Former ballerina Ashley Benefield is sentenced to 20 years in prison for her husband’s murder US News

Ashley Benefield, the former ballerina who was convicted of manslaughter in July for killing her estranged husband in self-defense, was sentenced Tuesday to 20 years in prison plus 10 years of probation.

Ashley Benefield, 33, shot and killed her husband, Doug Benefield, 58, in their Florida home on September 27, 2020. The ensuing media frenzy and trial, dubbed the “Black Swan Trial,” has left many questioning whether the act was premeditated or deliberate in self-defense.

Ashley Benefield, who was originally charged with second-degree murder, testified in court that her husband was abusive and domineering – and that her multiple previous attempts to seek protection from authorities went unheeded.

She said she filed for restraining orders in 2018 and 2020 to ban her husband from visiting their child, accusing him of abuse. No criminal charges were filed against Doug Benefield and the latter case against him was still pending when he died.

During the trial, defense attorneys also raised two allegations of jury misconduct. One case alleged that a juror failed to disclose information indicating possible impartiality, and another accused a juror of sharing information about the trial via cell phone. District Court Judge Matthew Whyte dismissed both.

On the day Ashley Benefield shot her husband, she testified about an altercation in which she believed he tried to kill her in their home. She said Doug Benefield blocked her from leaving, walked up to her and punched her in the face while she pointed a gun at him in fear for her life.

Suzanne O’Donnell, the prosecutor, argued that physical evidence of the shooting – including the fatal side-to-side gunshot wound, not the front of Doug Benefield’s body – contradicted Ashley Benefield’s testimony. O’Donnell accused Benefield of “performing” grief in the courtroom and said killing her husband was Benefield’s way to achieve her ultimate goal of gaining sole custody of her child.

Ashley Benefield was acquitted of murder but received the lesser charge of manslaughter, which carried a maximum sentence of 30 years. She reportedly remained expressionless at Tuesday’s hearing when the sentence was announced.

Doug Benefield’s relatives said at the hearing that the sentence was fair and that they never believed Ashley Benefield had shown any remorse.

“I have waited so long to speak to her in person,” Doug Benefield’s daughter Eva Benefield said in a victim impact statement. “I hope prison serves her well.”