Current:Home > NewsBlack Swan Trial: TikToker Eva Benefield Reacts After Stepmom Is Found Guilty of Killing Her Dad -Wealth Axis Pro
Black Swan Trial: TikToker Eva Benefield Reacts After Stepmom Is Found Guilty of Killing Her Dad
View
Date:2025-04-13 07:40:25
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! (847)
Related
- EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
- Court dismisses Ivanka Trump from New York attorney general's fraud lawsuit
- California’s New Cap-and-Trade Plan Heads for a Vote—with Tradeoffs
- Trump heard in audio clip describing highly confidential, secret documents
- Behind on your annual reading goal? Books under 200 pages to read before 2024 ends
- Lawmaker pushes bill to shed light on wrongfully detained designation for Americans held abroad
- Top Chef Star Gail Simmons Shares a Go-to Dessert That Even the Pickiest Eaters Will Love
- Trump’s ‘Energy Dominance’ Push Ignores Some Important Realities
- Can Bill Belichick turn North Carolina into a winner? At 72, he's chasing one last high
- Zooey Deschanel Is Officially a New Girl With Blonde Hair Transformation
Ranking
- NHL in ASL returns, delivering American Sign Language analysis for Deaf community at Winter Classic
- MrBeast's Chris Tyson Shares Selfie Celebrating Pride Month After Starting Hormone Replacement Therapy
- American Climate Video: The Creek Flooded Nearly Every Spring, but This Time the Water Just Kept Rising
- Kinder Morgan Cancels Fracked Liquids Pipeline Plan, and Pursues Another
- Bill Belichick's salary at North Carolina: School releases football coach's contract details
- Dispute over seats in Albuquerque movie theater leads to deadly shooting, fleeing filmgoers
- Raven-Symoné Reveals Why She's Had Romantic Partners Sign NDAs
- Supreme Court rejects independent state legislature theory in major election law case
Recommendation
Moving abroad can be expensive: These 5 countries will 'pay' you to move there
Renewable Energy Groups Push Back Against Rick Perry’s Controversial Grid Study
Vanderpump Rules Tease: Tom Sandoval Must Pick a Side in Raquel Leviss & Scheana Shay's Feud
Watch Salma Hayek, Josh Hartnett and More Star in Chilling Black Mirror Season 6 Trailer
Tarte Shape Tape Concealer Sells Once Every 4 Seconds: Get 50% Off Before It's Gone
Travis Barker Calls Alabama Barker His Twin in Sweet Father-Daughter Photos
Microinsurance Protects Poor Farmers Facing Increasing Risks from Climate Change
Ryan Seacrest named new Wheel of Fortune host