Ashley Benefield, a former ballerina, was convicted of first-degree manslaughter in the fatal shooting of her estranged husband, Doug Benefield, in Florida in September 2020. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison followed by 10 years of probation, despite claiming that she acted in self-defense due to his abusive behavior. Prosecutors had initially charged her with second-degree murder, but a jury acquitted her of that charge.
During the trial, Benefield described her husband as controlling and volatile, with a history of abusive behavior. She testified that she feared for her life and shot him after an argument escalated into a physical altercation. However, the prosecutor alleged that her claims of abuse were “fictitious” and that the evidence did not support her account of the altercation.
Benefield had previously sought injunctions against her husband due to alleged child abuse, and a judge had denied one of her requests in 2018. However, a new filing by her lawyer alleged juror misconduct related to the case. One juror had failed to disclose a custody dispute with an ex-husband who accused her of abuse, similar to the prosecution’s theory about Benefield. Another juror was accused of using a cellphone in the jury room and sharing deliberation details with an outsider.
Prosecutors argue that there was no evidence of the jury’s fact-finding process being compromised and that the juror involved in the custody dispute had not withheld any information. The defense lawyer suggested that if due diligence had been followed, more information could have been obtained.
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