Current:Home > FinanceBlack Swan Trial: TikToker Eva Benefield Reacts After Stepmom Is Found Guilty of Killing Her Dad -Mastery Money Tools
Black Swan Trial: TikToker Eva Benefield Reacts After Stepmom Is Found Guilty of Killing Her Dad
View
Date:2025-04-25 19:18:39
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! (885)
Related
- DeepSeek: Did a little known Chinese startup cause a 'Sputnik moment' for AI?
- Jim Harbaugh passes on encounter with Big Ten commissioner at trophy presentation
- OxyContin maker bankruptcy deal goes before the Supreme Court on Monday, with billions at stake
- This World Soil Day, take a look at the surprising science of soil
- The Daily Money: Spending more on holiday travel?
- Police charge director of Miss Nicaragua pageant with running 'beauty queen coup' plot
- Eagles vs. 49ers final score, highlights: San Francisco drubs Philadelphia
- Will Mary Cosby Return for Real Housewives of Salt Lake City Season 5? She Says...
- At site of suspected mass killings, Syrians recall horrors, hope for answers
- Rescuer raises hope of survivors at a Zambian mine where more than 30 have been buried for days
Ranking
- Who are the most valuable sports franchises? Forbes releases new list of top 50 teams
- Worried about running out of money in retirement? These tips can help
- 70-year-old woman gives birth to twins in Uganda, doctor says
- North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum ends 2024 Republican presidential bid days before the fourth debate
- Will the 'Yellowstone' finale be the last episode? What we know about Season 6, spinoffs
- 20 years after ‘Sideways,’ Paul Giamatti may finally land his first best actor Oscar nomination
- 4 arrested in honor killing of 18-year-old Pakistani woman after doctored photo with her boyfriend goes viral
- Sister Wives' Janelle Brown Details Sex Life With Ex Kody Brown
Recommendation
The Daily Money: Spending more on holiday travel?
Israel orders mass evacuations as it widens offensive; Palestinians are running out of places to go
Final goodbye: Recalling influential people who died in 2023
Michigan takes over No. 1 spot in US LBM Coaches Poll after Georgia's loss
House passes bill to add 66 new federal judgeships, but prospects murky after Biden veto threat
Heavy rains lash India’s southern and eastern coasts as they brace for a powerful storm
11 bodies recovered after volcanic eruption in Indonesia, and 22 climbers are still missing
Wisconsin city files lawsuit against 'forever chemical' makers amid groundwater contamination