Self Defense or Murder? FL v Ashley Benefield | The Black Swan Murder Trial 

#CourtTV - What do YOU think?

Disgusting that the little girl is being used as emotional blackmail!SHAME ON YOU !😠

Why are they using that poor little girl to hold signs? Cruel emotional child abuse. ImO

I can't believe they are dragging the child into it! Horrible, just horrible 😢 😞 😫

Who puts a child in a protest ? This child has only been told one side of this story!!!

She's using her daughter as a pawn. This shouldn't be allowed.

I am disgusted that the little girl is there holding a sign. It's definitely not a good look on the mother to drag her daughter into this.

I am appalled by the fact that the family allows for this 6year old to be displayed in public in defense of her mother. What about not showing a under age child's face for everyone to see. Good job for protecting your child. It tells me a lot what you about. It is child abuse!!!!!!!

She is clearly in love with herself.

I could not imagine my mother and grandmother making me hold a sign at 6 years old, to free my mom, after she murdered my dad. Poor baby!

13 days, then married. smh

I'm just surprised they made a sign to hold up and didn't check the spelling? 🤣 "suriving"??

Does the dad’s family have any rights to a relationship with the child.? The child is the victim here.

Wow! Using the child to help with this nonsense! That alone lets you know who she REALLY is. SMH A child deserves TWO loving parents. I’m so tired of people like this woman treating them like property!

I can't understand why these woman claims domestic violence, this word domestic violence is not a joke, it's real. And by using this to get off there cases should be looked at in a different light. This is no excuse for a crime. Love you Mr politan great work.❤❤

Unless the child saw what happened and could even understand what she saw, that child should not be manipulated like this

The photos of her ‘injuries’ remind me of Amber Heard’s ‘injuries’ 😂

She’s totally GUILTY, and it is child abuse having that child outside the court, goodness knows what she’s had drilled into her small head about her father!!! 😢

That poor man...she drove him crazy. She's twisting and manipulating everything to make her look like a victim. Terrible what people are capable of

What has she brainwashed his little girl about I wonder.

Please stop with the comparison of this case and Karen's and just talk about the evidence

Why would you take a 6yr old little girl with a sign to the courthouse?!?!?! Wonder who thought that was a good idea 😮 Doug was her father and Ashley, her mother, murdered him. Now when Ashley is convicted, then what?!?!?! This is terribly sad. Thanks for the coverage Court TV and love you Vinnie ❤

Marrying a woman 30 years younger within 13 days ? What could go wrong ? 🙄

Oh that poor beautiful child….yes that is definitely abusive to make her stand & hold a sign…..says everything about the guilty defendant & her mother 👺👺

That is wild that the 6 year old is involved in any capacity. Terrible parenting even if she wasn’t guilty.

Imo she’s guilty, she is not well at all!! So much to this case but she is the aggressor etc

She had her six year old outside the court house holding a sign saying please let my mummy free…….. what the hell kind of parenting is that???? That’s borderline abuse! Pawning her daughter for her freedom?? At her dad’s murder trial!! Tells me all I need to know about her character

Ashley is a pretty woman who doesn't want to go to jail. She is too rehearsed every time she speaks. Using her child out protesting the trial is just another theatrics by Ashley. She is playing everyone!

Thanks court TV for showing this trial

Get the story from his older daughter! She has the story on her social media and is open about her opinions and experiences. She openly claims her father was murdered.

Amber Heard crazy! Very manipulative. I feel sorry for the little girl.

DO NOT involve her child standing out there as a therapist I find that extremely disturbing!

u dont expose children like this

Child abuse to emotionally coerce a 6 year old to choose in this. Of course she wants her Mommy home just like she would want a Daddy alive.

And it’s NOT a good look to have your daughter out there holding a sign?!

I would never put a 6 year old out in public like that no matter what side you are on!

She might be the LEAST believable defendant I have ever seen. Not to mention, the facts don’t help her much either.

Date people your own age unless you’re a multi millionaire rock star.

Murder, and i cant believe how many people think it was self defense. 🙄

She saw $ signs. He was gullible. The baby was her long term Meal Ticket.

6 members of the family? 😅 ok.. she’s got no public support because she is guilty.

Hopefully child welfare services are watching.

This is not a Karen Read case.... The supporters belives in unicorns

I know nothing about this case. This lady has crazy eyes. Horrible putting the child out there. That tells me she is guilty. No good mother would let their child be out there like that.

Guilty I sure hope the jury doesn’t fall for her bs lies

news flash the judge always goes over those questions

I kinda like this judge! Right to the point and not taking any silly business

Guilty , liar !

TY Vinnie. Great case coverage

WHY IS SHE OUT ON BAIL

She just hated that man. This tragedy was planned. Poor baby girl and Doug's family.

yea thats just bad parenting, her and her mom are gonna feel stupid when shes convicted

Before comments even started I said to myself “I don’t know that I would want or allow my young child to be out there like that.”

Final redaction: hysterical, to silence, to calm "I can't", to an odd gasp sound? Was there any witnesses at the park to corroborate timing and gma's behavior? Or even ring footage?

Wow! Tommie stated that "no" DNA was found on Ashley from Doug, and "no" DNA from Doug on Ashley! How could Doug attack her if he didnt touch her!? I guess Ashley (and mother) didnt think this murder plot out very well!

When it comes to Karen Read,i have seen hundreds of trials but this was the first time I've ever been on the side of the Defendant as the mountain of evidence proving her innocence is overwhelming!😲

When Judge Whyte asks Ashley if she wants to go to trial she says, "I guess so" Is this a way to later file an appeal or mistrial?

It sounded like she said “I can’t” in a calm voice and then went back to sniffling and crying.

Tommy, keep putting the frustration of the child not being allowed to promote justice for her Daddy on air. This is child abuse.

There never seems to be any tears when she “cries”.

Hahaha .. Ashley's mother Alicia was holding a sign that says, Punished for Suriving! She misspelled surviving. 😅

She is a spoiled brat

I don't know much about this one

Why marry so soon?

Ashley Benefield gives Domestic Violence a bad name!

dude is he getting snotty with the judge

Guilty AF

That child shouldn't be out there with a sign

I think it is unprofessional for the judge to say ‘I would lose my mind’

Black Swan: That’s very original 😁

IMO She choreographed this entire story from the moment she met her husband. She sought a certain "type" of a gentleman, pushed him to his emotional edge, then fabricated a weak "woe-is-me" defense. I wonder if she ever danced The NUTcracker 🤭

She set this all up. Its so obvious

IMO this is completely different from the Karen Read case. I think this black swan is 100% guilty. Furthermore, it is egregious, tasteless and disgusting to use the victim's own SIX-YEAR-OLD CHILD....SIX!!!...as a pawn in supporting the black swan's claim of innocence. Ye gods, the black swan and her mother will stop at nothing! 🤮🤮🤮 Emotional blackmail of an innocent child to hold up a sign outside in the heat. Who does this??

We love Cody, Court TV!! 👍👍

If I was in any way involved in a case like this I would be absolutely horrified if anyone tried to involve my child. No matter what side I was on. Abhorrent behavior

shooting a gun into the ceiling of a home is abusive behavior I really don't care what anyone says.

JUSTICE PRAYERS FOR THIS MOM AND WHAT HER FAMILY IS GOING THROUGH. DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HAS GONE UP LIKE CRAZY. SITUATIONS INVOLVING COUPLES OR PARENTS AND THEIR CHILDREN HAVE GONE UP SO MUCH.

I have spent time in Dedham & Charleston... these are different countries... no one screams in Charleston. They are very polite.

she set him up. had him come help.

Ill bet she suggested for her to take her to the park too.

They need experts on abusiveness, on male violence, and abusers. Not some random dude who has no clue attempting to "define DV". Abusers that batter the mother of their children ARE child abusers. Their kids suffer due to the abusers behavior and entire ideology. The guy you have talking is OBVIOUSLY no expert on DV or abusiveness. He sounds like a prime example of the reason abusers feel entitled to their behavior...They're protected by an entire system of misogyny and victim blame/shame. The ignorance surrounding DV is prominent in the courts and the myths surrounding abusiveness are perpetuated with guests like that. Women aren't legally allowed to defend their lives when men attack them because we're considered second degree citizens in a court of law. I'd love to see this channel, instead of constantly sensationalizing women who've had to defend their lives, actually have guests on who are advocates & experts on DV. Get Lundy Bancroft. Get with the times, because you guys should know better by now.

Her and her family are absolutely shocking. Hope she goes to jail for a long time.

Sad to see the little girl being used 😢 she should not be there - shame

Don't understand why attorney answered questions directed to AB. Isn't that cause for mistrial later?

guilty, guilty, guilty

Ashley Benefield enrolled in the Wendi-Adelson-School-of-Acting to prepare for trial, but failed "Authentic Tear Production 101",

I am sure that the prosecution will bring up the fact that Ashley had 3 loaded guns planted throughout the house so she could kill Doug in whatever room she could. Again, 3 loaded guns around a toddler!! Bad parenting from the beginning until now when she has her child, in this heat, holding a sign that she does not fully understand!! Where is CPS!!!!!!?????

I really like Cody, I sure hope we see more of him and less of the blond headed lady that replaced Chanley. I can't remember her name but she is awful 🤦.

Her lawyer sounds like Ben Stein

Her lawyer is calling the cousin " a creep" ??? The cousin wants only to give context for clarity !!! Shes trying to disrespect 2 decorated respectable veterans !!!

Ruby Franke was like this.

Don’t agree with a 6 year old child being involved in holding a sign against her dead father - mmmmm not a good look nanna

48 hours or 20/20, which ever did a show on this crime. The dancers were in the show and interesting.

Don’t cherry pick what the jury hears. They need to hear and see ALL evidence in order to make a fair decision.

The "sea of pink" is not what made the Karen Read case unique. However, the sea of pink came to fruition due to the fact that this case was, indeed, unique. It's clear the victim in this case was shot. That's a fact. John's means of death in the Karen Read case, was not proven through evidence to be caused by Karen's SUV. The evidence did not support the accusations. In fact, experts hired by the DOJ testified that John was not hit by the SUV. Then there's the fact that the house wasn't searched, they rehomed the dog, videos were inverted, fishy text messages, and really if I included all of the unique details of the Karen Read case we'd be here all day. I went into that case with no bias, never hearing of Karen Read before. I will also watch this case in the same manner. I usually tend to lean toward the prosecution side to be quite honest. I go in with the understanding that they had enough evidence to charge the defendant but then I listen closely to the details, to testimonies, and I review the evidence. There may be support for this ballerina. I'm sure her family will support her and there are possibly others that may form bias before the case begins but I doubt there will be as much support as Karen had during her trial unless this trial unfolds with its own unique details in favor of the defense.

Adorable how they’re trying to make Fetch happen. It’s not gonna happen. Also… lol 32:46

Wow🤯

Doesnt sound like the Karen Read case, but when courttv previewed the Karen Read case they did it in a way that made me think totally guilty when she isnt. So might be the same thing

I've no doubt that Doug lost the plot a few times . That's what happens when someone emotionally strings another along with lies and manipulation. She had left him... however the moment he got time with his child she sprung back into his face. This is so similar to Wendi Adelsons divorce scenario... another parent wanting the ex to disappear

This judge is so much more competent than Bev