Disclaimer: The article contains mentions of murder and domestic violence. Reader discretion is advised.
On September 27, 2020, authorities discovered Doug Benefield‘s body at a house in Manatee County, Florida. Reports suggested that police arrived at the scene after responding to a 911 call. However, when authorities arrived, Benefield’swife, Ashley Benefield, alleged that she fired the shots in self-defense after her husband tried attacking her. Despite her claim, police apprehended her for the murder of Doug Benefield.
According to People Magazine, Doug and Ashley Benefield were going through a rough patch in their marriage. The latter even moved to Florida to live with her mother. However, they tried reconciling and decided to move separately to Maryland. In September 2020, Doug met Ashley and their daughter in Florida and helped them move to Maryland. However, someone later called 911 and called for help. Subsequently, first responders arrived and discovered Doug Benefield’s body on the floor of a bedroom. Per the investigators, the 58-year-old victim was shot multiple times and was bleeding from three different areas.
People Magazine reported that during the initial interrogation, Ashley Benefield told the police that she shot her husband after he tried attacking her, calling it “self-defense.” However, authorities dismissed her claims by stating they didn’t find evidence against Doug being the attacker. Moreover, they said that the victim wasn’t facing Ashley when he was shot. Ashley Benefield was subsequently charged with the murder of Doug Benefield.
What did Ashley Benefield do & why?
Upon her arrest, police noted that the victim didn’t take any “combative stance” when he was shot. The trial of Ashley Benefield began in July 2024, and she claimed that Doug Benefield hit her when she asked him to leave on the day of the murder. During her testimony, Ashley claimed that she ran to her room and grabbed a gun before firing the shots. Citing her statement, FOX13 News reported, “Doug was standing in the doorway, his face was red. The veins were bulging in his neck. The way he was looking at me, it didn’t even look like Doug. His eyes were black.”
Additionally, Ashley Benefield told the court that her husband was in a “fighting stance” when she took the drastic decision. When asked what she was thinking at the moment, she said, “That he is going to kill me.” Meanwhile, the prosecution claimed that the custody battle of their daughter was the reason behind the killing. According to WFLA, the prosecution said, “This is a long story with a lot of information, but you will see that this was a custody battle, that this mother was going to win at all costs and the cost was the life of Doug Benefield.”
The next hearing in the Ashley Benefield trial is going to take place on Monday, July 29.
