
Ashley’s longtime friend Douglas Benefield, who has known her for 59 years, is charged with attacking her and attempting to poison her.
A Florida judge received a motion from Ashley’s defence team requesting the dismissal of the second-degree murder charges.
They said that because Ashley felt mistreated as a wife, she shot Douglas in self-defense.
At the time of the incident on September 28, 2020, the couple had already filed for divorce and were embroiled in a bitter custody battle over their two-year-old daughter.
The fatal shooting incident
Ashley alleges that a domestic dispute at their Lakewood, Florida, home led to the fatal shooting.
She insists that when she shot and murdered Douglas, it was in self-defense.
The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office looked for five weeks before discovering no proof of Ashley’s claims of assault.
Ashley, who was granted freedom after posting a $100,000 bail, resides with her mother and their five-year-old child.
However, she is required to adhere to the curfew set by the court and wear an ankle bracelet.
The motion for dismissal and supporting depositions
Ashley’s defence team submitted a thorough 105-page motion for dismissal in February 2023.
Her account of the events leading up to the terrible incident is clarified by the motion. Depositions that are attached to the motion contain a number of admissions about Douglas’s violent behaviour.
In one of these admissions, Douglas is said to have removed a gun from its sleeve in July 2018 and shot it at the ceiling.
He reportedly used the gun to threaten Ashley during a disagreement by throwing it against the wall.
The depositions also draw attention to further assertions Ashley made against Douglas’s conduct.
Douglas is alleged to have admitted to punching a hole in the wall and striking their dog during one of their arguments.
According to what he admitted in his deposition, “My fist went through the sheetrock and sort of hit the outside.” According to Law & Crime, Ashley started the argument in this particular occasion.
Ashley and Douglas were the sole occupants of the house when the incident occurred, according to investigators.Ashley later turned herself in at the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.
History of domestic violence claims
According to county court documents, Ashley filed a number of petitions alleging her husband had used domestic violence on numerous occasions.
Randy Warren, a spokesman for the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, clarified that full investigations of such claims take time.
He stated that they came to the conclusion that there was no abuse in this specific incident since they were unable to find any evidence of it.
