Lakewood Ranch murder victim had his back to his wife when she started shooting, cops say

Douglas Benefield had his back to his wife when she opened fire on him Sept. 27, according to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office. Benefield, 58, later died, and the woman, Ashley Benefield, 28, was arrested and charged this week with second-degree murder.

Details about what detectives believed happen were included in an affidavit in support of an arrest warrant for Ashley Benefield.

Detectives say recent claims by Ashley Benefield that she was the victim of a domestic violence and that her husband had attacked her before she shot him, were false.

According to the affidavit, Benefield began to file domestic violence reports soon after she realized she was pregnant.

“It appears that the main focus of these complaints was to keep the child away from Douglas,” the affidavit states.

Most recently, Benefield had attempted to file an injunction against her husband in a last ditch attempt to keep the child away from him. The judge in that case, “openly advised that she did not find Ashley’s story to possess a ‘scintilla of truth,’” detectives said.

The judge ordered visitation and, “at this point, it appeared Ashley had exhausted all legal means to keep the child away from Douglas before the shooting.”

According to the affidavit, Benefield ran to a neighbor’s house in the Central Park subdivision after shooting her husband. Deputies arrived to find Douglas Benefield still alive and that he had been shot twice by a .45 caliber handgun. He was shot once in the leg and another round grazed his right arm and entered his chest.

Benefield was taken to the hospital where he died later that night.

Detectives say Benefield fired four times. Her husband was struck twice and two additional bullets were found embedded in the walls.

Detectives determined that based on how the bullets entered Douglas Benefield’s body, “it does not appear that he was facing Ashley when she began shooting,” the affidavit states.

Benefield was several feet away from her husband when she opened fire, according to the affidavit.

There were no other weapons found in the vicinity other than the handgun Benefield used to shoot her husband.

Benefield’s attorney was already at the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office when she was transported there for an interview. Deputies noted there were no signs of a struggle on her other than a small scratch that a witness said had happened to her the day before the shooting when she was scratched by a box.

Benefield refused to make any statements during the initial interview attempt, and detectives noted that to date, she has still refused to provide any further statements.

Benefield was arrested Wednesday and charged with second-degree murder. She remains in custody without bond pending a future court date.

This story was originally published November 6, 2020 at 3:42 PM.