Ashley Benefield trial: Former ballerina testifies during fourth day of murder trial

Hitching breaths and high-pitched sobs rang out in the courtroom Friday as Ashley Benefield recalled the evening she shot and killed her estranged husband, Doug Benefield.

"I thought he was going to kill me," Ashley Benefield testified before a jury, her shoulders hunched over and shaking.

She recollected the moment on Sept. 27, 2020, when she ran to her bedroom in her mother's Lakewood Ranch home and pulled her gun from a storage bin hoping it would deter Doug Benefield. Instead, Ashley Benefield said the bedroom door banged open and she saw Doug Benefield take on a fighting stance, moving his arms in a jerking motion.

In a panic, she pulled the trigger, Ashley Benefield said. When he kept coming towards her, she said she tried to move away, firing the gun again in a panic. When he fell backward, feet flying into the air, she ran from the house to her neighbor's next door.

Day 1 of trial: Murder trial of former ballerina Ashley Benefield begins in Manatee County

More Ashley Benefield trial coverage: Psychologist, Manatee County detectives testify

In what has become a case of national interest, the former ballerina was called as the second witness in the defense's case after the prosecution rested Thursday afternoon. Ashley Benefield, 32, is charged with second-degree murder with a firearm. She was arrested a little more than a month after the shooting in November 2020.

Ashley Benefield claims she fired the gun in self-defense, telling jurors during the fourth day of the trial she was terrified for her life.

The former ballerina's defense attorney, Neil Taylor, has said his client is a domestic violence survivor who lived through four tumultuous years of marriage. Taylor argued Ashley Benefield was desperate to protect herself and her 2-year-old daughter after she discovered that the man she married following a 13-day whirlwind romance was "manipulative" and "aggressive."

The prosecution has argued that Ashley Benefield had one goal: to be a single mother and to prevent the father of her child from having visitation. Assistant State Attorneys Suzanne O'Donnell and Rebecca Freel have attempted to paint a picture that Ashley Benefield shot her husband to stop him from seeing a psychological evaluation report which would have revealed she had no intention of reconciling their marriage.

In the gallery, the long wooden benches were filled on both sides with family, friends and supporters of both Ashley and Doug Benefield. Doug Benefield's daughter from his previous marriage, who also testified in the case, would leave for periods during Ashley Benefield's testimony.

Former ballerina details marriage to Doug Benefield

Possessive. Controlling. Manipulative. Aggressive. Scary. Unpredictable.

That's how Ashley Benefield described her estranged husband to a jury after he showed his true colors during their marriage. The adjectives were a juxtaposition to how she described Doug Benefield when she met him in August 2016. Then, she'd said he was funny, very smart and charming.

"We just instantly clicked," she said.

Four days after meeting, the Naval pilot flew Ashley Benefield down to South Carolina where he proposed, and she accepted.

Things changed a little over a month into their marriage. She alleged that Doug Benefield began to have violent outbursts, usually cussing and yelling at her. She added after these dark periods, Doug Benefield would be sweet and apologetic.

Ashley Benefield remembered several violent incidents around June of 2017. She said there was a moment where her husband looked as if he might punch her, and their dog jumped between them. Doug Benefield hit the dog so hard he knocked him unconscious, she said.

In another argument, Ashley Benefield said her husband took out a gun and threw it at her. The gun hit the wall behind her, and as she attempted to leave, he pulled it out of the wall and threatened to shoot himself in front of her before firing the gun into the kitchen ceiling.

She said at that moment she thought she'd made a mistake in marrying him.

Then, in July 2017, Ashley Benefield found out she was pregnant. A month later, she left South Carolina and moved in with her mother in Florida. She only returned once to get her things, leaving a letter to Doug explaining that she was leaving him.

More trial coverage: New College's president, lawyer attend Ashley Benefield trial. Here's what to know

In case you missed it: Ashley Benefield case dubbed 'Black Swan murder trial' by media. What does that term mean?

Ashley Benefield also filed for a domestic violence injunction and a protective order in South Carolina, which a judge granted in November 2017 for six months.

Ashley Benefield alleged that Doug Benefield violated the order multiple times, including sending her a package that included a tea set. She said when she opened the package, it had such a strong chemical smell that it induced an instant headache. The violations seemed to escalate to him placing a tracker on her car without her knowing so he could follow her.

She alleged there were also two incidents where Doug Benefield was spotted outside or near her home in Florida attempting to look inside while he was still living in South Carolina.

Despite reporting the incidents to the Manatee County Sheriff's Office, no charges were filed against him, Ashley Benefield testified.

Taylor also introduced into evidence internet searches his client allegedly conducted in May 2020 that included searches for co-parenting with an abuser.

After her daughter's birth, Ashley Benefield said she was concerned about the restraining order expiring and filed for a domestic violence injunction in Florida, which was denied.

Ashley Benefield describes evening of the shooting

On the evening of the shooting, Doug Benefield came over the Alicia Byers' house to help load larger items into a U-Haul truck. Ashley Benefield said that the two had previously discussed placing her items into the truck last so it'd be easier to offload them in Maryland since they would be living separately.

When Ashley Benefield noticed that their items were mixed, Doug Benefield had an outburst about how Ashley Benefield needed to start acting like a wife, she said.

The aggressions escalated to Doug Benefield bodychecking her twice and shoving a box into Ashley Benefield's side leaving behind scratches, she added. When she told him she was tired and they should end for the night, Doug Benefield ignored the request.

Tears fell when Ashley Benefield recalled how Doug Benefield prevented her from leaving her home, yanking her back before placing himself in front of her front door and hitting her on the left side of her face.

When she ran into her bedroom and grabbed her gun, Doug Benefield followed her, Ashley Benefield said. She still tried to back away while holding the gun in front of her, aiming it at him. She said she couldn't recall how many times she fired the gun, but that she was scared to death.

Taylor at one point asked the judge for a small recess to allow his client to compose herself as the tears became too much.

"He's the father of my child," Ashley Benefield said, breaking down. "Someday I'm going to have to explain this all to her."

Prosecution attempts to poke holes in Ashley Benefield's testimony

Following the lunch break, Assistant State Attorney Suzanne O’Donnell cross-examined Ashley Benefield.

Within the first minutes of questioning, O’Donnell asked whether Doug Benefield had ever hit or choked the defendant, pointed a gun at her, or come at her with a knife, club or baseball bat. Beyond saying that her husband had waved a gun at her, Ashley Benefield denied the rest ever happening.

Ashley Benefield also seemingly confirmed that while she was "living a nightmare," she and Doug Benefield had planned to have a baby since they were a family. Doug Benefield even received a reverse vasectomy in April 2017, but she wasn't expecting it to happen so soon.

O'Donnell's questioning also shed more light on the incident in which Doug Benefield was alleged to have thrown a gun at his wife.

Before the incident, Ashley Benefield gave Eva Benefield a shadow box for Christmas that included a painted sand dollar and a quote that had taken her time to put it together and she thought was special.

When she saw that Eva Benefield, who was about nine years younger than Ashley Benefield, had taken the gift apart and used the shadow box to place a rose from her mother's funeral, it upset her.

Previously reported: Former Florida ballerina evokes 'Stand Your Ground' in 2020 homicide of estranged husband

Keep reading: Former ballerina appeals for 'Stand Your Ground' immunity after judge denies motion

You dropped to the floor and began sobbing hysterically, O'Donnell said during questioning. O'Donnell further questioned on whether Ashley Benefield had confronted her husband that his daughter was being disrespectful and needed to be disciplined.

The argument continued as the two ran errands, and Doug Benefield asked Ashley Benefield to stop bringing up the incident as he was under a lot of stress with family life at home and with the ballet that he had invested money into.

The argument continued until they returned home, at which point Doug Benefield waved his gun around and threw it at Ashley Benefield, hitting the wall behind her.

The jury also observed photographs taken a few weeks after that argument at Ashley and Doug Benefield's wedding reception. In the images, Ashley Benefield could be seen smiling. She conceded that that had been a good day among the nightmare she was living.

O'Donnell also pointed out that while Ashley Benefield filed an injunction for domestic violence in November 2017, the judge never found that Doug Benefield was dangerous. The granted injunction had been mutual with both parties agreeing to stay away from each other. Then for the spring 2018 injunction in Florida, the couple hadn't been in contact for a while.

Ashley Benefield pushed back saying Doug Benefield had shown up on her driveway and neighbor's yard.

Yet, O'Donnell pointed out that the neighbor hadn't had a clear view when she saw someone standing in her yard. It had been dark; the individual was wearing a baseball hat, and she had a hard time identifying his face.

O'Donnell also questioned why Ashley Benefield could tell Doug Benefield she didn't feel comfortable moving in together while in Maryland when they were alone but didn't correct him in front of Dr. Brad Broeder, a psychologist they were seeing for the injunction when Doug Benefield said they were moving together. Ashley Benefield said she didn't want to make him look bad in front of someone.

At one point during her questioning, O’Donnell asked Ashley Benefield to step down from the stand to demonstrate how Doug Benefield stood when he followed her into her bedroom.

Ashley Benefield stood in front of the jury and attempted to portray her estranged husband’s stance. As she was demonstrating, Ashley Benefield broke down crying. When she returned to the witness stand, her sobbing grew louder as she placed her hands in front of her face. The jury was asked to step out to allow her a few minutes to compose herself.

Gabriela Szymanowska covers the legal system for the Herald-Tribune in partnership with Report for America. You can support her work with a tax-deductible donation to Report for America. Contact Gabriela Szymanowska at gszymanowska@gannett.com, or on X: @GabrielaSzyman3.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Ashley Benefield trial: Former ballerina testifies in murder trial