Ashley Benefield, a former dancer charged with second-degree death, is now on test in Florida. Prosecutors allege she tragically shot her estranged father, Doug Benefield, during a bitter custody battle, claiming she was determined to win “at all fees”, according to NBC News.
A troubled marriage
Benefield, 33, described herself as a victim of continuing mistreatment in her sad evidence on Friday. She claimed she shot Doug Benefield, 58, in self-defence at her house west of Tampa on 27 September 2020. ” I was scared to death”, she testified. I believed he was going to murder me.
The couple’s marriage began at a social event in August 2016, and they married only 13 weeks later. At the time, Doug Benefield was 54, and Ashley Benefield was 24. Within a month, Ashley was female, and the few attempted to start a dancing company that finally failed. Ashley subsequently moved to Bradenton, Florida, to get closer to her family for help during her pregnancy.
Prison war
Ashley Benefield allegedly chose to be a single mom at the start of her pregnancy, according to counsel Suzanne O’Donnell, and Doug Benefield did not keep Doug informed about the development of the child. Despite this, Doug continued to pursue their marriage.
An internet from 15 March 2018 revealed Doug’s desire to be involved in their child’s life. According to O’Donnell, Ashley gave baby the following morning without telling him. In his opening statement, Benefield’s attorney, Neil Taylor, painted a different photo, asserting that Ashley moved to Florida to avoid an abusive spouse. ” She left him, he pursued her”, Taylor said. ” She rejected him. He did not take no for an answer”.
In court, Ashley Benefield described Doug as dangerous and harsh. She claimed that during a menacing explosion, he allegedly shot a bullet into the ceiling, damaged their home’s walls, injured their dog, and punched holes in the walls.
” I felt like I was living a problem”, she said. To back up his client’s claims, Taylor sent the pair text messages.
After the birth of their child, Ashley and Doug requested an injunction to stop them from seeing the child. During a July 2018 reading, she raised these complaints, but the prosecutor found her evidence lacking trust and granted Doug fast visit right.
Ashley claimed that she had inherited a house in Maryland and that she planned to move it in 2020. Dog had intended to run as effectively. Taylor portrayed this shift as part of Doug’s continuous achievement, while O’Donnell suggested it was a failed attempt at peace, calling Ashley’s presence a “ruse”.
O’Donnell brought up another order that Ashley requested, charging Doug with child abuse. After her girl returned home from Doug’s sessions with wounds, Benefield testified that she filed this. When Doug died, the lawsuit situation was still ongoing.
A psychiatrist’s analysis revealed Doug’s position on peace included dropping Ashley’s plea. O’Donnell speculated that this may have been the cause of the killing, but Ashley in private refuted this. The evaluation’s results were expected to remain revealed on 30 September, three weeks after Doug was shot.
The deadly confrontation
On 27 September, the pair argued while preparing for the walk. Ashley claimed Doug became angry and “body-checked” her when she expressed stress. She attempted to leave, but things escalated. ” He stopped me, he grabbed me by the side and yanked me back”, Ashley recounted. ” He said,’ where the f— are you going?'”
” I said,’ I’m done and you need to keep presently,'” she added. Doug struck her in the face, leaving her with a bruised vision documented by government. Finally, she grabbed her weapons.
When Doug appeared in the house’s hallway and told her she was “done”, Ashley raised the cannon, warned him to halt, and fired as he moved into a “fighting attitude” and lunged at her. ” I started pulling the trigger”, she testified. ” He kept coming at me”.
Ashley fled to a neighbour’s property, reporting the firing. A nearby medical later declared Doug useless. Ashley was charged with second-degree crime that November.
The test
O’Donnell argued that Ashley’s injury were” superficial scars” and claimed Doug’s deadly wound was certainly inflicted while he was attacking. O’Donnell claimed that” Doug Benefield was no coming at her when the fatal shot was fired.” She continued,” This family was going to get this prison fight at all costs.” ” The charge was the life of Doug Benefield, and that is death”.
The test continues, with Ashley Benefield’s defence focusing on self-defence against an abusive spouse, while the prosecution contends the shooting was a calculated move to secure full custody of their child.
