[imagesource: Tommie Benefield]

The tumultuous marriage between the former ballerina and her significantly older husband crumbled after just four years, culminating in a tragic twist when she shot him on September 27, 2020.

Ashley Byers met Doug Benefield at a dinner in Florida in August 2016 and sparks flew immediately. At the time, she was 24 and a former ballerina and swimsuit model while Doug was 54 and worked as a consultant for technology companies and government contractors.

CBS News reveals how they tied the knot just 13 days after meeting, in his hometown of Charleston, South Carolina, in front of very few guests. Little did Ashley know that the rushed marriage would lead to murder.

See, Doug had a 15-year-old daughter from his previous marriage, and he didn’t tell her that he and Ashley had married. Eva’s mother Renee had died of an undiagnosed heart ailment nine months earlier, so it was on Ashley to fill the spot. But unfortunately, Ashley struggled to get along with Eva, as well as her friend, Sydney, who moved in with the family.

During an argument with Ashley about Eva, Doug fired his gun into the kitchen ceiling.

Despite this major red flag, Ashley stuck around and Doug continued to support her in her dream of building a ballet company in Charleston. She aimed at making the American National Ballet a more inclusive home to dancers who were considered unconventional.

But then Ashley became pregnant, and suffering from nausea, she returned to Florida so her mother could take care of her. what authorities know is that a month later, in September 2017, Ashley and her mother returned to Charleston so that she could pack up her belongings, which is when she left a chilling note.

Her personal and professional life seemed to be crumbling simultaneously, as Ashley left the ballet company and new leadership fired half of the dancers in October. Ashley posted on the ballet’s social media pages that she was devastated, and that the new leadership destroyed all that they worked so hard to build.

All the while, Ashley had turned to the authorities about the gun incident, and although Child Protective Services investigated and interviewed Eva, Doug was evaluated by a psychologist and ultimately cleared.

Ashley also made a massive claim that Doug had poisoned her and his first wife, Renee, whose autopsy says she died of coronary artery sclerosis, a heart condition. 

Despite Doug’s desperate pleas to be part of her life, Ashley severed all contact with him throughout her pregnancy. In March 2018, just three weeks before her due date, she admitted herself to the hospital, claiming her husband had poisoned her. The doctors swiftly performed a C-section, bringing a healthy baby girl into the world—while Doug remained unaware of her arrival

Ashley filed court documents to keep Doug away from her and their daughter, but weighing in on the case, the judge found “There is not a single scintilla of credible evidence that Ms Benefield has ever been poisoned or suffered from any illness of any poison.”

When their daughter was 6 months old, Doug and Ashley began sharing custody.

Doug and Ashley seemed to set aside their differences, finding common ground as they reconciled for much of 2019, enjoying precious moments together with their daughter.

It didn’t take long, however, for the drama to ensue. In August 2019, Ashley arrived to drop off their daughter, proudly sporting an engagement ring. Suspicious, Doug hired a private investigator, who revealed that Ashley was involved with someone else. Heartbroken, Doug filed for divorce, only for Ashley to then level shocking accusations against him, claiming he had physically and sexually abused their daughter. Doug vehemently denied the allegations, and Child Protective Services found no evidence to support her claims.

In the summer of 2020, Ashley and Doug suddenly reconciled again and announced they were moving to Maryland with their daughter and Ashley’s mother. On September 27, 2020, Doug was packing a U-Haul with the family’s possessions when a neighbour called 911 to report a shooting at the home.

Ashley had walked to his house holding a .45 caliber gun and said Doug had attacked her and she shot him. Doug died an hour later at a local hospital.

On November 4, 2020, Ashley was arrested and charged with second-degree murder. A few weeks later, she posted bail and pleaded not guilty to the charges.

After the trial, Ashley was found guilty of manslaughter with a firearm in the shooting death of her estranged husband Doug.

The events are a whirlwind of dark, and nobody but Ashley and Doug will ever truly know what was really going on throughout their relationship.

[source:cbsnews]