New College's president, lawyer attend Ashley Benefield trial. Here's what to know

Two notable Sarasota and Manatee public figures appeared in the gallery Thursday during the trial of Ashley Benefield , a former ballerina accused of killing her estranged husband in 2020.

New College of Florida President Richard Corcoran and New College General Counsel Bill Galvano sat behind the defendant’s table in the gallery during the afternoon of the third day of trial.

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Ashley Benefield, 32, is accused of shooting and killing her estranged husband, Doug Benefield, in September 2020. She was arrested a little more than a month after the shooting in November and charged with second-degree murder with a firearm.

In a case that has captured national attention, the former ballerina and Lakewood Ranch mother is claiming that she fired her gun in self-defense against Doug Benefield, whom she had married in 2016 following a whirlwind 13-day romance after the two met at a political event. Ashley Benefield alleges her estranged husband was a domestic violence abuser.

The prosecution is arguing that Ashley Benefield killed her estranged husband, who was 30 years her senior, to stop him from seeing a psychological evaluation report that was set to be released three days after the shooting. The report would have revealed that Ashley Benefield had no intention of reconciling her marriage with her husband, according to testimony.

Why was New College President Richard Corcoran in the courtroom?

When approached by two reporters after leaving the courtroom shortly before the testimony of the medical examiner, the reporters relayed that Corcoran mentioned he was in the area for lunch and decided to stop by.

A spokesperson for New College responded to an inquiry from a Herald-Tribune reporter that Corcoran stopped by the courtroom as an interested civilian and is not a party involved in the case.

"His presence was not related to New College of Florida and Mr. Corcoran is not a part involved in the trial," the spokesperson said in the text.

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Bill Galvano's connection to the case

Galvano is a Bradenton attorney with the law firm Grimes Hawkins Gladfelter and Galvano P.L. with close to 30 years of experience, according to the firm’s website. Defense attorney Neil Taylor is an attorney from the same firm and is representing Ashley Benefield.

Galvano previously served as the 88th president of the Florida Senate until he retired in 2020 after serving in the Legislature for 16 years.

He left behind “a long legislative career that saw Galvano become one of the most dominant forces in state politics," according to previous Herald-Tribune reporting.

Previous reporting: The complicated legacy of Bradenton’s Bill Galvano, one of Florida’s most powerful lawmakers

Galvano is currently the general counsel for New College. Text messages from Trustee Matthew Spalding released last year showed his efforts in coordinating with other board members behind the scenes to move towards hiring both Corcoran as interim president and Galvano as general counsel.

Gabriela Szymanowska covers the legal system for the Herald-Tribune in partnership with Report for America. You can support her work with a tax-deductible donation to Report for America . Contact Gabriela Szymanowska at gszymanowska@gannett.com , or on X: @GabrielaSzyman3.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: New College's president, lawyer attend Ashley Benefield trial. Here's what to know