The family of man killed by ‘black swan’ Ashley Benefield have criticized her emotional court performances, accusing her of faking her tears and “dry crying” for the judge.
Ashley Benefield, a 33-year-old former dancer, was charged with second-degree murder in the death of her 58-year-old ex-husband, Doug Benefield, in 2020, but was convicted of the lesser charge of involuntary manslaughter.
During her trial, Ashley took the stand to tell her side of the story, offering a tearful account of her tumultuous relationship with Doug, which she said included instances of abuse that led to the fatal shooting.
However, his emotional testimony did not sit well with some of the key figures in the case.
Tommie Benefield, Doug’s cousin, has been outspoken in her criticism, claiming that Ashley’s tears were an act.
The trial into the death of Doug Benefield, dubbed the ‘Black Swan’ murder case, took a dramatic turn when family members and prosecutors questioned the emotional testimony of the defendant, Ashley Benefield.
Ashley Benefield, a 33-year-old former dancer, was charged with second-degree murder in the death of her 58-year-old husband, Doug Benefield, in 2020, but was convicted of the lesser charge of involuntary manslaughter.
In a recent podcast interview, Tommie described the performance as “a good show,” but noted that there were no real tears.
“She’s been pretending to cry for about 10 or 15 minutes and she’s putting on a good show, but there are no tears,” Tommie said in a recent podcast interview.
“And the judge tells her at some point, ‘Hey, there’s a box of tissues if you need them,’ because he can’t see that she’s not crying. But everyone in the courtroom and the jury can see that she’s not crying.
Ashley’s testimony, delivered on July 26, included moments when she appeared to sob and shake, describing the alleged abuse by her husband and the day he shot her.
The emotional display was a focal point of the trial and even inspired an episode of Black Swan Murder, a true crime podcast produced by Law & Crime. The sixth episode delved into his testimony and the impact it had on the process.
Prosecutor Suzanne O’Donnell also took issue with Ashley’s emotional outbursts. During the trial, there was a point when the court had to suspend proceedings due to Ashley’s apparent hysteria.
O’Donnell recalled that while Ashley appeared to be crying, her demeanor did not match the intense emotion she was portraying.
“There was a point where we had to stop, because she was crying hysterically, and get the jury out and take a break,” O’Donnell said. And it didn’t look like he was crying. He looked exactly the same as before, so that didn’t go unnoticed by the jury.
O’Donnell also questioned the credibility of Ashley’s interpretation of fear and self-defense, suggesting that Ashley’s account of the events surrounding the shooting was exaggerated.
“I didn’t feel like most of it was genuine,” O’Donnell said. “I felt like most of it was overblown.”
During her trial, Ashley took the stand to tell her side of the story, offering a tearful account of her tumultuous relationship with Doug, which she said included instances of abuse that led to the fatal shooting.
Ashley’s emotional testimony did not sit well with some of the key figures in the case, as they claimed she was crying dryly to gain sympathy from the jury.
Despite the dramatic nature of Ashley’s testimony, jurors deliberated for six hours before returning a verdict of involuntary manslaughter, a lesser charge than the second-degree murder originally requested by prosecutors.
Tommie said the conviction was not surprising, given the complexity of the case.
“We knew it was confusing enough that they would have a hard time getting a second-degree murder conviction,” he said.
Ashley’s defense attorney, Neil Taylor, expressed disappointment with the verdict and said he and his team believed they had successfully defended their client.
“We can’t really get over it because we all thought we won,” Taylor said.
After the trial, the defense team filed a motion for a new trial, citing possible jury misconduct.
Taylor pointed to a suspicious online post made by someone identified as “That Hooded Guy,” who accurately predicted the jury’s decision in real time. The defense alleged that a juror may have smuggled a phone into the deliberation room and used it to access outside information.
“Of course, we know about chat rooms, you can say whatever you want, but we can’t understand the astonishing accuracy of these posts,” Taylor said.
After conducting a background check on the jurors, the defense discovered a troubling revelation.
One of the jurors had a history of domestic violence, including seeking a restraining order and being named as a defendant in two domestic violence cases.
The juror did not reveal this information during jury selection, nor did she reveal that she had been involved in a custody dispute with her ex-husband.
“Now we know, oh my God, this juror lied,” Taylor said.
Despite ongoing legal challenges, Ashley Benefield’s sentencing is set for December 3.