The Black Swan Murder? Sneak peek: | Forensic Files

i started working on a story about a scandal in the ballet world my name is alice robb and i'm a
contributing writer for vanity fair it was a business story about a ballet company
that turned into a murder investigation in 2016 ashley married a much older man together they
made a plan to start a new ballet company ashley's dream was to create a ballet company that would be
a home for dancers who were unconventional she didn't want a cookie cutter company
she wanted girls that were tall girls that were short you know i am taller so i thought that
this would be a great fit for me i don't know that doug could spell ballet before he met ashley
but you know when you love somebody what do you want to do you want to make her happy
ashley was 24 and doug was 54. they knew each other for approximately 13 days before they got married
ashley was sending photographs of herself to doug constantly she was you know a bikini
model at some point and she knew how to work it she knew how to use it his major concern is
how's he going to introduce ashley to eva i felt like ashley was taking my dad away from me ashley wants to win total
affection she wants to be number one she would go through periods where she was just raging at doug she flip-flops
between he's a great guy who everybody knew him as or he's evil good or evil good or evil good or evil
she goes to live with her mother and effectively cuts off all communication with doug
he's begging her to talk about things give him another chance meanwhile she accused him of trying to
poison her she's accused him publicly of murder attempted murder was doug benefield dangerous
they both had a lot of guns and there was an incident where during an argument he shot a gun into the
ceiling after the case with the poisoning allegations i saw a picture of the two of them you know
arm in arm attending a gala together and looking like a happy couple he was so hopeful and optimistic that everything
would be all right every time she made allegations she always came back to him and gave him hope
of reconciling at some point ashley said that she wanted to move to maryland together and start over as a family they
were packing up her house in florida i heard from somebody screaming outside and
she shot him she walks next door gun in hand and tells the neighbor i shot doug in
self-defense it was right next door to me she just came over her strange husband attacked her and she
says she shot him was she genuinely afraid or just trying to get her way since black swan came out i think that's
a lot of people's only window into ballet which sucks but this certainly does parlay into that
narrative to doug ashley's this innocent pure white swan but underneath those white feathers
she's an evil woman she's the black swan [Music]

A former ballerina shoots her husband. Did she kill to save herself or was it out of spite? "48 Hours" contributor Jim Axelrod reports. #48hours #ashleybenefield #truecrime

Crime. Social justice. Impact. "48 Hours" investigates the most intriguing crime and justice cases that touch on all areas of the human experience including greed and passion. "48 Hours," which premiered in 1988, has developed a rich history of original reporting and impact journalism that has helped exonerate wrongly convicted people, caused cold cases to be reopened and solved, and along the way changed lives.

For video licensing inquiries, contact: licensing@veritone.com

Brief Summary

Alice Robb discusses a ballet scandal involving Ashley and Doug, leading to a murder investigation after Ashley shoots Doug in self-defense.

Key points

A Ballet Scandal Turns Deadly. Alice Robb investigates a ballet company that spirals into a murder investigation.
Ashley and Doug's Turbulent Relationship. Ashley, 24, marries Doug, 54, after just 13 days of knowing him.
The Shocking Shooting Incident. In a moment of chaos, Ashley claims self-defense after shooting Doug.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

What do you want to do? You want to make her happy.

Alice Robb reflects on Doug's feelings for Ashley.

0:56WatchSep 6, 2021

More from 48 Hours

Solve the Crime

Read a real case one clue at a time, then see how your call held up against the investigators.