Florida Department of Corrections records

Ashley Benefield Sentenced to 20 Years in 'Black Swan' Manslaughter Case

Dec 3, 2024, 10:24 PM

Former ballerina Ashley Benefield was sentenced Tuesday to 20 years in prison, with credit for time served, for the manslaughter of her estranged husband in 2020. The sentencing occurred in a Bradenton, Florida courtroom after the judge denied her motion for a new trial a week earlier. Benefield, found guilty in July, had claimed the killing was in self-defense. The judge also imposed an additional 10 years of probation following her prison term. The case has been widely referred to as the 'Black Swan murder' trial.