"48 Hours" reviews gripping testimony in "Black Swan" murder trial | Forensic Files

this weekend 48 Hours has new information from the so-called Black Swan trial that made national headlines
Ashley Benfield is awaiting sentencing after being convicted of manslaughter she spoke publicly for the first time
about the night she killed her aranged husband Jim axat reports for special 2-hour edition of 48
hours in a Florida courtroom this summer Ashley Benfield told jurors about how she fell in love with the man she
eventually would be charged with killing Doug benefit he was funny uh very smart Charming um we just instantly
clicked she was a former ballerina and swimsuit model when they met at a political event Doug was 30 years older
they married just 13 days later but soon Ashley says she began seeing another side of Doug she told jurors he once
fired a gun inside their home he shut off hole in the ceiling in the kitchen over time Ashley said she came
to suspect Doug also tried to poison her while she was pregnant with a gift of tea when I opened it there was an
overwhelming smell like a real strong chemical smell and I got like an instant headache but according to a detective it
was determined that what was in the package was just tea until the trial Ashley had never spoken publicly about
the night she shot and killed Doug she said it began with an argument and he started screaming at me she said Doug
hit her in the face and she grabbed her gun I held the gun like in front of me and I I said
stop he started coming towards me and then he lunged at me and I started pulling the
trigger but prosecutor suzan O'Donnell said Ashley had a motive that night this was a custody battle that this mother
was going to win at all costs and the cost was the life of Doug Benfield and that is
murder Jim act joins us right now Jim good morning good morning whoa I'll tell you what this is a fascinating story
because we're not talking about what happened that there's no dispute there Ashley Benfield shot and killed her
husband it's all about why why yeah now she says she was really worried he was assaulting her and it was self-defense
prosecution says Ashley and Doug never really got along they they met and married after 13 days I was just going
to say Jim that's the thing that stands out to me 13 days you haven't even spent
the holidays together it's not the 30-y year age difference it's the 13 Days yeah that's what got me more than
anything3 days split 9 months later and so the theory from the prosecution was that Ashley wanted to raise their
daughter alone and wanted Doug out of the picture so they're pointing to the motive that's right that's what this
whole trial is all about which you will see in detail tomorrow and isn't it just
her word I mean how do you once they once they split right and and once they split and you realize there were all
these troubles the allegations about who did what to whom it we'll detail it all
tomorrow night it is a crazy story oh man all right Jim thank you you can see Jim's report the case of the Black Swan
in a special two-part 48 hours tomorrow night starting at 98 Central here on CBS
and streaming on Paramount Plus

Former ballerina Ashley Benefield is awaiting sentencing after being convicted of manslaughter in the shooting death of her estranged husband Doug Benefield in September 2020. CBS News' Jim Axelrod reports on the new details emerging from the so-called "Black Swan" murder trial, where Benefield testified about their relationship and the night Doug was killed in an all-new "48 Hours."

Each weekday morning, "CBS Mornings" co-hosts Gayle King, Tony Dokoupil and Nate Burleson bring you the latest breaking news, smart conversation and in-depth feature reporting. "CBS Mornings" airs weekdays at 7 a.m. on CBS and stream it at 8 a.m. ET on the CBS News app.

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Brief Summary

Ashley Benfield discusses her manslaughter conviction for killing husband Doug amid claims of self-defense and custody motives.

Key points

A Troubling Relationship. Ashley describes her quick marriage and the troubling signs she ignored.
A Shocking Revelation. Ashley claims self-defense in the shooting of her husband amid allegations of abuse.
The Black Swan Trial. Ashley Benfield awaits sentencing after being convicted of manslaughter for killing her husband.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

This is a fascinating story.

Jim discusses the complexities of Ashley's case.

2:24WatchSep 6, 2024

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