Was Ashley Benefield a victim of domestic violence? Expert testifies in murder trial

A domestic violence expert testified in the Ashley Benefield murder trial Monday that there may have been clear signs of abuse in the couple’s relationship before she shot her husband dead.

Bruce Ferris, a licensed mental health counselor and consultant in domestic violence, was among the defense’s final witnesses as Ashley Benefield’s attorney Neil Taylor rested his case in the trial for the ex-ballerina who shot and killed her husband, Doug Benefield, in September 2020.

Judge Matt Whyte allowed Ferris to tell jurors about domestic violence despite the state’s objections to his testimony. However, Whyte’s ruling came with the stipulation that Ferris “may not testify about this case specifically” or give “any opinions specific to the victim.”

While Ferris was not allowed to speak about Ashley and Doug Benefield specifically, defense attorney Taylor attempted to use his expert testimony to paint a picture of Ashley as a victim of domestic violence.

“Mr. Ferris, I’m going to give you a series of hypotheticals and I’d like you to tell us if it’s consistent with abuse,” Taylor asked the domestic violence expert.

The hypothetical scenarios closely matched the defense’s allegations against Doug and included shooting a gun inside the home, punching a dog and placing a tracker on their partner’s car, among other examples.

“Absolutely,” Ferris said. “Those are ... stereotypical abuse techniques.”

Ferris described the Duluth Power and Control Wheel, a model that shows techniques abusers use to control their partner, such as using coercion, threats and controlling finances.

Ferris also spoke about emotional abuse, noting that a person can still be a victim of domestic abuse even if that abuse is not physical.

Prosecutors have pointed out throughout the trial that Ashley Benefield never alleged that Doug hit her before the day of the shooting. Assistant State Attorney Rebecca Freel presented Ferris with her own set of hypothetical scenarios for Ferris to examine.

But cross-examination did not go as smoothly between the domestic violence expert and the prosecutor, with Ferris deferring on several of Freel’s questions, at one point responding that “the facts are not complete enough for me to come to a conclusion.”

When asked if a hypothetical abuser said “I was wrong, I lost control, I shouldn’t have done those things and never says it was your fault,” Ferris said this can still be “part of the strategy of minimizing” their role in the abuse.

“Just because someone apologizes doesn’t mean they weren’t abusive,” Ferris said.

Freel also asked whether it was possible for a relationship with these patterns to improve over time, but Ferris said that was unlikely. Prosecutors have latched on to the fact that most of Doug’s outbursts were reported more than a year before the shooting and that the two seemed to be getting along right before he was killed.

Throughout the trial, the prosecution has also looked at Ashley’s inconsistent demeanor. In one example, they showed the court a video of Ashley, her mother and Doug during what appeared to be a cheerful restaurant outing. Assistant State Attorney Suzanne O’Donnell displayed photos from Ashley and Doug’s wedding reception, which happened a week after Doug allegedly threw a loaded gun at her. In the photos, O’Donnell noted they looked happy, and Ashley agreed.

But Ferris testified that those patterns are consistent with the classic signs of domestic abuse. Victims often go through ups and downs, as well as implementing defense mechanisms to make others believe they’re fine, he said.

”We’ve all heard the term walking on eggshells, (domestic violence victims are) trying to avoid aggression by their partner because they’ve grown to believe that there’s a threat there,” said Ferris.

As part of the defense winding down, Taylor also recalled one of the state’s previous witnesses, mental health professional Jason Quintal.

When Taylor asked if Quintal came to any conclusions about Doug during his sessions with the couple, Quintal responded by saying “Doug occurred as someone who was domineering and the terminology that I would use at times was ‘super controlling.’”

But during cross-examination, the counselor said that his conclusion was partially based on what he heard from Ashley Benefield, not solely on observations of Doug’s behavior.

“They were comments that she made and frustrations that she had within the system,” Quintal said.

The jury began deliberation around 3:45 p.m. Tuesday after closing arguments from the prosecution and defense.