Benefield’s hand motions ‘from a performance’: Victim’s cousin

( NewsNation ) — Both sides have rested their case in the murder trial of Ashley Benefield , the former ballerina charged with shooting and killing her estranged husband.

In tearful testimony last week, Ashley Benefield, 33, claimed that she acted in self-defense when she fatally shot Doug Benefield during a custody argument in 2020.

Doug’s cousin, Tommie Benefield, said his family appreciated Ashley’s testimony, but the “evidence is completely against what she said.”

“Ashley’s a performance artist, she was trained that way,” Tommie Benefield said during a Monday appearance on “ Banfield ,” referencing Ashley’s body language while testifying. “If you research online, you can see that there’s a ballet performance. … All the hand gestures that Ashley showed when she was attempting to show what happened are from a performance that we saw.”

Among the defense’s final witnesses Monday were the lead investigator in the sheriff’s office case, a Realtor who was helping Doug look for a home in Lakewood Ranch, and Doug and Ashley’s trauma counselor.

The jury will return to the courtroom around 8:45 a.m. Tuesday.

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