The Case of the Black Swan (Part 1) | Full Episode | Forensic Files

[Music] I started working on a story about a scandal in the ballet world my name is Alice Rob and I'm a
contributing writer for Vanity Fair it was a business story about a ballet company that turned into a murder
investigation so 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 as she 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 the case with the poisoning allegations I saw a picture of the two of them you know arm in-arm
attending a Galla 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 some somebody screaming outside and she shot him she walks next door gun
in hand and tells the n neighbor I shot Doug in self-defense it's right next door to me she just came over her
strange husband attacked her and she say she shot him was she genuinely afraid or
just trying to get her away 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 this innocent pure white swan but underneath
those white feathers she's the Black Swan [Music] [Music] [Music] do you remember your last conversation
with your dad he tried to call me but I didn't pick up cuz I was at work I said I'll call you later never called him cuz
I assumed everything would be all right I'd get a Bible verse next morning and I'd call him and everything would be
okay Eva Benefield got a Bible verse by text every morning from her father duck it was their daily ritual but on
September 28th 2020 that Bible verse never came a sign that everything was not okay I was freaking out and I I
spammed him with text messages I called him at of desperation she began Googling
the names Doug and Ashley Benfield and accident with Florida man later that day Eva called an uncle
who had texted her and I said what's wrong with my dad and he said there's been an accident and I said she killed
him didn't she and he said yeah she shot him twice hang on those were the first first
words out of your mouth where was that coming from I just had a gut feeling I drove a couple blocks down the
road to my friend's house and they saw that I was crying and they said what's wrong and I said Ashley killed my
dad it was a tragic end to a relationship that began at a dinner in Florida back in August of 2016 Doug met
Ashley and felt like he'd been struck by a thunderbolt he just immediately thought Ashley was
the most beautiful the most amazing person in the world writer Alice Rob wrote a piece
about the benef fields for Vanity Fair Doug was from Charleston South Carolina a consultant who worked with
technology companies and defense contractors the two had bonded over conservative values and guns the night
that she met Doug for the first time she had guns on her person in her purse in her bra Stephanie Murphy Doug's family
attorney says that when Ashley first met Doug she was working in the Sarasota campaign office of Donald Trump her job
was to help Galvanize the Evangelical vote and work the rallies you can see video of her on the internet throwing
things into the crowd getting people really excited aside from her work in politics
Ashley had also been a fledgling swimsuit model and a dancer with the Marilyn Youth Ballet where she was
sometimes a featured performer as in this piece from The Nutcracker I've seen videos of her
dancing she was definitely a good well-trained dancer days after they met Doug left the
country on a short business trip and by the time his plane was Landing back in the United States the heart emojis were
flying Fast and Furious they were saying I love you to each other within I think a week or so Doug
was deeply religious and his friends believe he wanted to marry Ashley before he was intimate with her what did he say
to you William Aras trip cormany was one of Doug's closest friends and happened to be an ordained Episcopal pastor at
the time just 13 days had passed since the couple had met trip wasn't thrilled but agre to perform the ceremony I was
being loyal to my friend Doug invited almost no one to the wedding not even his teenage daughter he loves this girl
his 15-year-old daughter he goes and gets married and doesn't even tell her yep Tommy Benfield is Doug's cousin it's
bewildering I would have talked him out of it Eva certainly would have talked him out of it Eva was stunned still
dealing with an unspeakable trauma 9 months earlier Eva's mother and Doug's wife 56-year-old Renee Benefield had
died Eva had discovered her mother's body I couldn't get in through the front door and she wasn't answering the
doorbell or the knock so I crawled through these bushes and then was your parents bedroom yeah so I could see
directly in there the blinds were open the lights weren't on or anything and then I could kind of see her silhouette
so I went to the door and to my neighbor the neighbor kicked in the door there Renee was dead from an undiagnosed
heart ailment in the aftermath Doug was right there for his daughter after my mom died he really took kind of a
motherly role along with a fatherly role he made sure you know I could go to him
with boy problems with School drama with anything and he would take care of it but 9 months later Eva discovered Doug
had a new woman in his life I was upstairs and he said Eva we need to come down talk to me and Ashley and I said
the only thing that you would need to tell me about y'all's relationship is if y'all if you proposed and as soon as
those words came out of my mouth he said we're married that's a lot it is a lot Doug encouraged Ashley to try and mother
a reluctant Eva who was only 9 years younger he basically told her that I needed
somebody I needed a motherly role in my life and I didn't think that I needed that the situation became even more
complicated when Doug and Ashley allowed Eva's friend Sydney to move into the house two teenage girls and a new young
wife were a combustible combination and during one heated argument with Ashley Doug
cracked and a terrible moment he discharged the gun into the ceiling of his house his best friend trip says that
Doug was filled with regret in his words he said I did the dumbest thing I've ever done in my life but that did not
end the relationship just the opposite 2 days after the gun incident Doug and Ashley
threw themselves a formal wedding reception complete with guests this time the newlyweds also forged ahead with
Ashley's grand plan to create an inclusive Ballet Company the idea of it was really great but implementing it was
something else entirely [Music] [Music] once Ashley started causing trouble and stress that's when he started to realize
how I was feelings even though there was a growing tension at home between Ashley and Eva
he promised me that things things were going to be okay eventually Doug went ahead with helping
Ashley follow her dream establishing a ballet company in Charleston with a unique Mission being
more inclusive having dancers of every shade color body type things those are all things that I'm a big believer
in Ashley and Doug hired ballet Master Michael wise to train the dancers they talked to big game about big money he
says $10 million they promised they'd secured from back and boldly named their new company the American national ballet
or A&B when you first met Doug what kind of guy did he strike you as kind a very serious businessman and had
a very methodical approach to a lot of what he did did he know anything about ballet no and he was very open about
that I was supposed to be working with Ashley to get her to understand how a company should be run what was your
first impression of Ashley Young and ambitious we were all hoping that she would rise to the
[Music] occasion in the summer of 2017 Ashley and Doug were there as a and b held
[Music] auditions I definitely thought that it was something that I wanted to be a part
of dancer R Mana Hemley hoped A and B would be her chance to prove herself being a black female dancer is so
challenging to audition for other companies where you don't fit the mold exactly so I thought that this would be
a great fit for [Music] me you know if you're in the ballet Community you know there's a lot of crap
that needs to change Athena Nicol acopos interviewed with Ashley and loved what she heard about her vision it sounded
like she was genuinely excited to get this new company going and that they were going to try and do things a little
a little bit differently the majority of her dancers were individuals that were very much
like her had the drive had the want but hadn't necessarily been given an opportunity dancer after dancer proudly
posted to social media they joined the a andb family but that wasn't the only family
Ashley had in mind on top of starting a ballet company Ashley also wanted to get pregnant and
in the midst of putting together the ballet company that's exactly what happened how did that sit with you it
didn't sit well at all so this kind of felt like another stab in the back there was a lot of stress cuz now they
basically have two teenage daughters and a little girl on the way at the end of the summer in 2017
some 40 dancers from all over the world began arriving in Charleston to work with
Ashley from the first meeting they realized what they'd been promised at A&B wasn't what they'd be
getting when we get there and we're like where is she and Doug announces that she's bedridden with a really difficult
pregnancy and so she wasn't going to be there for the first however many months it was explained to me that they
were going to be developing the state-of-the-art facility in Downtown Charleston day one when we're ready to
start up they were like can we use your facility each day something would happen
that just made us feel even more unsettled hi guys sorry the shoes kept dropping the company typically pays for
the dancers point shoes I remember one day we came in and they're like yeah unfortunately we have to half your
allotment of shoes this sounds like a professional baseball team not supplying their players with bats yeah that's
that's exactly what it is on top of all this chaos and confusion the dancers were having
trouble getting paid their checks were often late if they arrived at all Doug was scrambling to meet the company's
obligations we would ask him Hey where's the money for our shoes or our paychecks
he would go to the bank and just pull out cash and and give people cash paying you out of his own pocket in cash is not
the kind of thing that's going to inspire confidence no no confidence had gone a long time at this point that was
very long gone we really thought we're like well when Ashley comes back like that might be what fixes all of this but
Ashley wasn't coming back at the end of August citing her difficult pregnancy Ashley went back to
Florida to live with her mother while Doug tried to make the ballet work in Charleston what did you make of that I
was just kind of like okay I mean that means I get more alone time with my dad to hang out we had a decent amount of
sympathy for him too we're like jeez he got sucked into this whole thing and poor thing he doesn't really know what
he's doing he's trying to be there for us as much as he can the Rumblings about trouble in the
benefield's marriage grew louder it seemed like it was something that was going to crash and burn very
shortly very shortly in September while Doug was at an event for the ballet Ashley and her mother drove from Florida
to the house in Charleston and dropped a bombshell the marriage was over she came to Charleston and packed
up her things and then left Doug this scathing note about all the reasons why she didn't want to be be with him
anymore in the note Ashley called him possessive and controlling she wrote the incident when
he'd fired a gun into the ceiling as well as other unsafe Behavior had left her fearful for her life and the safety
of her unborn child I could see the look in his face when he read it I could just
tell his heart was broken but Ashley's notee was just the beginning he had this family that he
thought was going to be perfect happy and faithful and it fell apart in the most spectacular way it wasn't long
before the relationship became truly toxic she thought Doug may have poisoned her
this is a pretty long letter she says at the end do not harass or try to follow me or I will call the
police she does not seem like someone who is open to Getting Back Together Ashley's scathing note to Doug
left little doubt about her feelings I really think that Ashley thought that that was going to be it
just pack up her stuff leave a note and it was going to be over but Doug wasn't ready to give up he
sent Ashley text after text begging her to reconsider one of them read I am on my knees and face before God asking you
to forgive me but Ashley was not in a forgiving mood she decided to call the authorities
on Doug cops showed up at my house after she left my dad and he wasn't home I had
to answer the door she got Child Protective Services involved from Florida I hadn't even seen
her in months Ashley told police that Doug had anger issues and all about the day he fired his gun inside the
house investigators interviewed Eva I was constantly having people come up to my door and questioning if my dad was a
good dad and it just made me so angry because he was and I just kept having to repeat myself my dad is a good dad he's
never done anything to hurt anyone he wouldn't hurt anyone Doug was investigated by CPS and ultimately
cleared he'd been evaluated by a psychologist a full psych evaluation who said there's nothing wrong with this guy
he's not dangerous Doug was struggling on another fraud overwhelmed by handling the ballet
company by mid October we were notified that Ashley was stepping down did she jump or was she pushed
pushed why because there needed to be leadership and Ashley was not being a leader wise was in the room when Doug
got a call from Ashley was more than a little upset the phone rang he picks it up and you hear Ashley screaming you
took my ballet company away from me with Ashley gone Doug brought in new leaders who made drastic
changes on October 23rd 2017 some of these dancers including am Mana were called into a meeting told to
sign non-disclosure agreements and fired and Doug was of no help here no Doug was yeah nowhere to be found that
day just like that half the company's dancers were gone two days later Ashley posted on the
ballet's social media pages I am completely devastated by what has been done and the new leadership has
destroyed all that we work so hard to build what happened to her it helped to know that someone was on our side there
and that you know this was was never the intention it seemed like a beautiful idea had gone up in smoke within months
the American national ballet was done Doug was out more than $100,000 his ballet nightmare was over
but his friends say a new one was just beginning Ashley now had questions about Doug's first wife Eva's mother Renee and
how she died Ashley texted Doug wait what did she die of again Doug told her that Renee had a 75%
artery blockage Ashley I thought I have heard you say something about medications or
something like bad drugs you know I've read the autopsy report it's clear died of a heart attack
essentially it soon became clear why Ashley was so interested in how Renee died she told Doug's cousin Tommy she
thought Doug had poisoned Renee even though Doug was out of town at the time what was your reaction you must have
been like why it's out of left field I'm I'm really confused by that the local police say they closed the case in
2016 after they got the coroner's report but Ashley talked to writer Alice Rob shared her theory about Renee and made
another shocking allegation she said that you know as a dancer she'd always known her body well and that she really
felt like she was even more nauseous than she would have expected as a pregnant woman and she said that she had
been uh poisoned actually believed that Doug has been poisoning her while she was pregnant with their daughter they
were both big tea fans and she hearkened back to the times that Doug was bringing
her tea in bed because she didn't want to get out of bed Doug still hoping for a Reconciliation and having no idea
about Ashley's suspicions sent her a birthday gift at the end of November 2017 he had purchased a lovely teapot
and teacups and saucers and this specialty team that was supposed to be for pregnant women the gift fed Ashley's
growing concerns about Doug she takes it to the police department as hazardous materials and claims that it's how he's
poisoning her what do the police make of that they treated as hazardous materials
that day they test it and prove it's not any poisonous materials Ashley also sent
her hair to an independent lab for testing to determine if she'd been poisoned the report said her hair showed
higher than normal levels of aluminum zinc and other metals but Doug's lawyer disputes those findings she had gotten
plenty of lab work done because she was pregnant her medical records in South Carolina her Labs all came back
normal 3 week weeks before her due date without Doug knowing Ashley checked herself into the hospital I don't think
she was poisoned but that doesn't mean she doesn't think she was poisoned she was at Tampa General
Hospital claiming the child had been exposed to heavy metals in utero because her husband had poisoned
her Ashley also claimed without any proof that Doug was physically abusive and had held her prisoner back in
Charleston she said he had been stalking her in Florida with no way to know if what
Ashley told them was true the hospital took precautions for her safety and assigned her a new name
Christina 3 Days Later doctors performed a C-section the baby girl was healthy but Ashley continued to worry
her baby had been poisoned both Ashley and her daughter were here every single day receiving treatments
do you think Ashley believed she was poisoned chat now with the 48 Hours team on Facebook
[Music] andex the news that Ashley had given birth to a healthy baby girl in March
2018 took more than a month to reach Doug says is his lawyer Stephanie Murphy the baby was born about 3 weeks early
Doug had no idea baby Emerson did not have Doug's last name and Doug was not listed as the father on the original
birth certificate no one was Ashley wanted to raise her daughter with her mother alone she didn't want to
co-parent and she kept pursuing her accusation that Doug had killed Renee Eva says that at one point Ashley and
her mother Al IA even pulled Eva aside and they suggest to you that your father had a part in your mother's death right
what exactly did they say to you they said we're concerned about your safety your dad's a bad guy he does bad things
I just told them to get away from me but mother and daughter did not go away months later Eva says they renewed
their accusations and what did they say that time your dad poisoned and your mom
how'd you react to that I said no we didn't I was there I found my mom and that caused a lot of emotional
trauma my dad wouldn't do that he loved my mom I want to be clear about something was Doug ever charged with any
crime no sir and none of the allegations were true Ashley did not respond to our
request for an interview but she appeared convinced that she and her 3-month-old baby had been poisoned in
her search for help Ashley signed them up for 26 consecutive days of treatment in this hyperbaric chamber it can detox
the body of heavy metals and other toxins safety director Robert cedaro says Ashley and her daughter spent 40
hours in this 12 person chamber that looks more nautical than medical we call them Dives because it's we're almost
simulating diving like when the divers go out Ashley's daughter was the youngest patient ever treated here
adults wear a plastic hood while inside the chamber but with a baby things got a
bit tricky Ashley's daughter was really small you know at that time so we ended up taking this um ring and we put it
around her waist it was like she was like a little ballerina and so her half of her body was actually inside of the
hood in the summer of 2018 the poisoning allegations came to ahead when the Benfield squared off in a Bradenton
Florida courtroom Doug wanted to see his daughter and Ashley was requesting an injunction to keep him far away an audio
recording was made of the proceeding here Stephanie questions Ashley about the state of her pregnancy you also told
Lakewood Ranch OBGYN that um the pregnancy had been uncomplicated correct is there a page you would like me to
reference I'm just asking him is that what you told him I would wouldn't say it was uncomplicated my entire life has
been complicated for about 2 years okay the OB wrote right in her report pregnancy has been uncomplicated was
that inaccurate I'm not responsible for what the doctor or the nurse writes okay
you have accused your husband of poisoning you yes it is heartbreaking that somebody you would trust would do
something to you but the judge was not persuaded by two days of testimony and the lab test
results Ashley had submitted there is not a single cintilla of credible evidence that Miss Benfield has ever
been poisoned or suffered from any illness of any poison that ruling cleared the way for
Doug to finally see his daughter days later he and Ashley met outside the Sheriff's Office to exchange the baby to
Stephanie's Surprise Ashley was was suddenly very accommodating she then immediately went right up to Doug handed
the baby over nice as she could be very cordial she even suggested that the three of them Doug Ashley and the baby
spend time together and Doug said okay sure because Doug wanted to make the transition as easy for his daughter as
possible because to her he was a stranger and I talked to Doug I said okay it's fine of course please be be
careful for the better part of the next year Doug Ashley and their daughters seemed happy at least according to Doug
Doug even moved to a nearby apartment in Florida Doug thought they were back together that they were doing what they
were supposed to do in the beginning which was to slowly get to know each other um be a family I thought
everything was going to be okay but in August 2019 when he met Ashley to pick up his daughter Doug was stunned to see
what he thought was an engagement ring on Ashley's finger Doug hired a private investigator to find out what was going
on the private eye told Doug that Ashley was seeing another man and in November 2019 Doug filed for divorce soon after
Ashley began lodging complaints against Doug Ashley accused Doug of sexually abusing his daughter she accused him of
a whole Litany of things byebye byebye Doug vehemently denied harming his daughter and authorities agreed there
was no evidence Doug then wrote an email in March of 2020 to the Sheriff's Office
accusing Ashley of having a split personality but a few months later Doug did something that seemed
Unthinkable in a head spinning move he announced that he and Ashley were going to try again to be a family and we're
relocating to Maryland Tommy I know we keep circling back to the same question and I'm sorry it's just any viewer of
this hour is going to also be asking what did Doug need to see before he would say time out we're done he is
still believing he can rescue and save and have a marriage a loving marriage after somebody says you're
sexually abusing your daughter don't you cut and run don't you say I tried right I'm out
right yes most people do but not do she's still presenting to him and to others that they're going to put all
this back together again friends held their breath but hoped for Doug's sake that a miracle
reunion was about to happen trip says he knew better than to even try to talk Doug out of reconciling with with Ashley
there is nothing I can say that could possibly turn him around on this he's going to do this if it kills
[Music] him go inside the couple's short but troubled relationship at 48 hours.com he said that their
relationship was going really well and he was just excited for a fresh start on September 27th 2020 Doug Benfield Was
preparing to begin his new life he was moving with Ashley their young daughter and Ashley's mother Alisha from Florida
to Maryland so it's Sunday night and Doug is over at Ashley and Alicia's House and Doug is filling up the U-Haul
Alicia decided to take the baby for a walk down to the neighborhood park Ashley stayed behind with Doug soon
after a neighbor heard screams and called 911 I heard some somebody screaming outside then Ashley walked to a
different neighbor's house carrying her 45 caliber handgun she walks next door gun and hand tells the neighbor I shot
Doug in self-defense the neighbor calls 911 it's right next door to me she just came over
her strange husband attacked her and she says she shot him Ashley can be heard sobbing in the background when the
ambulance arrived Doug was still breathing police and EMTs assisted Doug who had been shot twice in his right leg
and arm police noted that the bullet from his arm traveled into his chest cavity Doug lived for an hour but died
at nearby Doctor's Hospital Ashley was not arrested that night as as detectives began investigating her claim of
self-defense but they'd have to do it without her she didn't speak to detectives at all but Ashley's mother
Alicia told the detective that she and her daughter were victims of domestic abuse and had been living in fear of
Doug for three and A2 years she claimed that they tried to get help but nobody would help them and Ashley's lawyer
Faith Brown told a detective that Ashley was creating an Escape Plan to get away from Doug once and for all
brown told the detective Ashley was in danger has a psychologist two attorneys and a burner phone Ashley also had a
safe location and a rental car set up Ashley was expected to implement the plan the very next day because as
Ashley's lawyer told the detective she was very concerned Doug was getting wind of the
plan but as detectives investigated Ashley's claim of self-defense became problematic a detective noted that Doug
had no guns or weapons on his person or near him she shot an unarmed man in the days and weeks after the shooting Ashley
did not reveal what happened in that moment in November of 2020 Ashley Benefield was charged with second degree
murder the the arrest warrant noted it appears that Ashley had exhausted all legal means of keeping the child away
from Douglas before the shooting she's pled not guilty I don't know what Ashley believed
writer Alice Rob says it's difficult to know if Ashley was a victim or a master manipulator was she genuinely afraid and
just trying to protect her baby and save herself or was she trying to get Doug out of her life just out of spite just
cuz she hated him I feel like she part of her wanted to believe that my dad was a good guy
but then there was also a part of her that was scared of him and I think that that part took over why was she scared
of him I think all the allegations she made just she started to believe them a little too much Ashley's mother
mother Alisha buers was granted custody of her grandchild while awaiting trial Ashley was free on Bond and saw her
daughter frequently do you ever think about her Ashley all the time what do you think I just want to know why would
she take away my father my best friend knowing that I don't have another parent I knew something was wrong one day when
he didn't send me a good morning text um and then a couple hours later I got a call that she that she she had shot and
killed him over the past year Eva has been exploring her feelings on Tik Tock using her unique sense of humor to
soothe her pain she posed frequently under the name Eva the freaking Diva where she jokes that her brand is the
girl with the dead parents this isn't the Chum Bucket I use dark humor I I just I don't
know I guess it's the way my brain's wired but I'd rather not sit in silk I'd rather just make light of a
situation these days Eva cherishes her time with Sully the dog who once belonged to her
father and she and Tommy still go to the beach at Sullivan's Island where her father's ashes were
scattered when we stand out here now all these months later any peace I don't think I'm going to get
peace until after the trial is over did you ever dream about your dad a few times what happens in the
dream we're in this big house and he enters the room through the a door and he says I've been in hiding and I need
you to help me and then I run with him and there's a tunnel and then I wake [Music]
up coming up next guess what I know everybody's been waiting for the day next week is her first in-person hearing
which means I'm going to see her in person for the first time since she killed my dad a daughter comes face to
face with her father's accused killer learning disturbing new details it's been difficult for me
hearing about it over again and over again and over again it's just it's a lot they made this all about Doug they
cast Doug in the worst possible light for the first time Ashley Benfield takes the stand claiming Doug tried to poison
her with a gift when I opened it there was an overwhelming strong chemical smell and I got like an instant headache
she says Doug was abusive he come at me like he was going to hit me he threw a chair at me then in tears Ashley's story
of what she says happened that night that you're done I was scared to death she's the kind of person who
eventually believes her own lies but just because someone believes what they're saying
doesn't make it true I start pulling the trigger and it just kept coming that's next on 48
Hours don't miss True Crime any anytime you want anywhere you go with the 48 Hours podcast real crimes real lives
like a John Grisham novel come to life real Justice there's some questions that have to be asked and need to be answered
listen to 48 Hours on Apple podcasts [Music]

A former ballerina shoots her husband. Did she kill to save herself or was it out of spite? Contributor Jim Axelrod reports in part one of a two-part "48 Hours." Watch more full episodes of "48 Hours" on Pluto TV.

CASE UPDATE: On Dec. 3, 2024, Ashley Benefield, who was convicted of manslaughter for the fatal 2020 shooting of her estranged husband Doug, was sentenced to 20 years in prison, to be followed by 10 years of probation

True crime. Real justice. "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.

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Brief Summary

Ashley Benefield's marriage to Doug ends in murder, raising questions of abuse and self-defense.

Key points

A Shocking Shooting. Ashley claims she shot Doug in self-defense, leading to a tragic turn in their relationship.
A Heartbreaking Revelation. Eva learns of her father's death and immediately suspects Ashley's involvement.
Ballet Dreams Turned Nightmare. Ashley and Doug's ambitious ballet company quickly spirals into chaos and tragedy.
The Marriage Falls Apart. Ashley leaves Doug, citing fear for her life and the safety of her unborn child.
Allegations of Poisoning. Ashley suspects Doug may have poisoned her and his first wife, raising serious questions.
Courtroom Drama Unfolds. Ashley accuses Doug of poisoning her, but the judge finds no credible evidence.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I shot Doug in self-defense.

Ashley claims after the shooting incident.

3:01WatchSep 10, 2024

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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