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

[Izzylizzy]

DV is both physical and emotional abuse.

Imo, if the defendant appears to be a DV victim, it is not good for the state.

Defendant’s testimony was painful to watch. Shame on the state for the aggressiveness. Not a good look for the state and it may backfire. If there’s anyone on the jury that can relate to DV then the state lost their case due to lack of evidence. Curious why the state brought this to trial when the evidence not strong. They had nothing so attacked the defendant?

An acquittal, moo.

There is no reason to kill someone, ever. I do not advocate or promote violence. The defendant was wrong to shoot DB and it appeared to be overkill.

DV is horrible for victims and it’s a difficult situation to get yourself out of - it can sometimes take years to remove yourself from dysfunctional home life. One can’t imagine unless it's experienced first hand. jmo

All only an opinion, as always.

What was the state, who indicted her for 2nd degree murder supposed to question her on?

I think she got off easy and I was informed here there were topics that couldn't be brought into the trial as evidence by the state.
As we've seen in other cases supporters are known to come to a defendant's defense from the get-go and just on the basis that they share some common denominators with the defendant which I see as quite naive


imo:
Claiming you are a DV victim charged with killing does not give you carte blanche w/o any legal consequences.

 

[Izzylizzy]

I couldn't believe my eyes when O'Donnell asked AB to step down from the witness box and physically demonstrate how DB was standing when she was in the middle of a massive (real or fake) meltdown. That was such a risky move directly in front of a jury potentially sympathetic to the defendant.

That would have been much more appropriate if the background to the case was a road range incident or a bar fight between strangers that got out of hand. But in a case involving two people involved in an intimate relationship? It was only ever going to be a farcical spectacle IMO.

I would be keen to know what others think about this. Also, I think I might be the first person in this thread to call either of the State's attorneys by their names? And I had to google it!

JMO

AB claims that it was DB's so-called Ninja movements that caused her to shoot him then shoot him again and again, so I see her being asked to demonstrate makes prosecution sense.

I posted this last night.

"My hope is that one of the main things the jury discusses is if DB was coming after her to kill her how did she have enough time to run from the front door that he was blocking, get to her room and retrieve her gun from a storage bin before he entered the room?
To me this makes no sense.
One possibility I see as having happened is that he did follow her but not at a speed indicating that he was in a fit of rage.
He followed her and when he entered the bedroom saw her pointing the gun at him and he did a stupid ninja-like dance kind of indicating that he didn't take her seriously.
She also didn't have any bruises that showed someone hit her face with force or even hit her at all.
She couldn't even remember how he hit her.
If I was on her jury I would have so many questions for discussion."

 

[Izzylizzy]

The timeline for these two is unclear to me, but I'm guessing they only lived together for about a year,give or take. When she moved to her mother's it doesn't seem like they lived together again, but I could be wrong. It seems they did things together as a family off and on and then she got a boyfriend and he filed for divorce but they ended up seeing each other once again. I would guess DB supported her and the child until she killed him. Then the social security kicks in and also possibly his naval retirement. Her wanting a baby right away insured she would receive at a minimum child support and possibly spousal support. The reason for the rush to have a baby seems pretty cut and dry to me. DB was taken for a ride and was the willing obsessed financially secure older man with a young wife and he became the victim rather than AB.JMOO

If she's acquitted could she collect these benefits for herself and daughter?


"Then the social security kicks in and also possibly his naval retirement."

 

[Wishbone]

This is from an older article and contains information not presented at trial. Worth a read.

snipped
While Ashley made no statements to sheriff deputies, her mother and her lawyer Faith Brown did. Her mother said she and Ashley had been living in fear of Doug for three-and-a-half years. She claimed they tried to get help from the authorities but that no one would help them. Ashley's allegations against Doug had been investigated by the authorities but Doug was never charged with a crime. Alicia countered that Doug "knows how to play the game."
Brown told police that Ashley was planning to get away from Doug once and for all and had an escape plan. Ashley, Brown said, had a safe place to stay, a burner phone, and a rental car rented under a different name. She told deputies that Ashley wanted to put the plan into effect the next day because she was afraid Doug had "gotten wind of it."
Investigators determined that Doug had been shot twice while he was turned away from Ashley. He was shot once in the leg and once in the arm and that bullet traveled into his chest cavity.
Only Ashley knows exactly what happened, but she hasn't made any statements. Five weeks after the shooting, Ashley was arrested and charged with second degree murder. She pleaded not guilty. She was released on bond after spending about two weeks in jail.
It remains unclear whether Ashley really did fear for her life or if she's a manipulative "black swan" straight out of a Hollywood film. Her trial is not expected to take place until 2023.

Is Ashley Benefield the real-life "Black Swan"?

Former ballerina kills her husband, claiming self-defense

www.cbsnews.com

 

[Rachelxx2]

DV is both physical and emotional abuse.

Imo, if the defendant appears to be a DV victim, it is not good for the state.

Defendant’s testimony was painful to watch. Shame on the state for the aggressiveness. Not a good look for the state and it may backfire. If there’s anyone on the jury that can relate to DV then the state lost their case due to lack of evidence. Curious why the state brought this to trial when the evidence not strong. They had nothing so attacked the defendant?

An acquittal, moo.

There is no reason to kill someone, ever. I do not advocate or promote violence. The defendant was wrong to shoot DB and it appeared to be overkill.

DV is horrible for victims and it’s a difficult situation to get yourself out of - it can sometimes take years to remove yourself from dysfunctional home life. One can’t imagine unless it's experienced first hand. jmo

All only an opinion, as always.

Yeah I agree the cross was very painful and I felt sorry for Ashley especially making her recreate what happened the night she shot Doug, seems like the pros was trying to re traumatise her. I wonder if she'll get not guilty or an acquittal.

 

[bobbymkii]

AB claims that it was DB's so-called Ninja movements that caused her to shoot him then shoot him again and again, so I see her being asked to demonstrate makes prosecution sense.

I posted this last night.

"My hope is that one of the main things the jury discusses is if DB was coming after her to kill her how did she have enough time to run from the front door that he was blocking, get to her room and retrieve her gun from a storage bin before he entered the room?
To me this makes no sense.
One possibility I see as having happened is that he did follow her but not at a speed indicating that he was in a fit of rage.
He followed her and when he entered the bedroom saw her pointing the gun at him and he did a stupid ninja-like dance kind of indicating that he didn't take her seriously.
She also didn't have any bruises that showed someone hit her face with force or even hit her at all.
She couldn't even remember how he hit her.
If I was on her jury I would have so many questions for discussion."

I definitely agree that the ninja stance (I've been calling it the "Jackie Chan pose") is a weak defense. The idea that someone would react like that to someone pointing a loaded gun at them is preposterous and that she's only claiming this to try and explain why DB was shot in his side (IMO). Whatever happened I'm finding it hard to believe that AB was at risk of death or serious harm from DB when she shot him.

But asking her to come down there and physically demonstrate how he was acting while she's in the middle of a nervous breakdown and shaking uncontrollably was a ludicrous idea IMO. Maybe the jury agree and think she's full of S. Maybe they don't. I'm pretty sure O'Donnell could have impeached the defendant on this crucial issue in a more practical fashion than that.

JMO

 

[ilovewings]

The timeline for these two is unclear to me, but I'm guessing they only lived together for about a year,give or take. When she moved to her mother's it doesn't seem like they lived together again, but I could be wrong. It seems they did things together as a family off and on and then she got a boyfriend and he filed for divorce but they ended up seeing each other once again. I would guess DB supported her and the child until she killed him. Then the social security kicks in and also possibly his naval retirement. Her wanting a baby right away insured she would receive at a minimum child support and possibly spousal support. The reason for the rush to have a baby seems pretty cut and dry to me. DB was taken for a ride and was the willing obsessed financially secure older man with a young wife and he became the victim rather than AB.JMOO

That's about how I see it--- I see her as a really rotten person and a murderer--- but I can see an acquittal or a hung jury - she is quite a good actress- looked catatonic throughout the trial, sad, demure, then on the witness stand when she described shooting him, her testimony was believable ( I don't believe it), but a jury certainly could-- she is the type of woman that at least one juror will sympathize with.

 

[Izzylizzy]

What was AB's reasoning for this?
I find it very concerning.
Concerning that the company that administered the oxygen therapy to a 3 month old when it's said that the child should be at least 15 months and AB subjecting her 3 month old daughter.

When Doug and Ashley Benefield Started a Ballet ...
Vanity Fair
https://www.vanityfair.com › Style › new york city ballet




Sep 2, 2021 — ... her three-month-old daughter for 26 sessions in an oxygen chamber. (Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is typically administered to scuba divers .

 

[Izzylizzy]

I definitely agree that the ninja stance (I've been calling it the "Jackie Chan pose") is a weak defense. The idea that someone would react like that to someone pointing a loaded gun at them is preposterous and that she's only claiming this to try and explain why DB was shot in his side (IMO). Whatever happened I'm finding it hard to believe that AB was at risk of death or serious harm from DB when she shot him.

But asking her to come down there and physically demonstrate how he was acting while she's in the middle of a nervous breakdown and shaking uncontrollably was a ludicrous idea IMO. Maybe the jury agree and think she's full of S. Maybe they don't. I'm pretty sure O'Donnell could have impeached the defendant on this crucial issue in a more practical fashion than that.

JMO

Okay, now I get where you're coming from about her so-called Ninja threat on her life but since it's her self-defense for killing him I still think it was the right decision for the state.

<modsnip - Not an approved source>

 

[bobbymkii]

Yeah I agree the cross was very painful and I felt sorry for Ashley especially making her recreate what happened the night she shot Doug, seems like the pros was trying to re traumatise her. I wonder if she'll get not guilty or an acquittal.

It reminded me quite a lot of the end of Kim Potter's cross examination when the prosecutor was going in on her really hard while she was sobbing uncontrollably. Unlike AB I am certain that Potter's emotion was genuine remorse but I thought they really risked ruining the case by going in too hard on a potentially sympathetic defendant.

KP was found guilty. AB? We shall see.

JMO

 

[Wishbone]

What was AB's reasoning for this?
I find it very concerning.
Concerning that the company that administered the oxygen therapy to a 3 month old when it's said that the child should be at least 15 months and AB subjecting her 3 month old daughter.

When Doug and Ashley Benefield Started a Ballet ...
Vanity Fair
https://www.vanityfair.com › Style › new york city ballet




Sep 2, 2021 — ... her three-month-old daughter for 26 sessions in an oxygen chamber. (Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is typically administered to scuba divers .

She subjected her child to that treatment when it was proved there was no Poisoning.

Article with information about the false poisoning allegations and more.
Snipped
But the judge was not persuaded by two days of testimony and the lab test results Ashley had submitted:

JUDGE DIANA MORELAND [Court audio]: There is not a single scintilla of credible evidence that Ms. Benefield has ever been poisoned or suffered from any illness of any poison.

That ruling cleared the way for Doug to finally see his daughter.Days later, he and Ashley met outside the sheriff's office to exchange the baby. To Stephanie's surprise, Ashley was suddenly very accommodating.

Did a former ballerina accused of murder shoot her husband in self-defense?

To some, Ashley Benefield is a woman who fought back from alleged abuse. To others, she's a manipulative murderer who shot her husband so she would not have to share custody of their daughter.

www.cbsnews.com

 

[ilovewings]

I think for me the false poisoning allegations against her husband and subjecting her baby to oxygen therapy really really told me all I needed to know about who she is and what she would do to get what she wanted. I hope she is found guilty-- but I am not counting on it. I still think she is evil.

 

[CaliGrandmax4]

I finally read the Vanity Fair article. Yesterday AB tesitified the fight in the kitchen where the gun was waved at her and DB shot a hole in the kitchen ceiling, was over a shadow box that EB took apart and placed a rose in. The article says that AB found EB’s diary and EB hated AB. So why was AB snooping around so much?

 

[Izzylizzy]

I finally read the Vanity Fair article. Yesterday AB tesitified the fight in the kitchen where the gun was waved at her and DB shot a hole in the kitchen ceiling, was over a shadow box that EB took apart and placed a rose in. The article says that AB found EB’s diary and EB hated AB. So why was AB snooping around so much?

BBM:
The fight over the shadowbox led to the gun being thrown and hitting the wall.
AB claims DB threw the gun at her and missed.
The shot in the ceiling was a different time

AB's testimony on the fight/shadowbox .

4:51:40 prosecutor.

 

[charminglane]

If she gets acquitted, don't be surprised if she hunts down another older man with cash. Lot of that going around these days.

I have envisioned "accidents" for the daughters.

 

[Wishbone]

I have envisioned "accidents" for the daughters.

The youngest child is her meal ticket so unless AB gets a really big fish on the hook she should be safe.JMO

 

[Weki]

I think the primary reason she wanted to get pregnant is because these two were living in some fantasy world of embodying “family values.” They were enamored with the identity not the actual values. It was a manic thing for both of them. I think they were both experiencing difficult transitions and this was supposed to be the balm. And the fantasy burst. JMO

 

[CaliGrandmax4]

BBM:
The fight over the shadowbox led to the gun being thrown and hitting the wall.
AB claims DB threw the gun at her and missed.
The shot in the ceiling was a different time

AB's testimony on the fight/shadowbox .

4:51:40 prosecutor.

Thank you. I didn’t realize it was 2 different incodents.

 

[Izzylizzy]

I am so freaking confused on what's allowed in as evidence and what's not and what is and isn't being presented to the jury.
I was understanding that there was evidence DB abused their dog, hitting it and knocked it unconscious.

It does seem like the trial is filled with holes, yes?

This hearing is from a year ago,

Reading from the judge's oral ruling at the end of the hearing the court found no evidence of "animal cruelty" by Doug Benefield or any domestic violence,poisoning etc.
Interesting as the state is reading from the ruling it's mentioned that AB turned her tears on and off,
6:39 no animal cruelty

Judge Destroys Ballerina Over Poisoning, Domestic Abuse Claims Against Husband​

 

[Dotta]

imo
She looked quite uncertain when she had tried to reenact the moves she claimed DB made that she felt endangered her life.

It is not surprising as
mentally shocking episodes may disrupt the lingering processing necessary for full storage of information in memory.