Custody Disputes

When couples don't agree over the custody of their children, those battles can become intense ... and deadly.


Woman crying on the stand.
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Black and white photo of Ashley Benefield
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Woman Anchor in white shirt speaking
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Ashley Benefield takes the stand in her defense.
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Woman holding herself and upset in court
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woman with brown hair testifying in court
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Woman sobbing on one side with an attorney with glasses looking down on the other side
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woman crying on stand in court
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Texts between Ashley and Doug Benefield shown in court.
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Woman defendant in blue shirt looking sad
Woman testifying in pink shirt with defendant in view
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Young blonde woman in court
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Detective Chris Gillum, a domestic violence investigator, takes the stand.
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Judge Matt Whyte admonishes defense attorney Neil Taylor.
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woman news anchor describing defendant in trial
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woman testifies
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Doug Benefield's daughter, Eva Benefield, takes the stand on day one of the Black Swan Murder Trial. Ashley Benefield is charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of her husband, Douglas Benefield.
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John Sant takes the stand in the Black Swan Murder Trial. Sant, Ashley Benefield's neighbor at the time of the shooting, takes the stand as the jury listens to the 911 call he made on Ashley's behalf.
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Woman defendant in blue shirt looking sad
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The jury is selected in the Black Swan Murder Trial. Ashley Benefield is charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of her husband, Doug Benefield. Ashley claims she shot her husband in self-defense.
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attorney speaks to judge
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Jury selection is slated to begin in late July in the Black Swan Murder Trial where Ashley Benefield is accused in the shooting death of her husband, Doug. Benefield claims self-defense, while prosecutors say it was about a custody dispute.
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Ashley Benefield appears in court
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Doug Benefield's former attorney, Stephanie Murphy, joins Court TV to discuss the status of the family court case that occurred before Ashley Benefield killed her husband, Doug.
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Court TV speaks with Doug Benefield's cousin, Tommie Benefield. Tommie speaks about the circumstances in which Doug and Ashley were purportedly reconciling and on the verge of withdrawing the divorce petition and move to Maryland together up until he was killed.
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Ashley Benefield appears at a pre-trial hearing as supporters gather ahead of the Black Swan Murder Trial. Jury selection begins on July 22, as Benefield faces trial on charges she murdered her husband, Douglas.
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Ashley Benefield stands in court
george wagner appears in court
Ashley Benefield appears in court