Judge denies bond request in Ashley Benefield’s manslaughter case

Former ballerina Ashley Benefield will not be released on bond pending the appeal of her manslaughter with a firearm conviction after a Manatee County Circuit Court judge denied her motion on Thursday.

Benefield, 33, filed the motion after she was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the shooting death of her estranged husband, Doug Benefield, in her Lakewood Ranch home in September 2020. Benefield was found guilty of manslaughter with a firearm in July. She was initially charged with murder in the second degree.

Her defense argued that based on Benefield's adherence to the rules of her previous pretrial supervision release, she should be allowed out on bond with similar conditions of wearing an electronic monitor and having a curfew. The defense noted Benefield had previously been allowed to leave the area on three separate occasions while on bond, but always returned.

Judge Matt Whyte denied Benefield's bond based on the nature and circumstances of the crime she was convicted for, Benefield's insufficient ties to the community and the severity of the sentence imposed. It appears the judge's main concern is that Benefield poses a flight risk if her appeal were to fail, and she would need to turn herself in to serve her sentence.

https://www.courttv.com/news/judge-weighs-bond-request-in-ashley-benefields-manslaughter-case/