Former Ballerina Ashley Benefield Found Guilty of Manslaughter in Shooting Death of Estranged Husband

The former ballerina accused of fatally shooting her husband has been found guilty of manslaughter.

Ashley Benefield appeared to show no emotion after jurors found the former ballerina guilty of manslaughter. Benefield had been charged with second-degree murder .

"This was a jury of five women and one man and they had deliberated for about five, six hours, then they sent a note to the judge saying they were deadlocked. A short time after that, they came back with a guilty verdict of manslaughter," CourtTV correspondent Matt Johnson tells Inside Edition.

The dancer married Doug Benefield following a 13-day romance. While testifying inside the Florida courtroom, Ashley sobbed as she claimed her estranged husband had abused her and that she shot him after he hit her in 2020.

Prosecutors argued the shooting was premeditated so that Ashley could gain sole custody over their young daughter.

As the verdict was read, tears streamed down the face of Eva Benefield, Doug's daughter from a previous marriage. She posted her reaction on social media.

"She was convicted of manslaughter. After four years of waiting, my dad got the justice he deserves," Eva said in a video on social media.

Eva spoke with Inside Edition about her stepmother.

"She doesn't care about anybody but herself," Eva says. "She took the life away from a very loving man."

It is unclear when will happen to Ashley's young child, Emerson, who no longer has a father or a mother to care for her.

After the verdict, Ashley was put in handcuffs and brought to jail.

A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date. Benefield faces up to 30 years in prison.

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