Ex-ballerina sentenced to 20 years in Florida for manslaughter in husband’s killing

Published December 3, 2024 2:30 pm

BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) — A former Florida ballerina has been sentenced to 20 years in prison following her manslaughter conviction for fatally shooting her estranged husband in 2020. Manatee County court records show Circuit Judge Matt Whyte imposed the sentence Tuesday on 32-year-old Ashley Benefield after rejecting her request for a new trial based on allegations of juror misconduct. Benefield contended that she killed her estranged husband, 58-year-old Doug Benefield, in self-defense during an argument at her mother’s house in the Bradenton, Florida suburb of Lakewood Ranch.

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