In A Case Dubbed The Black Swan Murder, A Former Ballerina And Swimsuit Model Has Been Found Guilty Of Manslaughter
On July 30, 2024, a 33-year-old former ballerina and swimsuit model named Ashley Benefield was found guilty of manslaughter with a firearm in a case that has been dubbed “The Black Swan Murder.” She was charged with killing her husband, Doug Benefield, in Florida four years ago on September 27, 2020. In court, she claimed that the shooting was in self-defense.
After the jury convicted Ashley of manslaughter, the judge revoked her $100,000 bond. She is now in the custody of the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office. A date for her sentencing has not yet been set.
In August 2016, Ashley and Doug met at a dinner party during the presidential campaign. At the time, Doug was 54-years-old, and Ashley was only 24. She worked in the campaign office of our former president in Sarasota, Florida. Doug was a consultant and former Navy pilot from South Carolina who worked with defense contractors and technology companies.
Within a week or so, they had fallen in love. The two were married after just 13 days of knowing each other. Their marriage was officiated by Trip Cormeny, Doug’s close friend, who was an ordained Episcopal minister at the time.
Doug’s daughter, Eva, from his first marriage, admitted that she and Ashley didn’t always get along. Nine months earlier, Eva discovered her mother, Renee, was dead after coming home from school. She had died from an undiagnosed heart issue. After her mother’s death, Eva and Doug became closer than ever. However, when Ashley moved in, their relationship suffered.
Ashley dreamed of starting an inclusive ballet company that welcomed people of all ethnicities and body types. So, she founded the American National Ballet. At the end of the summer of 2017, dancers from across the country arrived in Charleston to join the ballet company. Ashley also wanted to become a mother, and in July 2017, she got pregnant.
Doug and Ashley’s fights over Eva grew increasingly intense. One day, after an argument, Doug lost his temper. He fired a gun into the ceiling of their home, which was behavior that was very uncharacteristic of him, according to those who knew him.
Ashley ended up moving back to Florida so her mother could care for her during her pregnancy. One night, Ashley drove back to Doug’s house and dropped off a four-page letter that described everything she thought was wrong with him. In the note, she called him “possessive” and “controlling.” She also wrote that she feared for the lives of both her and her unborn child.
“I could see the look on his face when he read it,” Eva said, referring to the letter. “I could just tell his heart was broken.”
Manatee County Sheriff’s Office – pictured above is Ashley in her mugshot
During the months that followed, Doug faced a multitude of challenges. Funding never came through, so the ballet company failed. Furthermore, Ashley accused him of poisoning her tea and poisoning his first wife, Renee. Investigations into her claims were conducted, but no evidence was found.
In March 2018, their daughter was born, but Ashley did not inform Doug about the birth. She also did not add his name to the birth certificate. Doug wasn’t able to see his daughter until six months later after a judge intervened.
For a year, it seemed that the couple had made up and reconciled their differences. In the spring of 2020, they were preparing for a move to Maryland with their then two-and-a-half-year-old daughter and Ashley’s mother.
On September 27, 2020, Doug and Ashley were alone in the house, packing up their family’s possessions. Ashley’s mother had taken her granddaughter to a park nearby. A neighbor heard screaming and notified the authorities. Then, Ashley went next door to another neighbor and told them she had shot Doug in self-defense.
Doug was still alive when police and medical workers arrived, but he was unable to speak. An hour later, he died at the hospital. Investigators determined that Doug had been shot twice—once in the leg and once in the arm. The bullet in his arm had traveled into his chest cavity. He had been turned away from Ashley when he was shot.
Five weeks after the shooting, she was arrested and charged with second-degree murder. During the murder trial, which took place in Florida, the charge was bumped down to manslaughter. Ashley could face up to 30 years in prison, as well as a $10,000 fine.
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