Case File: Douglas Benefield

At around 6:00 PM on September 27, 2020 a Manatee County Florida man placed a 911 call, telling dispatch his neighbour Ashley Benefield had just run to his home asking for help, alleging her husband had attacked her - so she shot him.

First responders arrived to discover Ashley’s husband, Douglas Benefield lying in a pool of blood, clearly having sustained multiple gunshot wounds. Despite the best efforts of first responders and medical staff, Douglas Benefield died later that night.

According to court documents, “Based on the entry wounds on Douglas, it does not appear that he was facing Ashley when she began shooting. It also does not appear that Douglas had taken any kind of defensive or combative stance.”

There is no question that Ashley Benefield was the shooter. A warrant for her arrest for second degree murder with a firearm was issued on November 4, 2020.

The prosecution alleges Ashley was motivated to kill Douglas Benefield, pointing to the fact that once she discovered she was pregnant with the couple’s daughter, she actively worked to ensure he would have no contact with the child. She made several claims of domestic violence, including alleging that her husband poisoned her tea while she was pregnant. A judge dismissed all claims, stating there was “not a scintilla of evidence” to support Ashley’s version of events. No charges were ever brought.

Ashley was found guilty of manslaughter after a July 2024 trial.