Current:Home > MyBlack Swan Trial: TikToker Eva Benefield Reacts After Stepmom Is Found Guilty of Killing Her Dad -Triumph Financial Guides
Black Swan Trial: TikToker Eva Benefield Reacts After Stepmom Is Found Guilty of Killing Her Dad
View
Date:2025-04-14 05:01:40
Ashley Benefield's murder trial is approaching its finale.
The former ballerina, accused of killing her estranged husband Doug Benefield in 2020, was found guilty of manslaughter in a Florida courtroom July 30.
While the 33-year-old—who claimed she shot Doug, 58, in self-defense—had previously been charged with second-degree murder, a jury convicted her of the "lesser crime," according to NBC News.
A sentencing date for Ashley—whose case has been called the "Black Swan murder trial" after Natalie Portman's 2010 ballerina thriller Black Swan—has yet to be announced.
After the verdict, Doug's family, including daughter Eva Benefield who's been documenting the case for her nearly 500,000 TikTok followers, shared their reactions.
"She was convicted of manslaughter after four years of waiting," Eva, who testified during the trial, said in a July 30 video. "My dad got the justice that he deserves."
"I will be talking more about the trial once I have my thoughts collected," she continued. "I have a lot of things that I want to say."
As Eva, 23, stated in her testimony, she first learned about Ashley's relationship with her father in August 2016, about nine months after the death of her mom Renee.
Eva, a teenager at the time, soon discovered that they were already married. (Ashley and Doug tied the knot 13 days after meeting at a political event.)
While on the stand, Eva described her relationship with Ashley as "friendly at first."
"Over time, she tried to reprimand me a little bit more and kind of step into a motherly role," she explained. "And I did not like that because it was so short after my mother passed away."
Eva testified that Ashley would go to her dad and tell him that she wasn't obeying.
"Usually, they were overreactions over small things," Eva said of Ashley's behavior toward her. And when it came to Ashley's behavior towards Doug, Eva testified she heard her stepmom "strongly voice her opinions over and over and over again."
"It was on a regular basis," Eva added, stating that her dad would "sit quietly and listen" to Ashley and she never saw them verbally or physically fight.
However, Ashley alleged Doug was abusive during their marriage, testifying that she was fearful for her safety at the time of the September 2020 shooting.
Though prosecutors swiftly denied Ashley's claims, citing the estranged couple's custody battle over their daughter Emerson, 6, as a motive for the fatal shooting.
"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 in court, per ABC News. "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."
(E! and NBC News are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)
veryGood! (179)
Related
- Have Dry, Sensitive Skin? You Need To Add These Gentle Skincare Products to Your Routine
- 4 reasons why now is a good time to buy an electric vehicle
- Marylanders Overpaid $1 Billion in Excessive Utility Bills. Some Lawmakers and Advocates Are Demanding Answers
- Botched's Most Shocking Transformations Are Guaranteed to Make Your Jaw Drop
- How to watch new prequel series 'Dexter: Original Sin': Premiere date, cast, streaming
- Joe Jonas Admits He Pooped His White Pants While Performing On Stage
- Where There’s Plastic, There’s Fire. Indiana Blaze Highlights Concerns Over Expanding Plastic Recycling
- 60 Scientists Call for Accelerated Research Into ‘Solar Radiation Management’ That Could Temporarily Mask Global Warming
- Jorge Ramos reveals his final day with 'Noticiero Univision': 'It's been quite a ride'
- Lisa Marie Presley’s Cause of Death Revealed
Ranking
- DoorDash steps up driver ID checks after traffic safety complaints
- Ukrainian soldiers play soccer just miles from the front line as grueling counteroffensive continues
- Botched's Dr. Terry Dubrow Issues Warning on Weight Loss Surgeries After Lisa Marie Presley Death
- California Snowpack May Hold Record Amount of Water, With Significant Flooding Possible
- 'No Good Deed': Who's the killer in the Netflix comedy? And will there be a Season 2?
- Intensifying Cycle of Extreme Heat And Drought Grips Europe
- Maryland Embraces Gradual Transition to Zero-Emissions Trucks and Buses
- Pregnant Lindsay Lohan Shares Inside Look of Her Totally Fetch Baby Nursery
Recommendation
Highlights from Trump’s interview with Time magazine
Suspected Long Island Serial Killer in Custody After Years-Long Manhunt
Lisa Marie Presley’s Cause of Death Revealed
Shakira Steps Out for Slam Dunk Dinner With NBA Star Jimmy Butler
DoorDash steps up driver ID checks after traffic safety complaints
Supreme Court Declines to Hear Appeals From Fossil Fuel Companies in Climate Change Lawsuits
Illinois Launches Long-Awaited Job-Training Programs in the Clean Energy and Construction Sectors
In California’s Central Valley, the Plan to Build More Solar Faces a Familiar Constraint: The Need for More Power Lines