A shocking incident unfolds as a young woman shoots her much older husband just days after their whirlwind marriage, raising questions about their relationship.
Charleston: So, there’s this wild story about a young woman named Ashley Byers who shot her husband, Douglas Benefield, who was 30 years older than her. They got hitched just 13 days after meeting, which had everyone raising eyebrows.
They had a small wedding, but things were rocky right from the start. Ashley had a tough time with her new stepmom, who was only nine years older than her. It led to some pretty heated arguments, and at one point, Douglas even fired a gun into the ceiling to calm things down.
Despite all the drama, they stuck together. Douglas even had a vasectomy reversed so they could have kids. They opened a ballet company together, but it didn’t last long and shut down after a year.
In 2017, Ashley got pregnant and decided to stay with her mom because she was feeling really sick. But when she came back, she packed her things and left Douglas a note saying she felt unsafe because of his controlling behavior.
Things got messy after that. Ashley accused Douglas of all sorts of things, even claiming he poisoned his first wife, which was proven false. Douglas just wanted to be part of his daughter’s life, but Ashley filed court papers to keep him away.
Fast forward to September 27, 2020, when Douglas went to Florida to help Ashley pack. Later that evening, neighbors heard gunshots. When the police arrived, they found Douglas shot in the leg, arm, and chest. He was rushed to the hospital but sadly didn’t make it.
Ashley claimed Douglas attacked her, but the evidence didn’t back her up. She had no injuries, and it looked like he was turning away when he was shot. There were also two other loaded guns in the house.
She was arrested and charged with second-degree murder but pleaded not guilty. The case got a lot of media attention, dubbed the Black Swan murder trial. In the end, she was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to 20 years in prison, plus 10 years of probation.
