What did Ashley Benefield share about husband killing?

Ashley Benefield, who was found guilty of manslaughter in July 2024 for shooting her estranged husband Doug Benefield inside her Florida home in September 2020, has lived with the “Black Swan” for the past four years.

Black Swan is a label in stark contrast to the elegance of her former ballet career.

Although Benefield has admitted she shot and killed her husband, she has denied prosecutors’ claims that she committed murder.

Benefield said she was forced to defend herself due to his alleged abuse.

The incident has left two children — her daughter and her late estranged husband’s daughter — without their parents. It is a grim irony in a story that intertwines love, ambition, and violence.

During an exclusive interview with “20/20”, Benefield said she knows that there are women all over the country and worldwide, who have gone through hard situations behind closed doors.

She wanted to do her part to share her story with the other women who have gone through something like this.

Doug’s family does not agree with Ashley’s description of her relationship with Doug.

Doug Benefield’s cousin Tommie Benefield told ABC News that Doug didn’t abuse Ashley verbally, and never touched her physically.

Doug would be angry, but the anger never came out in inappropriate ways, said Tommie.

Just 13 days after their initial meeting, the couple married.

The move of the quick wedding came as a surprise to Doug’s then-14-year-old daughter Eva Benefield. Her mother Renee Benefield, Doug’s first wife, had died nine months earlier.