Current:Home > ScamsBlack Swan Trial: TikToker Eva Benefield Reacts After Stepmom Is Found Guilty of Killing Her Dad -ProsperityStream Academy
Black Swan Trial: TikToker Eva Benefield Reacts After Stepmom Is Found Guilty of Killing Her Dad
View
Date:2025-04-17 12:18:32
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! (1)
Related
- North Carolina justices rule for restaurants in COVID
- Meet the Golden Bachelor Gerry Turner: All the Details on the 71-Year-Old's Search for Love
- Harry Styles’ 7 New Wax Figures Will Have You Doing a Double Take
- Texas Eyes Marine Desalination, Oilfield Water Reuse to Sustain Rapid Growth
- Brianna LaPaglia Reveals The Meaning Behind Her "Chickenfry" Nickname
- The Complicated Reality of John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette's Tragic, Legendary Love Story
- Stake Out These 15 Epic Secrets About Veronica Mars
- Environmental Justice Advocates Urge California to Stop Issuing New Drilling Permits in Neighborhoods
- Jorge Ramos reveals his final day with 'Noticiero Univision': 'It's been quite a ride'
- Climate Activists Protest the Museum of Modern Art’s Fossil Fuel Donors Outside Its Biggest Fundraising Gala
Ranking
- North Carolina trustees approve Bill Belichick’s deal ahead of introductory news conference
- invisaWear Smart Jewelry and Accessories Are Making Safety Devices Stylish
- Roundup Weedkiller Manufacturers to Pay $6.9 Million in False Advertising Settlement
- Climate Resolution Voted Down in El Paso After Fossil Fuel Interests and Other Opponents Pour More Than $1 Million into Opposition
- Sonya Massey's father decries possible release of former deputy charged with her death
- Carbon Removal Projects Leap Forward With New Offset Deal. Will They Actually Help the Climate?
- As Extreme Fires Multiply, California Scientists Zero In on How Smoke Affects Pregnancy and Children
- Environmental Justice Advocates Urge California to Stop Issuing New Drilling Permits in Neighborhoods
Recommendation
Person accused of accosting Rep. Nancy Mace at Capitol pleads not guilty to assault charge
Climate Change Enables the Spread of a Dangerous Flesh-Eating Bacteria in US Coastal Waters, Study Says
Lawsuit Asserting the ‘Rights of Salmon’ Ends in a Settlement That Benefits The Fish
Summer of '69: When Charles Manson Scared the Hell Out of Hollywood
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow owns a $3 million Batmobile Tumbler
States Test an Unusual Idea: Tying Electric Utilities’ Profit to Performance
More Than a Decade of Megadrought Brought a Summer of Megafires to Chile
America’s Forests Are ‘Present and Vanishing at the Same Time’