"BLACK SWAN" BALLERINA SHOOTS HUBBY DEAD, CLAIMS SELF-DEFENSE
Crime Stories with Nancy Grace
iHeartPodcasts and CrimeOnline
4.2 • 8.1K Ratings
🗓️ 30 July 2024
⏱️ 42 minutes
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Summary
Ballerina and aspiring model Ashley Benefield is standing trial for shooting her then-husband, Doug Benefield, to death. The couple married just 13 days after meeting. They had a child, but their relationship was rocky, with frequent arguments reported between Ashley and Doug Benefield.
Ashley Benefield claims her husband was abusive and volatile. As her pregnancy progressed, she moved in with her mother, denying Doug Benefield access to information about the baby, including her birth.
Ashley Benefield planned to move out. Doug Benefield arrived at Ashley's home with a U-Haul truck to help pack for a move to Maryland. He believed he would be moving with the family but intended to live in a separate home.
Ashley Benefield claims that Doug became angry while loading the truck, "body checked" her twice, hit her hip with the corner of a box, and caused her head to hit the wall. Fearing for her life, Ashley ran to her bedroom and retrieved a gun.
She turned around and saw Doug standing in the doorway. Claiming Doug lunged toward her, Ashley fired the gun, shooting him twice—once in the leg and once in the chest, causing damage to his lungs and severe bleeding. It was determined that Doug was not directly facing Ashley at the time he was killed.
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- Brian Foley – Board-certified Criminal Defense Attorney, Former Chief Prosecutor in Harris County, (Houston) Texas; Author: “What Prosecutors Don’t Tell You”; Instagram @brianfoleylawpllc/ YouTube – @brianfoleylawyer/X: @brianpllc
- Dr. Chloe Carmichael – Clinical Psychologist, Women’s Health Magazine Advisory Board;’ Author: ‘Nervous Energy: Harness The Power of Your Anxiety;’ X: @DrChloe
- Chris Byers – Former Police Chief -Johns Creek Georgia, Private Investigator and Polygraph Examiner
- Joe Scott Morgan – Professor of Forensics: Jacksonville State University, Author, “Blood Beneath My Feet,” and Host: “Body Bags with Joseph Scott Morgan;” Twitter/X: @JoScottForensic
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | It started with a backpack at the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games, a backpack that contain a bomb. |
| 0:08.0 | While the authorities focused on the wrong suspect, a serial bomber planned his next attacks, two abortion clinics, and a lesbian bar. |
| 0:19.6 | But this isn't his story, it's a human story, one that I've become entangled with. |
| 0:24.7 | I saw as soon as I turned the corner, basically someone bleeding out. |
| 0:28.4 | The victims of these brutal attacks were left to pick up the pieces, forced to explore the gray areas between right and wrong, life and death. |
| 0:36.0 | Their once ordinary lives and mine changed forever. |
| 0:39.4 | It kind of gave me a feeling of pending doom. |
| 0:43.0 | And all the while, our country found itself facing down a long and ugly reckoning with a growing threat. |
| 0:49.0 | Far right, homegrown, religious terrorism. |
| 0:59.0 | Listen to Flashpoint on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. |
| 1:03.0 | Crime stories with Nancy Grace. |
| 1:10.0 | The so-called Black Swan Ballarina shoots her hubby dead now claiming self-defense. |
| 1:14.8 | I'm Nancy Grace. |
| 1:15.8 | This is crime stories. |
| 1:16.8 | Thank you for being with us. |
| 1:18.8 | Real life Black Swan Balarina Ashley Benafield kills her husband in self-defense claiming abuse. |
| 1:28.0 | Savannah County 911 what is the address of your emergency? |
| 1:32.0 | Hi, my address is White Rock Terrace. |
| 1:35.0 | Okay, can you repeat that for me to make sure I have it correctly? |
| 1:39.0 | The house next to, honey, what's your address? |
| 1:43.0 | Okay, it's right next door to me. |
| 1:45.0 | She just came over, her strength husband attacked her and she says she shot him. |
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