What led former ballerina Ashley Benefield to fatally shoot her husband?

“Black Swan” defendant had a gun in her bra the night she met her husband

The stormy relationship between Doug and Ashley Benefield, the star-crossed couple at the heart of the notorious “Black Swan” murder case, began and ended with a .45 caliber gun, according to what was revealed publicly over the years. During testimony at Ashley Benefield’s murder trial in July 2024, she said that the evening she met Doug Benefield at an upscale political dinner, she was carrying a .45 caliber gun in her bra. Assistant State Atto…

What led former ballerina Ashley Benefield to fatally shoot her husband?

This story previously aired on Sept. 7, 2024. It was updated on July 26, 2025.After nearly four years, the trial of Ashley Benefield, the former ballerina charged with second-degree murder for shooting her estranged husband Doug, began in the summer of 2024. In the lead-up to the trial, a small group appeared near the courthouse to support Ashley’s claims of self-defense.Among the supporters was Ashley’s mother Alicia and Ashley and Doug’s 6-yea…