Talking Dateline: Deadly Dance
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Hi everyone, i'm blame Alexander. And we are talking date line today here with Andrea canning. Hey, Andrea. Hey, blame. So this episode is called deadly dance.

If you haven't seen IT, it's the episode right below this one on your date line podcast feed. So go there, listen to IT or stream IT on p cock and then come right back here for this talking date line. We have an extra clip from Andreas interview with ashly benefield therapies doctor barber Russell.

But just a quick recap in twenty twenty former ballerina that Ashley enfield claimed that he acted in self defence after fatally shooting her husband, doug benefield. But when investigators took a closer look into the couples were in relationship, they learned of abuse allegations, a bitter custody dispute, even an accusation of a previous murder to investigators, the to mutual relationship mixed with the physical evidence point IT to one thing, and that's murder. Okay, Andrea, let's stock daylight.

Let's doing so. The big question, who is ashly benefield? I mean, I think that's the question from all angles.

So she's a former barra, a swimsuit model. SHE enters dug benefield live and they get married within thirteen days of first meeting. What makes someone get married after thirteen days.

I don't know. We touched on a little bit of their first encounter um where they were at a dinner party. And so I guess actually in done they go outside and he's in the guns. She's in the guns apparently. And SHE has like a gun, like, you know, talked in her bra like a tiny gun.

I was like how to be put that in there and SHE was wearing, we don't get into all these crazy details in the show, right but he was wearing one of those bandage apparently dresses so it's like how did that like fit in there? And then um not only that, which also didn't make the show as you know, for time. Um I guess he takes them out to her car and she's got a like A A semi automatic weapon in the trunk of her car.

She's got a big gut like gun in there too so a mutual love of firearms right out of the gate with these two but they definitely seem to have a lot in common from the go. They were million. He was military, you know, republicans, the guns, god.

And also, I think that to go from A A dinner party where you're talking about whatever you're talking about, so like, hey, come outside and look at my guns, I just want how you make that conversation .

leave was a you as you know I write these homemaker movies and we call them meet cute um where the couple first meets in the movie. This would not make a hallmark movie. I'm just saying in that .

probably one of the most if I did, I would be one of the most creative poll mark movies or something like that. Yeah, yeah. Okay, let's say that that was an interesting meeting.

But to go from that to I do. And thirteen days is so interesting, right? So like the question is, was this infatuation was IT just love, or did actually have some sort of a hidden agenda in all of this?

Well, I think doug's family, his brothers and his cousin anyway felt that he was, you know, into this. He's an older man. She's thinking he has money, he has status. So I think that they felt that there was an agenda there. I don't think that anyone questions that he was into him like I think there was also some you know, infatuation.

There is, well, not just the what SHE was getting out of IT, but I think that was probably was what they feel more sort of driving the infatuation, the power, the money that he thought he had. I should say doctor barber rustle the therapy. SHE says that that actually was really in love of dog. So that's coming from the other side, that this was not about necessarily money and status. All that I was late, that he did love him.

One question I had when we heard about her dream to open this ballet studio. I wonder to your point about money, like how much did dog have to do with with giving her the money to open that study, or making this possible?

Dog definitely helped with the studio. Her dream kind of became his dream. So they moved to Charleston.

And a Ashley's dream was to start a ballet company that would be all inclusive. So IT would be all different ethnicities. IT would be all different weights, all different sizes, heights, backgrounds.

So IT IT was a very interesting idea because, you know, belin's and ballet dancers in general, you know, somewhat cookie cutters, right? So I do comment, or I kind of thought that was a fun, really fun idea. I have all these different people come together, and Charles is such A A tourist destination that that would be a fun thing to put on your list.

You know, when you go to Charleston, you go for the food. You you can go watch this interesting belay. So dug was apparently all in on that to help her.

So did I mean, your question, did he go after him for money? You, I don't know. But as we know, I didn't.

You know, the company never really got off the ground. They made some major inroads with the company. And then I just fell apart.

You know, the other big thing, of course, he got gnant and SHE became a mom. I assuming that he really wanted children because he was pregnant relatively soon after they got married. And that became kind of the just kind of like a central focus when you talk about, you know, this poor girl who was really caught in the middle of all of this.

Yeah, I was. I mean, it's exhAusting just hearing about the fighting that was going on over their daughter. Emerson IT really became the the focus of their fighting. I was so .

fascinated by this because IT, from the beginning, IT wasn't this question of like, oh, who did IT right? Like, we knew the shop, the trigger.

But why? Why did he do IT know? This was a conversation that I really had with the prosecutors about when there are abuse allegations, of course, he wanna believe the victim, right? We all want to believe the victim.

You know that this is very serious. This is something that women and men go through in this country, and it's awful. And we know too many times that can end in murder.

And so that was the tRicky part for the prosecutors because these prosecutors did not believe that actually was being abused. So it's a fine line. IT was even a fine line for me doing the date line because I didn't want anyone thinking that I don't believe abuse victims.

IT is tRicky, right? When there are cases sometimes where the person really wasn't abused. And was that the case here? I don't know.

I'm not. I would never wait into that. I was difficult to almost present that and difficult for the prosecutors.

I could imagine that would be tRicky. IT really was a delicate kind of baLance. They had to strike. They had to be delicate with IT. I thought that I was so striking the eva at the end ducks daughter.

And from previous marriage, IT came out and kind of addressed, or almost apologize, to women who suffer from domestic violence, or or really brought that forward to when we get back. We got a bonus clip from Andrews interview with Ashley y. Benefield therapist.

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So let's go to the crime scene, because there was something that was very unusual about this. Very soon after doug benefield was shot, we saw all of these people kind of started showing up for ashly lawyers, for therapists. How unusual is .

something like that? Well, the police thought I was unusual so SHE had three attorneys um and one of the attorneys was at the police station like immediately I did seem like they were on feedle doctor Barbara sell. He actually showed up at the active crime scene and the detective was like, where you here? He said he was called by Ashley's mother, who was there.

So we have an extra clip with um doctor rusal about arriving at this crime scene. The lead investigator accuse you of sort of budding into the investigation at the scene. Yes, what was your logic on getting involved?

The investigator was, as well as some of the child's protective workers, the workers who couldn't care less about this child's safety while dog was alive were now suddenly so concerned about her safety. They took Ashley's mother into the garage of this home to question her. I did not feel that that was appropriate.

The woman was in a state of shock. SHE was terrified. So I kept popping my nose into the garage. Hi guys, how we do, and we almost done.

I'm really glad that we had the voice of doctor Russell because I do think that you said so much about actually, I wonder if there were questions about to be there on the scene to be so involved. Was IT possible that he was overstepping her bounds of .

therapies to be there? I mean, first of all, we should be clear that the investigator and cps workers say they were always concerned about emerson's safety, and police deny doing anything inappropriate at the scene. You could tell when I interview at the detective, he didn't love the tone of doctor rusal at the crime scene.

And I thought I was a little odd doctor Russell goes on to say how SHE you know spent the night um taking care of ashlee know making sure that that he was okay. He says they did not talk about the shooting but this is where people also had problems is that ashly ends up moving in with doctor Russell and the how did they live together? Would you say I I want to say I was like in the like months when I first read the note before I interview doctor rustle from rob can in our party service, like moved in like their like together together yes .

exactly and then .

and there's like no no SHE needed a place to live um and he had you know no money and so doctor Russell so SHE defended herself SHE said that they were never friends he said that this was strictly you know therapies client relationship that actually was down and out actually really needed a place to live. And so SHE opened her house. And SHE said he never would have opened her house if SHE thought he was a cold blooded killer. SHE just really believes Ashley .

story in a couple of ways he played the role kind of of almost of an advocate of vacation right there are the crime sea and joined the protests for her yeah um around the trial .

time too right yeah yeah and and SHE we struggle to find people from ash alley's world you know her family friends um so doctor Russell became that voice for Ashley in our report. IT IT was very important that we had doctor Russell to give us that other side.

Let's talk a little bit more about those protest. Among the people protesting was there's six year old daughter actually induce sexual daughter emerson, I mean, that was very striking to just see her little self out there who who brought her out there and kind of what was that like for her to be out there?

I believe I was actually his mom who brought her. Some people did have a problem with that. They felt like she's too Young to be dragged into this, that he should not be out there others felt like, hey, this is her mom, you know and and we believe that her mom was abused and that he was defending herself and her daughter um you know you should know that that her mom was strong. So so there were people definitely on both sides on that particular issue of emerson being out there and being so publicly on display.

Where is emerson now? I mean, I think the sad thing about this is you mentioned the end of the episode SHE still kind of locked in this custody battle.

right? yeah. Well, I believe Anderson, at at least at the time of our report, is with ash edy's mother. But dogs, brother and cousin indicated that this is not over, that they may try to get custody of emergent someone on dogs side is so often in .

so many of our deadline stories, child custody disputes kind of can be at the heart of this IT really is just so hard breaking for the kids or in the middle, all of this and everything .

who both of their parents IT really is um their Young enough where they still need their parents I mean everyone needs their parents and then when one is dead and one is accused of killing the other one, I mean IT really just throws the child's world into chaos. It's been my experience with the majority of deadlines that i've covered that these the children, if the father is the accused, that the children stand by the father, you know, because they don't, it's almost like they say they believe them OK that stuff, you're right. You've decided you believe them, but it's almost to me like they don't want to lose .

another parent know I talked with Keith about this um recently for his episode and it's almost like it's a method of self protection or self preservation. Almost like maybe you can't allow yourself to believe that your father is capable of this because even if they are you know found guilty or or whatever, just having something in your mind to say, okay, I admit that maybe he is responsible, then you are really losing both parents right? Like it's a wave of holding .

on yeah I totally buy .

that um let's talk about even benefit ld that's you know dogs daughter from his marriage to rene um his previous wife who passed away um but when doug gan Ashley married eva was ashly step daughter even though the two only had nine years of age difference right between the two of them so how was their relationship .

not good that I mean, you can just imagine your father marries someone after two weeks who's like nine years older than you and brings her home and you're supposed to everything suppose be perfect I that would be extremely rare. The family that you know, the kids is great. So excited, you know that is that's tough for for the child like really tough.

So no, they did not they did not have a good relationship. And IT IT only got worse if you expressed her feelings on social media. tiktok. When SHE amassed quite a few of followers.

SHE was very vocal. SHE was clean. And actually her dad and you even of said he used humor in all of that. But do you think that that kind of helped to draw a lot of attention to this story? yeah.

And I think I definitely helped to bring attention to IT. The other thing i'm noticing to now, as we had Karen read, where there were just tons and tons of supporters for Karen read online outside the course. And then now with this so called black swan trial, as ashlea case was called by some because black one you know the movie or with like a diabolical barra um you know I think I think that brought attention to up. But i'm noticing though that we're seeing now more supporters like show up to these things now like IT feels like a trend.

you know yeah IT really is. I mean, I think that especially when you see people outside, but also just kind of thinking about, yes, social media on the way that some of these things spread like people are able to follow along and feel like they really know the people or they really know the fact of the case or even people who show up and kind of try and be investigators on their own or involve themselves. Let's talk about the trial because, as you mentioned, the murder trial began. A lot of people dumped in the back swan murder trial because of that movie.

Have you seen the movie black one? I did. And I can onest ly say I didn't like IT.

really. I thought I was a strange movie. I didn't.

I like those. I like diabolical. Yes, ruler is a lot. But I just, there is something very weird about that movie that I just.

I didn't get. I really like that apartment. I like that me. So I so any time madeleine man does anything I like, oh, wow. Let's see. And do you remember IT was one of those ones I had to watch twice, just a kind of digest .

what was happening. I mean, not important is fantastic.

And didn't SHE win the Oscar?

SHE went best for that. So I mean, it's no reflection on her or for acting skills. I just thought the movie was a bit dark over the top IT.

Was that a good way to put IT? So to have this trial like in to back one, uh, was interesting. I'm curious what was actually like in the courtroom during this trial.

There, of course, were people who immediately felt that tears on the stand were crocodile tears. And in fact, and we we touched on this very briefly in the show, but the prosecutors notice that he was crying, but no tears were coming out according to them. So at one point, the prosecutor notices this lack of tears and says, turn the lights up.

SHE hoped that the jury would see, know that there were tears, really any tears in. And SHE said that one of the jurors did honor, I guess, the jury was leaving the courtroom, and one of the jurors, like, really leaned over and looked at ashly, you know, in the face like like trying to get a look. So so the prosecutor felt like IT worked for that.

IT was kind of just bringing IT up yeah, letting people notice what they .

noticed yeah and and the prosecution also had ashly come down in, you know, uh, demonstrate, demonstrate how SHE SHE killed dog for our viewers .

or listeners who maybe are only listening. I did actually see IT. Can you kind of describe what they did with .

her body in that moment? It's hard to almost explain, but he was, you know moving her hands around in front of her body. Her palms were flat.

Yeah I I don't .

totally get IT, but and I .

think that that if just felt such a turning point in there because IT, at least from the prosecution and kind of sound like this is okay, this is your one chance to show, hey, this is what he did and and you know, he didn't necessarily seem to have a good reenactment of of what he said happened IT seemed like a turning point .

in there though. Yeah I mean, and clearly the. Struggled with her testimony um so the jury .

deliberates one point to come back. They say, hey, we don't have a verdict. The judge has OK keep trying and they ultimately financially benefield guilty of manslaughter, but not guilty of the higher charge of second degree murder.

And so actually in the field will be sentence next month. Um and that's something, of course, that a lot of us are going to be watching. And I know that you we're going to be discussing getting giving updates as well.

Yeah, we will definitely bring that up on date line true crime weekly as soon as as soon as we get that sentencing um we will definitely included in my podcast dateline true crime weekly that comes out every thursday morning oh.

you know we will be there. Okay, andrey, you thanks so much for talking date line with me today.

Yeah, thanks. Playing up next, what did you make of ashly on the stand? I'll be joined by date line producer robo cannon to answer your questions from social media.

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We're back blames on the road working on her latest story. So i'm joined by date line producer rob. You can in hey rob.

hey Andrew, how are you going to speak with you again?

Yeah great working with you on this story. Um so I know you were online friday night. I was on the plane coming back from sult like city for a different story and we were texting back and forth. I was watching date line on the plane .

and so you said .

that you were noticing a lot of comments from people. What kind of stuff for you hearing .

yeah it's interesting ah people at first I want to take one side and then you know they shot to see him take another side. But there was quite a bit of comments and thought the show certainly about actually um about her testimony on dug the things were that really turned people in a certain way was the dog when people heard that he hit his dog oh, that turned a lot of people .

law yeah and that kind of thing certainly made people wonder where one minute you're on his side then maybe you're not then you're like, way to SHE telling the IT was a tRicky one to try to we throw over the black mess of .

this couple. This is the real chAllenge for juries because no one was there building when that was still alive and was actually, you know really what happened that day and to try to figure out from one person and still living and and then tell me your story and obviously they don't want to go to jail.

Um so tour or tory LED on facebook asked, um why were the lights dim during the hearing? I've never seen that. And this is of course you have to remember first of all that the lights we ve turned back on, uh, as we talked about in the story. Um so now now the question is the reverse. Why were they even dimmed in the first place?

So they were turned down because, uh, the prosecutor was showing some photos, I believe, uh, or graphics inside and so they asked, uh, that the lights begin so the jurors could see them are more clearly in in a dark role. So after they we're done with that, they started doing the across examination, the lights remain down. And then that's what point you see on areas when the protection is, hey, we bring those lights back up. That's the reason why.

And you spend a lot in the courtroom, people wanted to talk about the, you know, tears versus no tears. But i'll say this before you answer this question. Yes, when my kids are crying with no tears, the moment it's resolved, it's like a, it's like a fact. The crying just stops you. I'm kind of wondering as far as like with with Ashley, talk a little bit about that sort of phenomenon of like the crying, but without tears.

right? So I want to be told guy actually, though I did see tears at certain points, he was up for a long time and there was a lot of crime and I could see actually Better when I watched that on video tape, rather than than sitting in the court room, because he was quite a distance from me. Rebeca field was one of the coal prosecutors in her closing reMarks. Okay, now he said this, this is not missing this. He said, I don't know any other way how to say this, but where were hers .

not you when fry um you .

know you you're looking for a clean next and he said, that never .

happened yeah and debby dugas, one on acid. Uh, great show. We noticed there were no tears to no red eyes knows mucus, ha ha.

I thought I maybe saw one teer shining in the light. And also, I lean to tony joyce on facebook. My son said, where are the tears? Oh my god. So many comments about actually on the stand.

I mean, there were sometimes that I saw about, you know that he was a answered, but that SHE really should .

have been an actress this is a good question from sue mei um SHE was curious, what did we d blow out in the police interrogation in putt ge?

So what you like to know, what actually 对 we would like？ Okay, yeah, I know. Okay, we would like to know also, I, we request a videos from from the police, and they blurt IT out.

So he was something that they blurt out. So we have no idea either. So we all say wondering that for perhaps eternity.

Rob, thank you so much for joining us for talking date line, for doing such a great job producing this episode on, for working so hard on IT IT was same goes back to you.

you know that all the time.

Thank you. That's IT for this week's talking deadline. Before we go, we wanted to tell you about something knew we're trying. You can now send us audio of your questions and your voice might be featured on an upcoming episode.

Just make a recording of your question on your phone and send IT to us in a direct message on facebook, instagram or acts. IT doesn't have to be about the episode itself and no topic is off limits. You can still reach us the old fashioned way through our handle on social at date line abc. And of course, we'll see you friday on deadline on abc. Thanks for listening.

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