The tumultuous marriage between the former ballet dancer and her much older husband lasted only four years until she shot him on September 27, 2020.
Ashley Byers meets Doug Benefield Ashley met him at a dinner in Florida in August 2016 and love sparked instantly between the two. Ashley was 24 years old and a former ballet dancer and swimsuit model.
A whirlwind romance
Doug was 54 and worked as a consultant for technology companies and government contractors. The couple married 13 days later in front of very few guests in their hometown of Charleston, South Carolina
Past tragedies
Doug did not tell Eva, his 15-year-old daughter from a previous marriage, that he and Ashley had married. Eva’s mother, Renee, had died nine months earlier from an undiagnosed heart condition.
Family conflict
Ashley had difficulty adjusting to Eva (right) and her friend Sydney (who came to stay with the family).
heated argument
During an argument with Ashley about Eva, Doug fires his gun into the kitchen ceiling.
Ballet Dreams
But Doug continued to support Ashley in her dream of creating a ballet company in Charleston. The American National Ballet would be a more inclusive home for dancers who were considered unconventional.
Creation of a family
While they were forming the ballet company, Ashley became pregnant. She began to have problems with nausea and returned to Florida so her mother could take care of her.
Is the marriage over?
A month later, in September 2017, Ashley and her mother returned to Charleston. She packed up her belongings and left a scathing note. Ashley called Doug “possessive” and “controlling.” She wrote that the incident in which Doug pointed a gun at her on the roof as well as other unsafe behavior had left her fearful for her life and the safety of her unborn child.
The ballet broke up
In October Ashley left the ballet company and the new leadership fired half of the dancers. Ashley posted on the ballet’s social media page that she was devastated and that the new leadership had destroyed everything she had worked so hard to build.
Initial allegations
Ashley then reported the gun incident to the authorities. Child Protective Services investigated and questioned Eva. Doug was evaluated by a psychologist and was ultimately exonerated.
Was he poisoned?
Ashley also claimed that Doug poisoned her and his first wife, Renee. Renee’s autopsy revealed that she died of a heart disease called coronary artery sclerosis.
Secret birth
Ashley did not contact Doug for the rest of her pregnancy, despite his pleas for her to reach out. In March 2018, three weeks before her due date, she walked into the hospital and told him her husband had poisoned her. Doctors performed a C-section and delivered a healthy baby girl. Doug had no idea she was born.
Custody battle
After Ashley filed documents in court to keep Doug away from her and her daughter, a judge considered the case. He found that “there is not a shred of credible evidence that Ms. Benefield was ever poisoned or suffered any illness caused by any poison.”
Affectionate father
When their daughter was 6 months old, Doug and Ashley began taking joint care of her.
a reconciliation
Doug and Ashley appear to have put their differences behind them and reconciled for most of 2019. The two spent time with their daughter
Marriage in crisis
In August 2019, Ashley came to drop off their daughter; she was wearing an engagement ring. Doug hired a private investigator who reported that Ashley was dating someone else. Doug filed for divorce. Ashley then accused him of physically and sexually abusing their daughter. Doug denied the allegations and CPS found no evidence of abuse.
unlikely reunion
In the summer of 2020, Ashley and Doug suddenly reconciled again and announced that 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 things.
Shootout
That night a neighbor called 911 to report shots being fired at the home. Ashley had gone to her home with a .45 caliber gun and told her Doug attacked her and she shot him. Doug died an hour later at a local hospital.
Arrest of Ashley
Ashley was arrested on November 4, 2020, and charged with second-degree murder. She posted bail a few weeks later and is now awaiting trial. She has pleaded not guilty.
a trial and verdict
Ashley Benefield on July 30, 2024 found guilty of murder She was shot and killed by her husband, Doug Benefield.
