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[Music] I started working on a story about a scandal in the ballet world my name is Alice Rob and I'm a
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contributing writer for Vanity Fair it was a business story about a ballet company that turned into a murder
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investigation so in 2016 Ashley married a much older man together they made a plan to start a
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new Ballet Company Ashley's Dream was to create a ballet company that would be a home for
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dancers who were unconventional she didn't want a cookie cutter company she wanted girls that were tall girls that
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were short you know I am taller so I thought that this would be a great fit for me I don't know the Doug could spell
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ballet before he met Ashley but you know when you love somebody what do you want
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to do you want to make her happy Ashley was 24 and Doug was 54 they knew each other for approximately 13 days before
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they got married Ashley was sending photographs of herself to Doug constantly she was you know a bikini
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model at some point and she knew how to work it she knew how to use it his major concern is how's he going
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to introduce Ashley to Eva I felt like Ashley was taking my dad away from me and as she wants to win total affection
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she wants to be number one she would go through periods where she was just raging at Doug she flip flops between
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he's a great guy who everybody knew him as or he's evil good or evil good or evil good or evil she goes to live with
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her mother and effectively cuts off all communication with Doug he's begging her
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to talk about things give him another chance meanwhile she accused him of trying to poison her She's accused him
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publicly of murder attempted murder was Doug Benfield dangerous they both had a lot of guns and there was an incident
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where during an argument he shot a gun into the ceiling after the the case with the
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poisoning allegations I saw a picture of the two of them you know arm in-arm attending a Galla together and looking
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like a happy couple he was so hopeful and optimistic that everything would be all right every time she made
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allegations she always came back to him and gave him hope of reconciling at some point Ashley said
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that she wanted to move to Maryland together and start over as a family they were packing up her house in Florida I
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heard some somebody screaming outside and she shot him she walks next door gun in hand and tells the ne neighbor I shot
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Doug in self-defense it's right next door to me she just came over her strange husband attacked her and she
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says she shot him was she genuinely afraid or just trying to get her away since Black Swan came out I think that's
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a lot of people's only window into ballet which sucks but this certainly does Parlay into that narrative to Doug
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Ashley this innocent pure white swan but underneath those white feathers she's the Black Swan
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[Music] [Music] [Music] do you remember your last conversation with your dad he tried to call me but I
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didn't pick up cuz I was at work I said I'll call you later never called him cuz
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I assumed everything would be all right I'd get a Bible verse next morning and I'd call him and everything would be
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okay Eva Benefield got a Bible verse by text every morning from her father duck it was their daily ritual but on
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September 28th 2020 that Bible verse never came a sign that everything was not okay I was freaking out and I I
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spammed him with text messages I called him at of desperation she began Googling
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the names Doug and Ashley Benefield and accident with Florida man later that day Eva called an uncle
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who had texted her and I said what's wrong with my dad and he said there's been an accident and I said she killed
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him didn't she and he said yeah she shot him twice hang on those were the first first
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words out of your mouth where was that coming from I just had a gut feeling I drove a couple blocks down the
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road to my friend's house and they saw that I was crying and they said what's wrong and I said Ashley killed my
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dad it was a tragic end to a relationship that began at a dinner in Florida back in August of 2016 Doug met
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Ashley and felt like he'd been struck by a thunderbolt he just immediately thought Ashley was
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the most beautiful the most amazing person in the world writer Alice Rob wrote a piece
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about the benef fields for Vanity Fair Doug was from Charleston South Carolina a consultant who worked with
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technology companies and defense contractors the two had bonded over conservative values and guns the night
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that she met Doug for the first time she had guns on her person in her purse in her bra Stephanie Murphy Doug's family
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attorney says that when Ashley first met Doug she was working in the Sarasota campaign office of Donald Trump her job
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was to help Galvanize the Evangelical vote and work the rallies you can see video of her on the internet throwing
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things into the crowd getting people really excited aside from her work in politics
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Ashley had also been a fledgling swimsuit model and a dancer with the Marilyn Youth Ballet where she was
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sometimes a featured performer as in this piece from The Nutcracker I've seen videos of her
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dancing she was definitely a good well-trained dancer days after they met Doug left the
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country on a short business trip and by the time his plane was Landing back in the United States the heart emojis were
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flying Fast and Furious they were saying I love you to each other within I think a week or so Doug
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was deeply religious and his friends believe he wanted to marry Ashley before he was intimate with her what did he say
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to you were you marus trip cormany was one of Doug's closest friends and happened to be an ordained Episcopal
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pastor at the time just 13 days had passed since the couple had met trip wasn't thrilled but AG to perform the
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ceremony it was being loyal to my friend Doug invited almost no one to the wedding not even his teenage daughter he
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loves this girl his 15-year-old daughter he goes and gets married and doesn't even tell her yep Tommy Benfield is
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Doug's cousin it's bewildering I would have talked him out of it Eva certainly would have talked
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him out of it Eva was stunned still dealing with an unspeakable trauma 9 months earlier Eva's mother and Doug's
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wife 56-year-old Renee Benefield had died Eva had discovered her mother's body I couldn't get in through the front
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door and she wasn't answering the doorbell or the knock so I crawled through these bushes and then that was
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your parents' bedroom yeah so I could see directly in there the blinds were open the lights weren't on or anything
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and then I could kind of see her silhouette so I went to the door and went to my
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neighbor the neighbor kicked in the door there Renee was dead from an undiagnosed
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heart ailment in the aftermath Doug was right there for his daughter after my mom died he really took kind of a
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motherly role along with a fatherly role he made sure you know I could go to him
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with boy problems with School drama with anything and he would take care of it but 9 months later Eva discovered Doug
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had a new woman in his life I was upstairs and he said Eva we need to come down talk to me and Ashley and I said
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the only thing that you would need to tell me about y'all's relationship is if y'all if you proposed and as soon as
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those words came out of my mouth he said we're married that's a lot it is a lot Doug encouraged Ashley to try and mother
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a reluctant EV who was only 9 years younger he basically told her that I needed somebody I needed a motherly role in my
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life and I didn't think that I needed that the situation became even more complicated when Doug and Ashley allowed
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Eva's friend Sydney to move into the house two teenage girls and a new young wife were a combustible combination and
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during one heated argument with Ashley Doug cracked and a terrible moment he discharged the gun into the ceiling of
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his house his best friend trip says that Doug was filled with regret in his words
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he said I did the dumbest thing I've ever done in my life but that did not end the
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relationship just the opposite 2 days after the gun incident Doug and Ashley threw themselves a formal wedding
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reception complete with guests this time the newlyweds also forged ahead with Ashley's grand plan to create an
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inclusive Ballet Company the idea of it was really great but implementing it was
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something else entirely [Music] [Music] once Ashley started causing trouble and stress that's when he started to realize
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how I was feelings even though there was a growing tension at home between Ashley and Eva
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he promised me that things things were going to be okay eventually Doug went ahead with helping
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Ashley follow her dream establishing a ballet company in Charleston with a unique Mission being
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more inclusive having dancers of every shade color body type things those are all things that I'm a big believer
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in Ashley and Doug hired ballet Master Michael wise to train the dancers they talked to big game about big money he
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says $10 million they promised they'd secured from back and boldly named their new company the American national ballet
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or A&B when you first met Doug what kind of guy did he strike you as kind a very
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serious businessman and had a very methodical approach to a lot of what he did did he know anything about ballet no
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and he was very open about that I was supposed to be working with Ashley to get her to understand how a company
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should be run what was your first impression of Ashley Young and ambitious we were all hoping
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that she would rise to the [Music] occasion in the summer of 2017 Ashley and Doug were there as a and b held
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[Music] auditions I definitely thought that it was something that I wanted to be a part
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of dancer R Mana Hemsley hoped A and B would be her chance to prove herself being a black female dancer is so
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challenging to audition for other companies where you don't fit the mold exactly so I thought that this would be
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a great fit for [Music] me you know if you're in the ballet Community you know there's a lot of crap
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that needs to change Athena nicolopoulos interviewed with Ashley and loved what she heard about her vision it sounded
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like she was genuinely excited to get this new company going and that they were going to try and do things a a
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little bit differently the majority of her dancers were individuals that were very much
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like her had the drive had the want but hadn't necessarily been given an opportunity dancer after dancer proudly
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posted to social media they joined the a andb family but that wasn't the only family
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Ashley had in mind on top of starting a ballet company Ashley also wanted to get pregnant and
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in the midst of putting together the ballet company that's exactly what happened how did that sit with you it
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didn't sit well at all so this kind of felt like another stab in the back there was a lot of stress cuz now they
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basically have two teenage daughters and a little girl on the way at the end of the summer in 2017
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some 40 dancers from all over the world began arriving in Charleston to work with
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Ashley from the first meeting they realized what they'd been promised at A&B wasn't what they'd be
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getting when we get there and we're like where is she and Doug announces that she's bedridden with a really difficult
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pregnancy and so she wasn't going to be there for the first however many months it was explained to me that they
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were going to be developing the state-of-the-art facility in Downtown Charleston day one when we're ready to
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start up they were like can we use your facility each day something would happen
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that just made us feel even more unsettled hi guys the shoes kept dropping the company typically pays for
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the dancers point shoes I remember one day we came in and they're like yeah unfortunately we have to half your
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allotment of shoes this sounds like a professional baseball team not supplying their players with bats yeah that's
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that's exactly what it is on top of all this chaos and confusion the dancers were having
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trouble getting paid their checks were often late if they arrived at all Doug was scrambling to meet the company's
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obligations we would ask him Hey where's the money for our shoes or our paychecks
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he would go to the bank and just pull out cash and and give people cash paying you out of his own pocket in cash is not
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the kind of thing that's going to inspire confidence no no confidence had gone a long time at this point that was
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very long gone and we really thought we're like well when Ashley comes back like that might be what fixes all of
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this but Ashley wasn't coming back at the end of August citing her difficult pregnancy Ashley went back to
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Florida to live with her mother while Doug tried to make the ballet work in Charleston what did you make of that I
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was just kind of like okay I mean that means I get more alone time with my dad to hang out we had a decent amount of
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sympathy for him too we're like jeez he got sucked into this whole thing and poor thing he doesn't really know what
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he's doing he's trying to be there for us as much as he can the Rumblings about trouble in the
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benfield's marriage grew louder it seemed like it was something that was going to crash and burn very
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shortly very shortly in September while Doug was at an event for the ballet Ashley and her mother drove from Florida
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to the house in Charleston and dropped a bombshell the marriage was over she came to Charleston and packed
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up her things and then left Doug this scathing note about all the reasons why she didn't want to be be with him
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anymore in the note Ashley called him possessive and controlling she wrote the incident when
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he'd fired a gun into the ceiling as well as other unsafe Behavior had left her fearful for her life and the safety
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of her unborn child I could see the look in his face when he read it I could just
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tell his heart was broken but Ashley's note was just the beginning he had this family that he
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thought was going to be perfect happy and faithful and it fell apart in the most spectacular way it wasn't long
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before the relationship became truly toxic she thought Doug may have poisoned her
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[Music] this is a pretty long letter she says at the end do not harass or try to follow
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me or I will call the police she does not seem like someone who is open to Getting Back
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Together Ashley's scathing note to Doug left little doubt about her feelings I really think that Ashley
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thought that that was going to be it just pack up her stuff leave a note and it was going to be
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over but Doug wasn't ready to give up he sent Ashley text after text begging her
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to reconsider one of them read I am on my knees and face before God asking you to forgive
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me but Ashley was not in a forgiving mood she decided to call the authorities on Doug cops showed up at my house after
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she left my dad and he wasn't home I had to answer the door she got Child Protective Services
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involved from Florida I hadn't even seen her in months Ashley told police that Doug had anger issues and all about the
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day he fired his gun inside the house investigators interviewed Eva I was constantly having people come up to
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my door and questioning if my dad was a good dad and it just made me so angry because he was and I just kept having to
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repeat myself my dad is a good dad he's never done anything to hurt anyone he wouldn't hurt anyone Doug was
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investigated by CPS and ultimately cleared he'd been evaluated by a psychologist a full psych evaluation who
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said there's nothing wrong with this guy he's not dangerous Doug was struggling on another
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fraud overwhelmed by handling the ballet company Company by mid October we were notified
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that Ashley was stepping down did she jump or was she pushed pushed why because there needed to be
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leadership and Ashley was not being a leader wise was in the room when Doug got a call from Ashley was more than a
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little upset the phone rang he picks it up and you hear Ashley screaming you took my ballet company away from
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me with Ashley gone Doug brought in new leaders who made drastic changes on October 23rd
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2017 some of these dancers including am Mana were called into a meeting told to sign non-disclosure agreements and
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fired and Doug was of no help here no Doug was yeah nowhere to be found that day just like that half the company's
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dancers were [Music] gone two days later Ashley posted on the ballet's social media pages I am
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completely devastated by what has been done and the new leadership has destroyed all that we work so hard to
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build what happened to hurt it helped to know that someone was on our side there
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and that you know this was was never the intention it seemed like a beautiful idea had gone up in smoke within months
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the American national ballet was done Doug was out more than $100,000 his ballet nightmare was over
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but his friends say a new one was just beginning Ashley now had questions about Doug's first wife Eva's mother Renee and
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how she died Ashley texted Doug wait what did she die of again Doug told her that Renee had a 75%
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artery blockage Ashley I thought I have heard you say something about medications or
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something like bad drugs you know I've read the autopsy report it's clear died of a heart attack
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essentially it soon became clear why Ashley was so interested in how Renee died she told Doug's cousin Tommy she
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thought Doug had poisoned Renee even though Doug was out of town at the time what was your reaction you must have
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been like why it's out of left field I'm I'm really confused by that the local police say they closed the case in
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2016 after they got the coroner's report but Ashley talked to writer Alice Rob shared her theory about Renee and made
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another shocking allegation she said that you know as a dancer she'd always known her body well and that she really
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felt like she was even more nauseous than she would have expected as a pregnant woman and she said that she had
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been uh poisoned actually belied that Doug has been poisoning her while she was pregnant with their daughter they
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were both big tea fans and she hearkened back to the times that Doug was bringing
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her tea in bed because she didn't want to get out of bed Doug still hoping for a Reconciliation and having no idea
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about Ashley's suspicions sent her a birthday gift at the end of November 2017 he had purchased a lovely teapot
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and teacups and saucers and this specialty team that was supposed to be for pregnant women the gift fed Ashley's
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growing concerns about Doug she takes it to the police department as hazardous materials and claims that it's how he's
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poisoning her what do the police make of that they treated as hazardous materials
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that day they test it and prove it's not any poisonous materials Ashley also sent
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her hair to an independent lab for testing to determine if she'd been poisoned the report said her hair showed
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higher than normal levels of aluminum zinc and other metals but Doug's lawyer disputes those findings she had gotten
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plenty of lab work done because she was pregnant her medical records in South Carolina her Labs all came back
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normal 3 weeks before her due date without Doug knowing Ashley checked herself into the hospital I don't think
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she was poisoned but that doesn't mean she doesn't think she was poisoned she was at Tampa General
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Hospital claiming the child had been exposed to heavy metals in utero because her husband had poisoned
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her Ashley also claimed without any proof that Doug was physically abusive and had held her prisoner back in
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Charleston she said he had been stalking her in Florida with no way to know if what
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Ashley told them was true the hospital took precautions for her safety and assigned her a new name
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Christina 3 Days Later doctors performed a C-section the baby girl was healthy but Ashley continued to worry
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her baby had been poisoned both Ashley and her daughter were here every single day receiving treatments
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do you think Ashley believed she was poisoned chat now with the 48 Hours team on Facebook
00:26:41
[Music] andex the news that Ashley had given birth to a healthy baby girl in March
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2018 took more than a month to reach Doug said says his lawyer Stephanie Murphy the baby was born about 3 weeks
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early Doug had no idea baby Emerson did not have Doug's last name and Doug was not listed as the father on the original
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birth certificate no one was Ashley wanted to raise her daughter with her mother alone she didn't want to
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co-parent and she kept pursuing her accusation that Doug had killed Renee Eva says that at one point Ashley and
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her mother iisha even pulled Eva aside and they suggest to you that your father had a part in your mother's death right
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what exactly did they say to you they said we're concerned about your safety your dad's a bad guy he does bad things
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I just told them to get away from me but mother and daughter did not go away months later Eva says they renewed
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their accusations and what did they say that time your dad poison and your mom so how'd you react to that I said no we
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didn't I was there I found my mom and that caused a lot of emotional trauma my dad wouldn't do that he loved
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my mom I want to be clear about something was Doug ever charged with any crime no sir and none of the allegations
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were true Ashley did not respond to our request for an interview but she appeared convinced that she and her
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3-month-old baby had been poisoned in her search for help Ashley signed them up for 26 consecutive days of treatment
00:28:37
in this hyperbaric chamber it can detox the body of heavy metals and other toxins safety director Robert cedaro
00:28:45
says Ashley and her daughter spent 40 hours in this 12ers chamber that looks more nautical than medical we call them
00:28:53
Dives because it's we're almost simulating diving like when the divers go out Ashley's daughter was the
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youngest patient ever treated here adults wear a plastic hood while inside the chamber but with a baby things got a
00:29:08
bit tricky Ashley's daughter was really small you know at that time so we ended up taking this um ring and we put it
00:29:15
around her waist it was like she was like a little ballerina and so her half of her body was actually inside of the
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hood in the summer of 2018 the poisoning allegations came ahead when the Benfield
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squared off in a Bradenton Florida courtroom Doug wanted to see his daughter and Ashley was requesting an
00:29:36
injunction to keep him far away an audio recording was made of the proceeding here Stephanie questions Ashley about
00:29:44
the state of her pregnancy you also told Lakewood Ranch OBGYN that um the pregnancy had been uncomplicated correct
00:29:53
is there a page you wouldd like me to reference I'm just asking him is that what you told him I I wouldn't say it
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was uncomplicated my entire life has been complicated for about 2 years okay the OB wrote right in her report
00:30:04
pregnancy has been uncomplicated was that inaccurate I'm not responsible for what the doctor or the nurse writes okay
00:30:11
you have accused your husband of poisoning you yes it is heartbreaking that somebody you would trust would do
00:30:18
something to you but the judge was not persuaded by two days of testimony and the lab test
00:30:26
results Ashley had submitted there is not a single cintilla of credible evidence that Miss Benefield has ever
00:30:37
been poisoned or suffered from any illness of any poison that ruling cleared the way for
00:30:46
Doug to finally see his daughter days later he and Ashley met outside the Sheriff's Office to exchange the baby to
00:30:55
Stephanie's Surprise Ashley was suddenly very accommodating she then immediately
00:31:01
went right up to Doug handed the baby over nice as she could be very cordial she even suggested that the three of
00:31:08
them Doug Ashley and the baby spend time together and Doug said okay sure because
00:31:15
Doug wanted to make the transition as easy for his daughter as possible because to her he was a stranger and I
00:31:24
talked to Doug I said okay it's fine of course please be be careful for the better part of the next year Doug Ashley
00:31:32
and their daughters seemed happy at least according to Doug Doug even moved to a nearby apartment in Florida Doug
00:31:40
thought they were back together that they were doing what they were supposed to do in the beginning which was to
00:31:44
slowly get to know each other um be a family I thought everything was going to be okay but in August 2019 when he met
00:31:53
Ashley to pick up his daughter Doug was stunned to see what he thought was an engagement ring on Ashley's finger Doug
00:32:00
hired a private investigator to find out what was going on the private eye told Doug that ashle was seeing another man
00:32:08
and in November 2019 Doug filed for divorce soon after Ashley began lodging complaints against
00:32:17
Doug Ashley accused Doug of sexually abusing his daughter she accused him of a whole Litany of things byebye bye-bye
00:32:26
Doug vehemently Deni Ed harming his daughter and authorities agreed there was no
00:32:32
evidence Doug then wrote an email in March of 2020 to the Sheriff's Office accusing Ashley of having a split
00:32:41
personality but a few months later Doug did something that seemed Unthinkable in a heads spinning move he
00:32:50
announced that he and Ashley were going to try again to be a family and we're relocating to Maryland Tommy I know we
00:32:58
keep circling back to the same question and I'm sorry it's just any viewer of this hour is going to also be asking
00:33:05
what did Doug need to see before he would say time out we're done he is still believing he can rescue and save
00:33:15
and have a marriage a loving marriage after somebody says you're sexually abusing your
00:33:25
daughter don't you cut and run don't you say I tried right I'm out right yes most people do but not do
00:33:36
she's still presenting to him and to others that they're going to put all this back together
00:33:45
again friends held their breath but hoped for Doug's sake that a miracle reunion was about to happen trip says he
00:33:53
knew better than to even try to talk Doug out of reconciling with Ashley there's nothing I can say that could
00:34:01
possibly turn him around on this he's going to do this if it kills [Music] him go inside the couple's short but
00:34:11
troubled relationship at 48 hours.com he said that their relationship was going really well and
00:34:26
he was just excited for a fresh start on September 27th 2020 Doug Benfield Was preparing to begin his new life he was
00:34:35
moving with Ashley their young daughter and Ashley's mother Alisha from Florida to Maryland so it's Sunday night and
00:34:44
Doug is over at Ashley and Alicia's House and Doug is filling up the U hul Alicia decides to take the baby for a
00:34:52
walk down to the neighborhood park Ashley stayed behind with Doug soon after a neighbor heard screams and
00:35:01
called 911 I heard some somebody screaming outside then Ashley walked to a different neighbor's house carrying her
00:35:09
45 caliber handgun she walks next door gun and hand tells the neighbor I shot Doug in
00:35:19
self-defense the neighbor calls 911 it's right next door to me she just came over
00:35:25
her strange husband attacked her and she says she shot him Ashley can be heard sobbing in the background when the
00:35:33
ambulance arrived Doug was still breathing police and EMTs assisted Doug who had been shot twice in his right leg
00:35:43
and arm police noted that the bullet from his arm traveled into his chest cavity Doug lived for an hour but died
00:35:52
at nearby Doctor's Hospital Ashley was not arrested that night as as detectives began investigating her claim of
00:36:00
self-defense but they'd have to do it without her she didn't speak to detectives at all but Ashley's mother
00:36:07
Alicia told the detective that she and her daughter were victims of domestic abuse and had been living in fear of
00:36:14
Doug for three and 1 half years she claimed that they tried to get help but nobody would help them and Ashley's
00:36:23
lawyer Faith Brown told a detective that Ashley was creating an Escape Plan to get away from Doug once and for all
00:36:31
brown told the detective Ashley was in danger has a psychologist two attorneys and a burner phone Ashley also had a
00:36:40
safe location and a rental car set up Ashley was expected to implement the plan the very next day because as
00:36:49
Ashley's lawyer told a detective she was very concerned Doug was getting wind of
00:36:54
the plan but as detectives investigated Ashley's claim of self-defense became problematic a detective noted that Doug
00:37:07
had no guns or weapons on his person or near him she shot an unarmed man in the days and weeks after the shooting Ashley
00:37:17
did not reveal what happened in that moment in November of 2020 Ashley Benefield was charged with second
00:37:26
deegree murder the arrest weren't noted it appears that Ashley had exhausted all
00:37:31
legal means of keeping the child away from Douglas before the shooting she's pled not
00:37:39
guilty I don't know what Ashley believed writer Alice Rob says it's difficult to
00:37:44
know if Ashley was a victim or a master manipulator was she genuinely afraid and
00:37:52
just trying to protect her baby and save herself or was she trying to get Doug out of her life just out of spite just
00:38:02
cuz she hated him I feel like she part of her wanted to believe that my dad was a good guy
00:38:10
but then there was also a part of her that was scared of him and I think that that part took over why was she scared
00:38:17
of him I think all the allegations she made just she started to believe them a little too much Ashley's mother
00:38:27
mother Alisha buers was granted custody of her grandchild while awaiting trial Ashley was free on Bond and saw her
00:38:35
daughter frequently do you ever think about her Ashley all the time what do you think I just want to know why would
00:38:44
she take away my father my best friend knowing that I don't have another parent I knew something was wrong one day when
00:38:51
he didn't send me a good morning text um and then a couple hours later I got a call that she that she she had shot and
00:38:58
killed him over the past year Eva has been exploring her feelings on Tik Tock using her unique sense of humor to
00:39:07
soothe her pain she posts frequently under the name Eva the freaking Diva where she jokes that her brand is the
00:39:16
girl with the dead parents this isn't the Chum Bucket I Ed dark humor I I just I don't
00:39:23
know I guess it's the way my brain's wired but I'd rather not sit in sulk I'd rather just make light of a
00:39:32
situation these days Eva cherishes her time with Sully the dog who once belonged to her
00:39:39
father and she and Tommy still go to the beach at Sullivan's Island where her father's ashes were
00:39:47
scattered when we stand out here now all these months later any peace I don't think I'm going to get
00:39:57
peace until after the trial is over did you ever dream about your dad a few times what happens in the
00:40:06
dream we're in this big house and he enters the room through the a door and he says I've been in hiding and I need
00:40:15
you to help me and then I run with him and there's a tunnel and then I wake [Music]
00:40:25
up coming up next guess what I know everybody's been waiting for the day next week is her first in-person hearing
00:40:34
which means I'm going to see her in person for the first time since she killed my dad a daughter comes face to
00:40:40
face with her father's accused killer learning disturbing new details it's been difficult for me
00:40:49
hearing about it over again and over again and over again it's just it's a lot they made this all about Doug they
00:40:56
cast Doug in the worst possible light for the first time Ashley Benefield takes the stand claiming Doug tried to
00:41:05
poison her with a gift when I opened it there was an overwhelming strong chemical smell and I got like an instant
00:41:14
headache she says Doug was abusive he'd come at me like he was going to hit me he threw a chair at me then in tears
00:41:23
Ashley's story of what she says happened that night his that you're done I scared
00:41:30
to death she's the kind of person who eventually believes her own lies but just because
00:41:39
someone believes what they're saying doesn't make it true I start pulling the trigger and he just kept coming that's
00:41:51
next on 48 Hours don't miss True Crime and anytime you want anywhere you go with the 48
00:42:00
Hours podcast real crimes real lives like a John Grisham novel come to life real Justice there's some questions that
00:42:09
have to be asked and need to be answered listen to 48 Hours on Apple podcasts [Music]
00:42:28
morning and now the trial of the former ballerina accused of shooting and killing her arranged husband is set to
00:42:34
begin Ashley Benfield is on trial for the murder of her husband in the so-called Black Swan murder case after
00:42:41
so long since the murder I was really excited a little bit anxious about the trial that we were finally going to get
00:42:47
some answers okay bring the jury when you think of the term Black Swan you think of the movie Black Swan
00:42:59
I definitely think it was AP for this case because you have somebody who the prosecution is claiming is aen the
00:43:06
tall the former ballerina and bikini model married 54-year-old Doug Benfield after a whirlwind 13-day
00:43:14
romance on the early evening of September 27th 2020 Ashley Benfield was scared to death and felt she had no
00:43:24
choice but to defend herself I could see how upset he was getting I was trying to
00:43:32
get him to leave he is simmering when he arrives at Ashley's home he's on a slow
00:43:39
boil actually because he knows that this relationship is over he start screaming
00:43:46
at me he said I don't have to leave I can stay and spend the night if I want to cuz I'm her husband Doug Benfield
00:43:53
viewed Ashley Benfield as his property he said you can't fing leave me then what
00:44:02
happens he hit me on the side of the head I ran where to my room Ashley did you have anything in your room that
00:44:12
could protect you I had my gun Doug was standing in the doorway his face was red like the veins were bulging in his
00:44:25
neck he was looking at he didn't even look like dog I held the gun like in front of me and I I said
00:44:34
stop he started coming towards me and then he lunged at me there was a effort by the defense to paint Ashley as the
00:44:44
victim and the thing is Doug is the victim in this case Doug was the one that was murdered you say he slapped
00:44:51
you he hit me was his hand open or closed I R this was an act you grab your firearm
00:45:02
is it in a holster uh I don't remember somebody has a story and when it's not true and you
00:45:10
call them on the details they often say I don't remember so he lunged was his fist up when he led I don't remember I
00:45:19
believe Ashley Beni was an abused woman she just came over her strength husband attacked her and she says she shot
00:45:29
deadly force was absolutely Justified under the circumstances whenever the defendant
00:45:36
takes a stand in a criminal case it is always a huge risk it's either you are acquitted or you walk yourself right
00:45:43
into prison I thought he was going to kill me there was nowhere to go I was trapped
00:45:53
[Music] [Music] after nearly 4 years the trial of Ashley benefi the former ballerina charged with
00:46:44
second deegree murder for shooting her estranged husband Doug began in the summer of
00:46:51
2024 in the leadup to the trial a small group appeared near the courthouse to support Ashley's claims of
00:46:58
self-defense we stand with Ashley outside the manity county courthouse this morning a group showing solidarity
00:47:05
for Ashley Beni among the supporters was Ashley's mother Alicia and Ashley and Doug
00:47:12
6-year-old daughter Emerson who stopped to speak to a reporter it feels like I'm
00:47:18
standing up for the right thing and but I'm doing the right thing for her Emerson's public show of support caught
00:47:24
the attention of her half sister Doug's daughter Eva Benfield well there's a lot
00:47:29
of things that I could say Eva known as Eva the freaking Diva on Tik Tok let her
00:47:36
half million followers know just how she felt so I think that we should probably
00:47:41
stop shoving cameras in six-year-olds faces when they have no idea what's going on lead prosecutor suzan O'Donnell
00:47:50
says she believes Ashley killed Doug to guarantee she'd always be number one in in Emerson's life I think Ashley wanted
00:47:59
sole custody of her child and was very afraid that she was going to lose custody altogether in her opening
00:48:08
statement to jurors odonnell outlined the state's theory of the case this was a custody battle that this mother was
00:48:16
going to win at all costs and the cost was the life of Doug Benfield and that is murder there were
00:48:25
allegations of defense lawyer Neil Taylor Made his argument that Ashley shot Doug in self-defense after he
00:48:32
physically assaulted her Douglas Benfield was a violent abuser Ashley benfield's efforts to Plate him was
00:48:45
absolutely consistent with what Abused women do for the first time ever Ashley would tell a
00:48:54
jury what she says happened that night how are you feeling this morning Ashley nervous all right try the best you can
00:49:04
relax and we'll get through this okay the trial took place in Bradenton Florida near where Ashley was living
00:49:12
with her mother when she killed Doug it was the culmination of a long and complicated relationship and it goes all
00:49:19
the way back to when they met back in 2016 in 2016 Doug was living in Charleston South Carolina and was a
00:49:30
consultant for technology companies at 54 years old Doug was 30 years older than Ashley but as she told
00:49:39
the jury she was still smitten with him he was funny uh very smart Charming um we just instantly
00:49:52
clicked the couple met at a political dinner at the time Ashley was working in the Sarasota campaign office of Donald
00:49:59
Trump and sometimes helped stir up the crowds at his rallies Ashley had also done some
00:50:07
swimsuit modeling and for a time had danced with the Maryland Youth Ballet only 13 days after meeting they
00:50:18
married a lot of people ask why did he marry her so fast Doug civil attorney Stephanie Murphy I mean come on when
00:50:26
Doug first met her she was every single bit as beautiful as those modeling photos will show she was a knockout
00:50:36
describe for us the man you thought you'd marri um he was very loving and attentive
00:50:45
um we led a lot and he made me feel very special and loved Doug invited almost no one to the
00:50:56
wedding not even his teenage daughter Eva he loves this girl his 15-year-old daughter
00:51:04
he goes and gets married and doesn't even tell her yep Tommy Benfield is Doug's cousin it's
00:51:11
bewildering I would have talked him out of it Eva certainly would have talked him out of
00:51:17
it Eva was still dealing with an unspeakable trauma 9 months earlier her mother Doug's then wife had died
00:51:27
it was Eva who discovered the body of 56-year-old Renee Benefield in their home dead from an undiagnosed heart
00:51:36
ailment after my mom died he really took kind of a motherly role along with a fatherly role and he made his daughter a
00:51:47
promise and I said are you going to remarry are you going to start dating are you going to have other kids like
00:51:51
what's going to happen and he said no Eva I'm here for you I don't plan on doing any of that
00:51:57
but just 9 months later Doug told his daughter he had married his new girlfriend that's a lot it is a lot Doug
00:52:06
encouraged Ashley to try to mother a reluctant Eva who was only 9 years younger he basically told her that I
00:52:15
needed somebody I needed a motherly role in my life and I didn't think that I needed that Ashley would later tell
00:52:23
jurors there was tension in the house and just months into their marriage the couple had a major argument about Eva he
00:52:31
pulled the gun out and held it to his head he said that he's going to blow his brains out and I was going to have to
00:52:39
watch him and he pulled the trigger and he shot a hole in the ceiling in the kitchen Doug's friend trip cormany
00:52:50
remembers Doug being embarrassed when he told trip that he fired a gun in the house in his words she said I I did the
00:52:57
dumbest thing I've ever done in my life but even that did not end the relationship instead two days later Doug
00:53:07
and Ashley went ahead with a formal wedding reception the newlyweds were also planning for the future Ashley had
00:53:14
a grand plan to create a National Ballet company I don't know the Doug could spell ballet before he met Ashley and
00:53:23
they wanted to start a family you know when you love somebody buddy what do you want to do you want to make her
00:53:28
[Music] happy even though there was a growing tension at home between Ashley and Eva
00:53:51
he promised me that things things were going to be okay eventually Doug went ahead with helping
00:53:57
Ashley follow her dream establishing a ballet company in Charleston with a unique
00:54:03
Mission Athena nicolopoulos interviewed with Ashley and loved what she heard about her vision for the new company the
00:54:11
American national ballet she didn't want a cookie cutter company she wanted girls
00:54:17
that were tall girls that were short as they worked to get the company off the ground Ashley focused on her
00:54:26
dream becoming a mother there was one problem Doug had a vasectomy but he agreed to have It reversed then before
00:54:35
long Ashley was pregnant how did that sit with you it didn't sit well at all he said he wasn't
00:54:45
planning on doing any of that so this kind of felt like another stab in the back in the summer of 2017 some 40 d ERS
00:54:56
from all over the world began arriving in Charleston to work with Ashley but Ashley was nowhere to be found and we
00:55:04
get there and we're like where is she and Doug announces that she's bedridden with a really difficult pregnancy at the
00:55:12
end of August Ashley went back to Florida to live with her mother while Doug tried to make the ballet work in
00:55:19
Charleston we decided together he said that he couldn't take care of me he was too busy and that my mom could take care
00:55:25
of me better so I was happy to go but one September evening when Doug was out Ashley and her mother came back to the
00:55:34
house in Charleston Ashley would tell the jury about that night I had decided that I was going to leave him and so I
00:55:43
went back to get my things and left him a letter saying why I was leaving in the
00:55:49
letter Ashley called Doug possessive controlling and manipulating she wrote about that incident where he shot a hole
00:55:57
in the ceiling in the kitchen and wrote that his behavior has left me fearful for my life and safety as well as that
00:56:04
of my unborn child she told the jury why she was so afraid of him he would throw things or
00:56:13
break things or smash things he would come at me like he was going to hit me he told me I was lucky that he
00:56:21
punched walls instead of me nearly a year after Doug's death we spoke to his family lawyer Stephanie Murphy about the
00:56:29
letter Ashley left duck I really think that Ashley thought that that was going to be it just pack up her stuff leave a
00:56:37
note and it was going to be over but the letter didn't deter Doug he said text after text begging Ashley to reconsider
00:56:47
instead she reported Doug to the authorities she got Child Protective Services involved from Florida Ashley
00:56:55
told police that Doug had anger issues and was violent investigators interviewed
00:57:02
Eva I was constantly having people come up to my door and questioning if my dad was a good dad and it just made me so
00:57:09
angry because he was after an investigation Doug was cleared but Ashley began asking
00:57:17
questions about the death of Doug's previous wife Eva's mother Renee Ashley texted Doug wait what did
00:57:26
she die of again Doug told her that Renee had a 75% artery blockage Ashley I thought I have heard you say something
00:57:36
about medications or something like bad drugs Doug's cousin Tommy says Ashley told him she thought Doug had poisoned
00:57:47
Renee what was your reaction you must have been like why it's out of left field I've read the autopsy report it's
00:57:53
clear died of a heart attack essentially but Ashley who said she was more nauseous than she would have expected as
00:58:01
a pregnant woman was suspicious Ashley believed that Doug has been poisoning her while she was
00:58:09
pregnant with their daughter they were both big tea fans and she hearkened back to the times that Doug was bringing her
00:58:18
tea in bed after she left him Doug sent her a package of tea for her birthday when I opened it there's an
00:58:27
overwhelming smell like a real strong chemical smell and I got like an instant headache did you report it to the police
00:58:37
yes according to a detective it was determined that the substance that was mailed to the victim was just tea what
00:58:46
was the result no charges by the start of 2018 Doug closed the ballet and was out
00:58:55
of communication with with Ashley but he wanted to be part of his new baby's life
00:59:00
and asked Stephanie to send Ashley a letter allowing him to be there for the birth instead the next day Ashley
00:59:09
checked into the hospital without telling Doug it was 3 weeks before her due date she was at Tampa General
00:59:16
Hospital claiming the child had been exposed to heavy metals in utero because her husband had poisoned her Ashley told
00:59:24
Hospital staffers that when Doug learned she was pregnant he hit her and locked her in a room back in Charleston she
00:59:32
also said Doug had stock her in Florida no charges were filed but the hospital took precautions
00:59:40
and registered her under her middle name Christina 3 Days Later doctors performed
00:59:47
a C-section and Ashley gave birth to a baby girl Doug was not notified I think that Ash 's proposal
00:59:57
from the very beginning was you'll have nothing to do with this [Music] child the news that Ashley had given
01:00:18
birth to a baby girl in March 2018 took more than a month to reach Doug Ashley said she still believed he
01:00:26
had poisoned her and the baby so she signed them up for 26 consecutive days of treatment in this hyperbaric chamber
01:00:35
it can detox the body of heavy metals and other toxins safety director Robert cedaro says Ashley and her 3-month-old
01:00:42
daughter Emerson spent 40 hours in total in the chamber she was the youngest patient ever treated here Ashley's
01:00:50
daughter was really small so we ended up taking this um ring and we put it around
01:00:55
her waist it was like she was like a little ballerina and so her half of her body was actually inside of the
01:01:05
hood in the summer of 2018 the poisoning allegations came to a head when the Benefield squared off in a Bradenton
01:01:13
Florida courtroom Doug wanted to see his daughter and Ashley was requesting an injunction to keep him far away okay
01:01:21
let's go ahead and go on the record of Benfield versus Beni case number an audio recording was made into the
01:01:26
proceeding Ashley accused Doug of poisoning her and told the judge about that incident when Doug fired a gun into
01:01:34
the ceiling if You' Begin by studing your full name for us please Douglas Glass Benfield Doug admitted to firing
01:01:41
the gun and explained to Ashley's attorney that during an argument he wanted Ashley to stop speaking so at
01:01:47
this point you decide that the next way that you're going to do to keep her from
01:01:52
talking about anything is to shoot the gun yeah there's not a lot of great ways to to
01:01:59
figure out what I was thinking it was definitely to put a stop to the conversation but Doug denied poisoning
01:02:09
Ashley in September of 2018 the judge ruled in Doug's favor granting joint custody she said she didn't believe
01:02:18
anything Ashley had to say there is absolutely not a single cintilla of credibility that I'm attaching to
01:02:25
anything that was test by to at least in this hearing of Miss Benefield days later Doug and Ashley met
01:02:33
at the sheriff's office so he could see his six-month-old daughter for the first
01:02:38
time Stephanie says Ashley suggested that the three of them Doug Ashley and Emerson spent time together and Doug
01:02:47
said okay sure because Doug wanted to make the transition as easy for his daughter as possible because to her he
01:02:55
was a stranger over the next year the three of them were together frequently Doug
01:03:02
thought they were back together that they were doing what they were supposed to do in the beginning which was to
01:03:07
slowly get to know each other um be a family I thought everything was going to be
01:03:13
okay but things were not okay and Doug was in for a big surprise Stephanie says in August 2019 Doug found out Ashley was
01:03:24
dating another man Doug filed for divorce and Ashley lodged a new round of accusations about him
01:03:32
Ashley accused Doug of sexually abusing his daughter she accused him of a whole Litany of things byebye bye-bye Doug vly
01:03:42
denied the allegations and the Sheriff's Office seemed to agree they investigated
01:03:47
and closed all of the cases regarding allegations of abuse without filing charges I want to be clear about
01:03:55
something was Doug ever charged with any crime no sir in the summer of 2020 Ashley made
01:04:04
plans to move to Maryland with her mother and daughter despite the difficulties in
01:04:10
their relationship Doug chose to join them Doug told friends he still wanted to be part of his daughter's life and
01:04:19
continued to hope he could reconcile with Ashley and have a fresh start in Maryland
01:04:26
there is nothing I can say that could possibly turn him around on this he's going to do this if it kills
01:04:34
him it was September 27th 2020 the day the turbulent relationship between the benfields finally boiled
01:04:43
over Doug arrived at Ashley and her mother Alicia's home to help pack for the move Alicia decides to take the baby
01:04:52
for a walk down to the neighborhood park Ashley stayed behind IND with Doug it was shortly thereafter when Ashley ran
01:05:00
to her next door neighbor sobbing and carrying her 45 caliber gun and he called 911 it's right next door to me
01:05:09
she just came over her strange husband attacked her and she says she shot him Doug had been shot in the leg and
01:05:19
chest he lived for an hour but died at a nearby hospital Ashley's attorney met her at the Sheriff's Office detectives
01:05:28
began investigating Ashley's claim of self-defense but they'd have to do it without her she didn't speak to
01:05:36
detectives at all but after a month of Investigation in November of 20120 Ashley Benfield was charged with second
01:05:45
deegree Murder She pleaded not guilty after 17 days in jail Ashley posted a $100,000 bond
01:05:57
it was nearly 3 years later in July of 2023 next week is her first inperson hearing that there was a key Hearing in
01:06:06
the case that brought everyone together including Doug's daughter Eva which means I'm going to see her in person for
01:06:14
the first time since she killed my dad Ashley's team had asked for the case to be dismissed claiming she had shot
01:06:23
Doug in self-defense and Pro persecutors were fighting it did you do the autopsy
01:06:29
of Doug Benfield yes I did Eva wasn't fully prepared to hear the details of her father's death the the projectile
01:06:37
path went through the chest wall on the right side and then it hit the right lung it's talking about my dad in a way
01:06:45
that doesn't feel very Humane they refer to the the murder the shooting is the incident and they they pulled up
01:06:53
pictures of his body and you know they referred to my dad as the victim did you in fact process the victim's shirt in
01:07:00
this case I did it's been difficult for me to kind of grasp what's going on and then hearing about it over again and
01:07:07
over again and over again it's just it's a lot the judge denied Ashley's motion to
01:07:15
dismiss the case Ashley would have to stand trial for killing Doug and that is when Ashley would tell the jury her
01:07:23
version of what happened that night night I said I'm done and you need to leave now he said you can't leave
01:07:34
[Music] [Music] me one of the first Witnesses at Ashley's murder trial was Doug's
01:07:50
23-year-old daughter please state your name Eva Benfield Eva had lived with Doug and Ashley when they were newly
01:07:58
wits and saw firsthand how they interacted did you ever hear your dad at any time yell at her no did you ever see
01:08:06
or hear your dad threaten her no did you ever see or hear your dad get physical with her
01:08:13
no prosecutors next called John S to the stand you saw me swear with her he is the neighbor Ashley ran to after
01:08:22
shooting Doug his 911 call was played for the jury calm down honey calm down she's with me now quite upset the weapon
01:08:31
is here said if he attacked her and she shot him prosecutors asked s if he had noticed any bruises on Ashley that night
01:08:40
at any time during this um interaction with Ashley did she appear to have any injuries no the next morning prosecutors
01:08:52
called Ashley's mother Alicia buers to the state D good morning she swore that Ashley had never discussed with her
01:09:00
details of the shooting to this day you've never talked about it no prosecutor Rebecca Friel found that
01:09:08
curious she never said Mama he beat me or he was coming at me or any of those things we thought that was important to
01:09:15
show that the person who's probably the closest to her in the world was unaware of those
01:09:20
things to show how Ashley behaved when she didn't get her away prosecutors called Detective Chris Gillum where do
01:09:28
you work Manatee County Sheriff's Office detective Gillum testified that Ashley once demanded that he arrest Doug in
01:09:35
court before a sitting judge for contacting her when he was not supposed to Gillum refused her tone turned
01:09:44
from the crying to very aggressive and she says you will effing arrest him in front of the judge and I will make sure
01:09:51
you do it what did you say to that I said it's not going to happen she started crying again
01:09:57
and came out with a comment something fact of I can't believe you're willing to allow Doug to kill me and the baby
01:10:07
the prosecution presented this video found on Doug's phone to show that Ashley was never afraid of Doug it was
01:10:14
taken just one week before the shooting Doug is recording himself playing a game with Ashley her mother
01:10:24
and Emerson but maybe the prosecution's most important witness was medical examiner
01:10:31
Dr Russell Vega and that's the chest injury just to the right side of his right nipple he testified about the two
01:10:38
bullets that hit Doug in the leg and chest would you be so kind as to stand up and kind of point on your body to
01:10:44
where the entrance room would be certainly thanks sir thank you sir you're welcome because
01:10:52
prosecutors say Doug was shot in the side they theorized that he was likely turning to run away when he saw Ashley
01:11:00
point the gun your honor this time date rest it was defense lawyer Neil Taylor's
01:11:06
turn the defense calls Ashley Benfield he called Ashley to the stand and asked about the times she was afraid of duck
01:11:14
sometimes he would drive really scary yelling and screaming at me like running up on curbs one time he almost
01:11:22
hit a tree he would get a my face he'd yell at me he'd come at me like he was going to hit me and Ashley said Doug
01:11:32
once punched the family dog Sully he punched him in the face so hard that he knocked him
01:11:40
out I just remember screaming cuz I thought he had killed him at an earlier hearing Doug was asked about Sully you
01:11:47
also punched the dog the day that you discharged the fire he jumped up he's a big dog and he
01:11:54
jumped up in my lap and yeah I mean I admit I hit him I didn't hit him like you would you know hit a punching back
01:12:01
or anything but I hit him Tor asked Ashley to tell jurors her version of the night she shot and killed
01:12:08
Doug Ashley testified that as the couple packed for their move to Maryland Doug became agitated because Ashley had
01:12:16
insisted Doug get his own apartment I tried to change the subject I could see how upset he was getting Ashley told jur
01:12:25
the Doug bumped into her and pushed a box into her side she said he hit her in the face when she tried to leave then
01:12:33
she said she ran into a bedroom where Doug followed her and that is when she grabbed her nearby 45 caliber gun one of
01:12:41
three in the home I I held the gun like in front of me and I I said stop and he like turned and he got into
01:12:54
this like with like a fighting stance he started like moving his arms and his hands around he started coming
01:13:02
towards me and then he lunged at me and I started pulling the trigger actually tell ladies and gentlemen the jury why
01:13:12
you shot Doug I was scared to death I thought he was going to kill me as you sit here
01:13:26
today Ashley how do you feel about what happened horrible he's the father of my child I'm going have to explain it all
01:13:40
to her after a break Ashley returned to the stand Taylor then produced an old text
01:13:55
from Doug's previous wife Renee it was undated but Ashley said she found it on an old cell phone he read aloud what
01:14:04
Renee wrote to duck I was deeply disappointed that you distorted the truth about who you really were when I
01:14:13
married you I loved you though finding out you weren't really what you pretended to be you kicking me so hard
01:14:22
on New Year's Eve on our honeymoon because you were having trouble functioning in certain areas you holding
01:14:29
a gun to your head twice in my home when you hear that text message it helps Ashley benfield's case criminal defense
01:14:37
lawyer Matt tanic who attended and followed this trial says he feels that text supports Ashley's contention that
01:14:46
Doug was abusive this isn't the first woman he is potentially abused Doug's divorce attorney Stephanie
01:14:53
Murphy says she wants once asked Doug about that text and he confirmed Renee had sent it to him Doug said that yes
01:15:02
they had some struggles and yes there was an incident during their honeymoon but it was not at all as Renee was
01:15:08
describing it Ashley's lawyer ended her direct testimony where was your firearm Ashley would now have to go head-to-head
01:15:17
with lead prosecutor suzan O'Donnell who had a surprise in store judge if I could
01:15:23
have her step down so she can stra what do you make of Ashley's testimony chat now with the 48 Hours
01:15:33
team on Facebook and [Music] [Music] X good afternoon we're back on the record in State versus Ashley
01:15:51
Benfield Ashley Benfield walked back into courtroom 6A after a lunch break she'd spent 2 hours that morning
01:15:59
testifying about the alleged abuse at the hands of her husband duck my state you may begin your cross-examination but
01:16:06
now as she took the stand again I would like to just start with a couple of issues it was prosecutor suzan
01:16:13
O'Donnell's turn and Ashley admitted Doug never physically abused her before he allegedly hit her the night of the
01:16:21
shooting Doug Benfield never punched you ever correct um yeah I think that's correct
01:16:29
Doug Benfield never choked you ever no he never kicked you no the prosecutor called Ashley down from the witness
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stand to demonstrate what happened that night and I help the gun out in front of
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me I said stop got into this like fighting and like turned sideways and he was like moving around
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with his like arms in his hands and he thr the inching forward towards me I think it's invaluable in a case like
01:16:59
this that the jury see what her version of events is so he's standing there he turns to like this and starts moving his
01:17:09
arms around like that well show me what was he doing like I don't he got like this
01:17:15
and he was like making like fighting motions I don't know I'm not figh I don't know I don't know that it came off
01:17:21
as genuine as she expected it to we have to look at what she said versus the physical evidence and see if it
01:17:31
matches came very quickly okay so he lunged was his fist up when he led I don't remember the state insists
01:17:39
Ashley's story didn't match with the medical examiner's testimony that Doug was shot in the side Doug's cousin Tommy
01:17:47
agrees if Doug was really lunging at her the way she said he would have been presenting the front of his body that's
01:17:56
not how he was shot she's the kind of person who eventually believes her own lies but just because someone believes
01:18:05
what they're saying doesn't make it true but the defense continued to portray the
01:18:11
idea that Doug was abusive they made this all about Doug they cast Doug in the worst possible light did you counsel
01:18:21
Douglas Benfield I did yes both Ashley and Doug they called Dr Jason Quintel a trauma counselor who worked with the
01:18:29
couple in the months before the shooting Doug occurred as someone who was domineering and at times would be super
01:18:38
controlling did you conclude whether there was an intimidation issue present Ashley stated that she was
01:18:46
scared of Doug Mr Taylor call your next witness fence calls Bruce Ferris domestic violence expert Bruce Ferris
01:18:54
met with asley after the shooting and said her behavior was consistent with having suffered abuse he addressed that
01:19:01
video of Ashley her mother and Doug laughing just a week before she killed him Ferris said victims of domestic
01:19:10
violence often appease their abusers to keep the peace we've all heard the term walking on eggshells they're trying to
01:19:18
avoid aggression by their partner because they grown to believe that there's a threat here Taylor says Ashley
01:19:25
was only pretending to get along with Doug so he wouldn't harm her or Emerson are you saying to me that Ashley was
01:19:33
like I'll just sort of keep him happy so that he doesn't get violent with me that's exactly what I'm saying to
01:19:44
you domestic violence is absolutely a real problem people that feel like they cannot get out they have no way to get
01:19:53
out that is not this defendant but in closing arguments prosecutor odonnell told the jury Ashley was not afraid of
01:20:03
Doug not the day of the video and not the day she killed him she did not have to shoot him she had an
01:20:11
agenda and it worked for what she wanted and she got what she wanted so custody of the
01:20:18
J and that's murder thank you but in his closing Ashley's attorney reminded the jury Ashley spent years trying to get
01:20:28
authorities to protect her and Emerson from Duck she filed complaint after complaint after complaint calling Doug
01:20:38
benfield's Behavior to the attention of the authorities with no result he insisted
01:20:45
Ashley only shot doug because her life was in danger that night I've presented to you everything that I possibly could
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to show you what Ashley knew about Doug at the time they took place to show you that her action in using deadly force
01:21:06
was reasonable we're confident you will return a verdict of not guilty in this case the jury began deliberating in the
01:21:16
afternoon and continued late into the night after nearly 7 hours I've been informed there is a verdict
01:21:26
lawyers friends and family return to the courtroom to hear the jury's decision the defendant is guilty of manslaughter
01:21:35
a lesser included offense guilty of manslaughter but not second degree murder murder too requires some kind of
01:21:43
intent manslaughter doesn't require that it's more of heat of passion the jury's
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essentially saying we don't think she pre-planned this but we also don't think she was justified in doing it some of
01:21:55
any conviction that will put Ashley in prison comes as a welcome relief to Doug's family and
01:22:01
friends I also want to adise you the highlight of the trial for me personally was hearing the verdict right out
01:22:10
loud the second best thing was hearing the click of the handcuffs we are walking to my car from
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the Courthouse Eva updated her followers about the verdict my dad got the justice
01:22:29
that he deserves she's hoping one day to play a role in the life of Emerson who is still
01:22:40
being raised by Ashley's mother Alisha I hope that one day she'll grow into a strong young woman and I'll be able to
01:22:46
get to know her and explain to her who her father was and and show her all the pictures and videos and just really tell
01:22:53
her how life should have been Ashley faces up to 30 years in prison State Attorney Ed Brodsky who
01:23:02
runs the prosecutor's office says they will ask the judge to sentence her to the maximum this was an example of
01:23:11
someone that wanted to take the law into her own hands and that was the bridge that she crossed too
01:23:17
[Music] far as the years have gone by and the colors fade you see that she's actually
01:23:26
the Black Swan and always has [Music] been don't miss True Crime anytime you want anywhere you go with the 48 Hours
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