Benefield’s hand motions ‘from a performance’: Victim’s cousin
- Defense rests its case in Ashley Benefield murder trial
- Estranged spouse of victim claiming self-defense
- Victim's cousin: Ashley's a performance artist
ovp test
Male shot by female at Shreveport apartment
Class to create biodiverse backyard
Rules for outbursts at Caddo School Board Meeting
(NewsNation) — Both sides have rested their case in the murder trial of Ashley Benefield, the former ballerina charged with shooting and killing her estranged husband.
In tearful testimony last week, Ashley Benefield, 33, claimed that she acted in self-defense when she fatally shot Doug Benefield during a custody argument in 2020.
Doug’s cousin, Tommie Benefield, said his family appreciated Ashley’s testimony, but the “evidence is completely against what she said.”
“Ashley’s a performance artist, she was trained that way,” Tommie Benefield said during a Monday appearance on “Banfield,” referencing Ashley’s body language while testifying. “If you research online, you can see that there’s a ballet performance. … All the hand gestures that Ashley showed when she was attempting to show what happened are from a performance that we saw.”
Among the defense’s final witnesses Monday were the lead investigator in the sheriff’s office case, a Realtor who was helping Doug look for a home in Lakewood Ranch, and Doug and Ashley’s trauma counselor.
The jury will return to the courtroom around 8:45 a.m. Tuesday.
