LAKEWOOD RANCH, Fla. (WWSB) — Attorneys for Ashley Benefield have filed an appeal seeking a new trial nearly a year and a half after her manslaughter conviction in her husband’s death.
Benefield was sentenced to 20 years in prison in December for the 2020 shooting death of her estranged husband, Doug Benefield, in Lakewood Ranch. She was convicted of manslaughter in June 2024.
Her attorneys are requesting permission to expand the word limit of their appeal to include all of their arguments. The defense is asking an appellate court to consider issues that were previously denied by the trial judge before sentencing…