They Marry 13 Days After Meeting Each Other, Have a Daughter, and Woman Kills Husband

Ashley, a former dancer, killed her husband. Her trial became known as the 'Black Swan Trial'.

Ashley and Doug Benefield met at an event and decided to get married 13 days later, despite concerns from their friends and family who thought the decision was too hasty, especially considering the 30-year age difference between them. The suspicions would be proven true years later.

Ashley, 24, was a former dancer and model who dropped out of school to pursue dance, something she had been doing since she was 8 years old. However, at 21 his career did not follow the path he had hoped and his wife decided to start teaching.

Doug was a 54-year-old ex-military man who had been widowed nine months earlier. His 15-year-old daughter was left in his care.

Ashley and Doug's relationship was conflicted from the beginning, with the woman having difficulty dealing with the man's daughter. During an argument between them, the man even had to shoot into the air to silence them.

The love between them seemed to be stronger and the man supported Ashley in her dream of having her own dance company, and at the same time reversed a vasectomy he had had so that they could both be parents.

And it was this last moment that changed the relationship between them.

Ashley became pregnant and at that time took advantage of her husband's short absence to leave home. A series of accusations from Ashley followed against the man, who accused him of abusive behavior and even accused him of the death of his ex-wife, something that was never proven.

The girl was born in March 2018 and Ashley even forbade the man from approaching her daughter. After that, in the summer of 2020, the couple tried to reconcile. On September 27 of that year, Ashley's mother took her granddaughter to the park, when the couple was alone at home.

At that point, Ashley grabbed a gun and fatally shot Doug, accusing him of trying to assault her and claiming he had acted in self-defense. He told the court that the man had an aggressive temperament and that he would often bump things during arguments and that physical assaults were common.

However, medical examinations would later deny this as she did not have any injuries.

The court concluded that the woman acted with the intention of removing the man and obtaining custody of her daughter. She was found guilty of murder with a firearm and sentenced to 20 years in prison.

However, even today many question the fairness of the trial, in which the evidence was considered insufficient. Many believe that Ashley is an actress and manipulator who only wanted her daughter for herself. Others believe in his innocence. Ashley became known as the 'Black Swan'.