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Black Swan manslaughter case
2020 high-profile mariticide and trial in Florida, U.S.
Black Swan manslaughter case
The Black Swan manslaughter case occurred in Lakewood Ranch, Florida, United States, on September 27, 2020. Ashley Benefield (née Byers), a former ballerina, was accused of the shooting mariticide of her estranged husband 58-year-old Douglas "Doug" Benefield. The murder trial is known by this name due to the defendant's former profession and in reference of 2010 film Black Swan. The murder and subsequent trial received national media attention. On September 27, 2020, Doug was found shot twice in Ashley's mother's house, he died in a hospital approximately an hour later. On November 4, 2020, Ashley was charged with second-degree murder. Ashley and her defense attorney during the trial claimed that she did it in self-defense during a domestic dispute. Prosecutors argued that Ashley fabricated the abuse allegations to gain sole custody of their child. In July 2024, a jury found Ashley guilty of manslaughter with a firearm, instead of second-degree murder. In December 2024, she was sentenced...
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