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

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nodamselindistress said:
Interesting to me that they let the alternates go now. Some other jurisdictions I have seen require the alternates to hang around in case a deliberating juror gets sick or something.
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I agree with only six if one gets sick I would think they would want to use an alternate. Now they can't. Can't believe Taylor wants to interview them already.
 
Y’all I haven’t been able to listen to closings yet. It sounds like the state redeemed themselves and Taylor was being Taylor?? I don’t want to bother listening to defense closing but if the state is bad I won’t listen either and just wait for verdict?
 
fluffypaste said:
I'm predicting a fast guilty verdict.
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I sort of think court expected a quick one too...ready to get dinner and be there tonight. This was a long long day for them with non stop closings..no break...instructions and now starting late to deliberate. I think judge is ready for this to be over..he can't deal with Taylor anymore...when Taylor asked about interviewing alternates you could see in his face...he is done with Taylor.
 
Weki said:
Y’all I haven’t been able to listen to closings yet. It sounds like the state redeemed themselves and Taylor was being Taylor?? I don’t want to bother listening to defense closing but if the state is bad I won’t listen either and just wait for verdict?
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first state closing was great, second one just ok. different attys
 
Weki said:
Y’all I haven’t been able to listen to closings yet. It sounds like the state redeemed themselves and Taylor was being Taylor?? I don’t want to bother listening to defense closing but if the state is bad I won’t listen either and just wait for verdict?
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I think the first state attorney was much better than that last one that did the final. She was not easy to listen to. Taylor was awful.
 
Ok gonna watch the first prosecutor closing now. Thank you all for the feedback!

Edited to add: STRONG start so far!!! I’m gonna toot my own horn and say that I basically made these same arguments in here yesterday! I’m not surprised at all that the other prosecutor botches the rebuttal. Ugh. Ok back to listening…..
 
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So the state’s theory is that she was concerned that due to his financial stability he could get full custody of their baby. That this was AB’s primary motivating factor in all these injunctions she sought and false allegations. I guess I saw it more as she just wanted him outta the picture. But it seems the state is saying she had no income etc and she feared he would get primary custody. Interesting angle. I hadn’t considered that.

JMO
 
Kakidoll said:
I’m guessing manslaughter although I do hate how much lying and manipulating she did. I think at least 1 will sympathize with her because of having a young child.
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I think probably manslaughter but have to say (I know I am in minority here) I sort of feel for her...she seems really alone in that courtroom....no one really to look back at. I can't quite believe that the mother is not there..certainly has to be people that can watch the daughter. AB is a very troubled young woman...probably not a cold blooded killer but really no direction in life and then brought a child into this mess. Mother seems very troubled too based on her demeanor on the stand.
 
turaj said:
Boy Taylor is bad...lots of blaming the victim which is an approach that could be handled better. He is jumping from witness to witness and all same there...blame DB.
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(ignoring, for the purposes of my question/curiosity)
if the crux of a defense is literally self-defense, and that the victim acted in way that was met with lethal force, how do they not blame DB?

I just don’t see how one would sever a self-defense theory from blaming the victim. Now if you’re talking about how that “blaming” is actually coming out in the attorney’s words and arguments, I totally understand that. But the concept, going by their theory of the case, seems like it would be difficult to not point the blame towards others.

JMOO and I’m not saying she is NG, innocent, or that DB was not a victim.
 
Weki said:
So the state’s theory is that she was concerned that due to his financial stability he could get full custody of their baby. That this was AB’s primary motivating factor in all these injunctions she sought and false allegations. I guess I saw it more as she just wanted him outta the picture. But it seems the state is saying she had no income etc and she feared he would get primary custody. Interesting angle. I hadn’t considered that.

JMO
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that theory seems reasonable to me...it seemed that as they were getting the ballet academy set up and he was pumping thousands and thousands of $$ getting it running at some point either before it opened or shortly thereafter she told him she was pregnant....was pretty sick...disappeared from the academy and went to her mother in Florida. Then it did not take long for the ballet project to fall apart leaving him in debt and I assume not the "super daddy" she was hoping for. Then started the campaign to get him out of her life and no custody but you can bet she wanted major child support as she had no income at all. Despite the financial setback for him of the ballet investment he probably at that time still had enough assets that a court might in fact deem him the more stable parent...thus her fear. She never had one motion or injunction really implemented other than the stupid package one. It is a good angle for state...still not sure she planned this out...just a gal that loves her guns and it was handy and she used it.
 
Weki said:
So the state’s theory is that she was concerned that due to his financial stability he could get full custody of their baby. That this was AB’s primary motivating factor in all these injunctions she sought and false allegations. I guess I saw it more as she just wanted him outta the picture. But it seems the state is saying she had no income etc and she feared he would get primary custody. Interesting angle. I hadn’t considered that.

JMO
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I MIGHT be able to forgive her for making false allegations about him to CPS/LE if her reason was to try to keep him away from her daughter, because she had seen him seriously abuse his pet dog, punch holes in the wall, fire a gun to scare/threaten her, and throw a loaded gun at her during an argument over a trivial matter (all which I believe he admitted to before he died.) And because she felt desperate enough to make up lies when other (legal) efforts on her part were ignored or downplayed, leading her to believe she was forced to go to extreme (illegal) lengths to keep him away from her baby.

But if her reason was more because she was afraid he would get custody or child visits due to his higher-than-hers income, I'd say she had no excuse.
 
turaj said:
that theory seems reasonable to me...it seemed that as they were getting the ballet academy set up and he was pumping thousands and thousands of $$ getting it running at some point either before it opened or shortly thereafter she told him she was pregnant....was pretty sick...disappeared from the academy and went to her mother in Florida. Then it did not take long for the ballet project to fall apart leaving him in debt and I assume not the "super daddy" she was hoping for. Then started the campaign to get him out of her life and no custody but you can bet she wanted major child support as she had no income at all. Despite the financial setback for him of the ballet investment he probably at that time still had enough assets that a court might in fact deem him the more stable parent...thus her fear. She never had one motion or injunction really implemented other than the stupid package one. It is a good angle for state...still not sure she planned this out...just a gal that loves her guns and it was handy and she used it.
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Wow. I totally missed this. So if she filed for divorce and asks for primary custody once she moved to Florida she would be also asking for child support. But if she has no income and can’t support a child then he could say well why would I pay her child support, I want full custody because I CAN support my child on my own and the mother has no income. She would also have to move her behind back to Charleston if she wanted to be near the baby. If they divorced she can’t force him to move to Florida.

Makes a lotta sense!

Manslaughter would be an injustice imo.

JMO
 
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