Doug Benefield was shot dead in September 2020, and Ashley Benefield was found guilty of manslaughter on Tuesday in a Florida court, according to News.
Jurors found the 33-year-old guilty of second-degree murder, notwithstanding the lower charge against her.
The case’s moniker in the media originated with the 2010 Natalie Portman film Black Swan, which follows a mentally ill ballet dancer.
Last week, Benefield testified in court that she shot her husband dead after what she described as a scary altercation at her house south of Tampa because she feared for her life and had to defend herself.
Prosecutors, however, claimed that the evidence from the day of the murder did not support her account of what happened.
The prosecution contended, “She did not have to shoot him,” and charged Benefield with fabricating “unfounded” claims of domestic violence against her husband in order to get sole custody of their child.
“She was working toward a goal. Suzanne O’Donnell, the associate state attorney for Florida’s 12th Judicial District, said the jurors, “She got what she wanted.”
