GUILTY FL - Doug Benefield, 58, shot and killed by estranged wife, Manatee County, 27 Sept 2020

[nodamselindistress]

Early marriage details coming in now. It was weird to me not to go chronologically but I guess Taylor had his reasons.

 

[Trinitee]

I think Ashley has displayed the least amount of eye contact out of any witness I have observed on the stand providing testimony.

 

[bobbymkii]

The Jackie Chan karate-stance and the scratches from the cardboard box are what does it for me. This defendant is just making up events to try and fit the prosecution evidence.

MOO

 

[I am not Sherlock H.]

Are any of the texts being read now by defense counsel into the record prejudicial? Relevance? What were her responses to them at that time? Are those not being shared with the jury? SMH

IANAL. MOO

 

[bobbymkii]

Are any of the texts being read now by defense counsel into the record prejudicial? Relevance? What were her responses to them at that time? Are those not being shared with the jury? SMH

IANAL. MOO

IA(also)NAL, but they've just read out text messages between DB and his ex-wife. Two persons who are now deceased and therefore neither are available to verify their legitimacy or context behind them. Is that not the most egregious piece of hearsay ever admitted as evidence in court?

MOO

 

[I am not Sherlock H.]

IA(also)NAL, but they've just read out text messages between DB and his ex-wife. Two persons who are now deceased and therefore neither are available to verify their legitimacy or context behind them. Is that not the most egregious piece of hearsay ever admitted as evidence in court?

MOO

Thanks bobbymkii! I had missed that other key point. Those were texts between the late DB and his other now deceased wife? SMH……. If so…… Unbelievable….. simply astonishing. How was that allowed or relevant for this case or trial? IA(also)NAL…. MOO

 

[Kakidoll]

Court TV just called it. Amber heard vibes love it.

 

[bobbymkii]

Place your bets people. How may times will we hear the words "I don't recall" on cross examination?

 

[Weki]

His eyes were black and he took a fighting stance????? lol. I’m a bit behind on the feed! This is so fake! Gimme a break! She reminds me of Jodi Arias. I wouldn’t be surprised if she has taken notes from other guilty defendants who have used this type of defense before! JMO

ETA - This judge is a boss! He wouldn’t let her off the stand nor allow her atty to talk to her. He didn’t recess. He just sat there and let her “compose herself” while everyone waited ON THE RECORD!!

 

[I am not Sherlock H.]

I am betting that defense counsel will try to keep AB on direct through the late afternoon. So prosecutor cannot start cross before the weekend. I hope I am wrong. But if counsel further slows to 1/4 speed it will be more apparent. MOO

 

[Weki]

If defense gives the state the weekend to prepare for cross it will be a huge win for the state.

 

[Weki]

Nvm I see he let her get off the stand eventually since the jurors weren’t ready to come back so quickly and took a recess. But still! I’m loving this judge’s no nonsense we’re not playing games here attitude. lol

 

[scapa]

Hmmm...
It seems he was bankrupt, no?
Were the ballerinas employed in failed business paid?

I must dive deeper into the case.

Different finances and outcomes, fortunately, but the partner psychologies in this case remind me a bit of the Remley murder-for-hire case. Grandiosity, failed schemes, exploitation or anyone and everyone and chronic instability and volatility. Another profoundly flawed storm.

This doesn't seem a SYG case to me. But then they rarely do.

Woman behind failed horse show reaches plea deal in husband’s murder-for-hire plot

The 43-year-old unknowingly told an undercover detective how she ‘wanted her husband killed and his body disposed’

www.independent.co.uk

 

[Dotta]

Kinda weird they didn't go into how they met, how the home life was, etc, etc. Just right into the day of the shooting. It's very odd how much has NOT been allowed into this trial. I have no idea how their marriage went downhill or anything about it from her side. I want to know why she really left him to go have her baby away from him. What event(s) made her want to leave this man and the marriage. Something beside morning sickness made her want to get out of it. If that is all being suppressed by the court, I think that is going to be a problem.

This is her chance and there's no build-up to the shooting really. I don't know if it's because the defense has been so limited in their ability to show any hint of prior domestic violence. I think she should at least be able to show that prior events show her frame of mind going into this event. Without it, I don't see how she walks away from this.

On the other hand I don't think the prosecution's case showed a whole lot either. All we have is the forensics and I don't think we really got a good picture of what really happened thru that.

I've been following different streams that different crime channels are streaming on YouTube and I've been monitoring the chats. There's a surprising amount of support for her. Here, it seems like everyone has made up their minds. I haven't yet.

It might be the reason to appellate IMO.

 

[RealForReal]

I went into this not knowing much- and was pro- prosecution- but now I’m not so sure hearing her testify. What are your thoughts?

 

[nodamselindistress]

Lunch break until 1 pm. Then we begin cross of AB.

 

[Weki]

Those messages from his former wife!!! Whoa. I wasn’t expecting that! I kinda figured Doug was not a very nice person. A shady character. The testimony about him hitting the animals a handful of times will make an impression.

I’m not convinced she was in fear for her life at the time she shot him. I think she wanted to get rid of him. Ultimately, what counts is whether she was in fear of her life at the time of the shooting. I hope the state can do some serious damage on cross.

JMO

 

[I am not Sherlock H.]

IMO all of this defense evidence of past acts and presence of the now slain husband and the repeated indications of calls placed to police - resulting in no charges - this only reinforces one of the prosecution’s earlier position. And that the defendant was perhaps frustrated by the inaction of police. And ultimately it seems she took matters into her own hands?

Sure hope prosecutors hone in on this in their cross of the defendant. And see if they can elicit some testimony and defendant behavior on the stand. This amongst the other plethora of items she has opened up under her direct testimony. MOO

 

[Weki]

Exactly. She was frustrated and wanted to get rid of him. You can’t just kill someone that you decided to marry within 14 days, insist they reverse their vasectomy and have a baby with. If everyone killed someone they got involved with so impulsively who turned out to be crazy the population would be reduced significantly. The state needs to really have a strong cross. Some ppl think hurting animals deserves the death penalty so it’s not unfathomable some jurors will hate this victim just based on that alone.

JMO

 

[nodamselindistress]

(Snipped)
Some ppl think hurting animals deserves the death penalty so it’s not unfathomable some jurors will hate this victim just based on that alone.

Very true. I worry about this happening.