A ballerina has been found guilty of killing her estranged husband in a case dubbed the "Black Swan" trial. Ashley Benefield was convicted of manslaughter at a Florida court on Tuesday night over the shooting death of her spouse.
The 33-year-old shot Doug Benefield dead at her home in Tampa in September 2020. Benefield previously told the court she acted in self-defense and feared for her own life when she took out a gun during the confrontation.
Evidence from the day of the killing did not match her description of the confrontation , prosecutors insisted. Benefield's attorney claimed she was trapped in an abusive relationship , stating that Doug was manipulative, controlling and abusive. Prosecutors accused Ashley of wanting sole custody of the couple's daughter Emerson.
The case's nickname has come from the 2010 film Black Swan featuring Natalie Portman. The film is about a psychologically disturbed ballet dancer .
"This case is about a woman who, very early on in her pregnancy, decided she wanted to be a single mother ," prosecutor Suzanne O'Donnell said.
"Her husband and everything she did from that point on was to attain that goal and she would stop at nothing to attain that goal . When there was no other option, she shoots him and kills him and claims self-defense."
Ashley claims Doug hit her in an incident on September 27, 2020, striking her on the side of her head , and then attempted to stop her from leaving the room, according to court documents filed by the defense .
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Ashley claims she shot Doug multiple times in self-defense and then ran to her neighbor's house . Benefield faces up to 30 years in prison.
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The judge revoked Benefield's $100,000 (£78,000) and remanded her in custody . Her sentencing date has yet to be determined.
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