'Black swan' ballerina reenacts fatal shooting in shocking photos

The 'Black Swan' ballerina found guilty of gunning down her husband participated in a reenactment of the killing - even mimicking the moment she pulled the trigger, shocking images show.

Ashley Benefield, 33, was found guilty of manslaughter after fatally shooting her husband, Doug Benefield, 59, in Florida while packing up to move to Maryland in 2020.

Newly obtained images of the reenactment were revealed after Benefield's defense team filed a motion for a new trial on following allegations of juror misconduct Monday, ABC 7 reported. 

The reenactment - which was produced by Benefield's defense team but ultimately not submitted at the trial - claims to paint a vivid picture of Benefield's final moments with her husband.

In the images, Benefield is seen wearing an ankle monitor while walking through what happened before and during the shooting.

Since that fateful day four years ago, Benefield has maintained her original claim that she only fired the weapon out of fear for her life and argued self-defense in court. 

She was originally charged with second-degree murder before the charge was dropped to manslaughter. 

Benefield was set to be sentenced on Tuesday, but Judge Matt Whyte postponed the hearing to consider the defense's latest motion.

Dr. Barbra Russell, the psychotherapist who evaluated both Ashley and Doug amid their custody battle, took the stand to testify in July about her relationship with the defendant.

Although she and Benefield's initial meetings were professional, Benefield moved into Russell's home for a short period of time. Russell testified that she saw swelling on the side of Benefield's face after she allegedly shot her husband in self-defense, Law & Crime Trials reported.

Russell told True Crime News: 'He started to become aggressive, body checking her when he walked by her, slamming her in the hip or in the stomach with a box a couple of times.'

That version of events was show in the reenactment photos, which show Benefield kneeling on the floor and fiddling with a box in the room while an actor depicting Doug loomed in the background. 

The images also show the actor handling the box himself while getting in close proximity of Benefield. Some images show the actor in Benefield's face.

'She wanted him to leave,' Russell told True Crime News. 'She managed to get out of her room when he had turned around and moved, and went towards the front door.' 

Although a majority of the photos appear to take place in a room of the house, two images show Benefield in a hallway, seemingly in an attempt to leave.

'So, here she is in her own home ready to run out the front door because Doug was scaring her, and he wouldn't leave,' Russell claimed. 'He pursued her, grabbed her by the arm, pulled her away from the front door, kind of spun her around and stood between her and the door.'

At this point, Russell said, Doug 'punched her in the side of the head,' sending Benefield running back to the bedroom to 'find cover.'

Benefield was shown in the reenactment standing near a window with her wrist being grasped by the actor's. Other photos show the man standing in the door frame while facing Benefield, appearing to block her from exiting.

Russell noted that Doug followed her further into the room, where Benefield then grabbed the gun.

In the images, Benefield can be seen standing near the window with her feet apart, positioning her hands like she was holding a gun, and aiming at the actor.

Russell said that the gesture didn't slow down Doug, who 'continued to pursue her.'

A series of images from the reenactment show the male actor making his way further into the room while Benefield faces him in a firing stance.

Images show the actor approaching Benefield, before he is seen slumping into the back of a chair and eventually laying on the ground while Benefield remained standing.

Russell noted that this is when Benefield fired the fatal shot.

'There is no way on earth that this woman that I psychologically evaluated, that I spoke to nearly every day for six months after that, because of my safety concerns for her, and that also lived in my house for nearly eight months - there is no way on earth that she ever would have grabbed a gun and pointed it at anybody unless she sincerely, truly believed that her life was in imminent danger right there in that moment,' Russell told True Crime News. 'It is absolutely impossible.'

Benefield took the stand at her trial, testifying that she had pulled the trigger after her husband became physically abusive.

Bruce Ferris, a mental health professional who specializes in domestic and family traumas, testified that Benefield displayed behaviors of someone who was a victim of domestic abuse.

Michael Haag, a forensics expert, took the stand to talk about bullet trajectories from the crime scene, which he noted were consistent with Benefield having been in motion during the shooting, Too Fab reported.

The reenactment provides a contrast to the prosecution's argument that Doug was shot from behind.

'The reenactment video was created as a result of Ashley Benefield walking the people through what happened in answering their questions, so that was a very accurate representation of what took place,' defense attorney Neil Taylor told DailyMail.com.

The prosecution argued that Benefield murdered her husband in cold blood amid a custody battle over their unborn child and that she wanted to be a single mother.

Suzanne O'Donnell, the Assistant State Attorney, argued: 'She would stop at nothing to obtain that goal,' Too Fab reported.

The prosecution presented its own evidence, including an affidavit from the Manatee County Sheriff's Office noting that based on the wounds left by the bullet's entry, it did not appear that Doug was facing Ashley when she began shooting.

'It also does not appear that Douglas had taken any kind of defensive or combative stance,' the affidavit continued. 'He was not found to have any weapons on his person or near him,' Too Fab reported.

'Detectives found no evidence that she was acting in self-defense when she fired multiple shots at her husband.'     

Taylor, Benefield's lawyer, told the DailyMail.com that it was ultimately his decision not to submit the reenactment photos in court.

'It was very, very apparent, even if I didn't have the experience I do, that this judge would never, ever agree to allow that to be introduced,' he said.

Benefield's defense asked the court to consider a new trial following claims of jury misconduct, including a juror who may have had a cell phone in the room during the deliberation period, ABC 7 reported.

In court on Monday, conversations centered around another juror who may have incorrectly or untruthfully answered questions on the juror's questionnaire.