After being accused of murdering her estranged husband, former ballerina Ashley Benefield gained the nickname "Black Swan" after the Oscar-winning psychological horror film starring Natalie Portman.
Former ballerina Ashley Benefield is on trial in Florida for murder in connection with the shooting death of her husband Doug Benefield.
In 2016, the then 28-year-old former ballerina and bikini model married 54-year-old Doug. The couple wed 13 days after meeting.
The pair founded the American National Ballet Company, but the company soon fell apart, as did their marriage. Ashley moved out of their home after learning she was pregnant.
The former ballerina claims her husband was physically abusive.
One night in September 2020, Ashley was at her mother's home in Manatee County, Florida, when she says Doug hit her in the head. That was when she opened fire, she said, to protect herself.
Ashley cried in court as the 911 call made by a neighbor on the night of the shooting was played.
"She just came over. Her estranged husband attacked her and she says she shot him," the neighbor told 911 operators.
In opening statements, her defense team said Ashley had lived in fear and acted in self-defense.
"Douglas Benefield was a violent abuser," Ashley's attorney said in court.
However, the prosecution painted Ashley as someone willing to commit murder to gain sole custody over their daughter.
"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 prosecutor said.
Outside the courthouse, Ashley's supporters carried signs that read, "There is nothing illegal with defending your life."
The pair's young daughter, the focus of the one-time bitter custody dispute, carried a sign that said, "Keep my mommy free."
Eva Benefield, Ashley's step-daughter, tells Inside Edition she believes Ashley is a murderer.
"[Doug] was the furthest thing from abusive in any way," Eva says. "I believe that it was actually intentional and it was planned prior to her shooting."
