Former ballerina in Florida is convicted of manslaughter in her estranged husband’s 2020 shooting

Published July 31, 2024 8:06 AM

BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) — A former Florida ballerina has been convicted of manslaughter in the 2020 shooting death of her estranged husband. Court records show that a Manatee County jury returned the guilty verdict late Tuesday against Ashley Benefield. She had been charged with second-degree murder, but the jurors opted for a lesser offense. The 32-year-old Benefield claimed she acted in self-defense when she killed her then-58-year-old estranged husband, Doug Benefield, during a September 2020 argument at her mother’s home, where she had moved from South Carolina after leaving him. She faces up to 30 years in prison. A sentencing date has not been set.

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