They’re calling her the real-life black swan. Ashley Benefield shot and killer her husband [Doug] in September 2020, just as they were building a new life together. Now she claims it was self-defense. But the prosecution is calling it murder. True Crime Recaps: Unbelievable Defense Claims: Is Ashley Benefield Telling the Truth? Youtube 2024
As they’re packing up the house, Ashley says Doug gets angry … He allegedly shoves a moving box into her side leaving her with a small scratch. Now she tries to leave but he won’t let her. So she tries to force him to leave the house, and he refuses. Doug then allgedly punches Ashley in the side of the head. She runs to a bedroom, grabs a pistol, and aims it at Doug when he follows her into the room. He makes like he’s going to hit her again. At which point Ashley fires four times. ibid.
August 2nd 2015: [911 call]: My name is Tom Martens. I’m at Panther Creek Court and … we need help. My daughter’s husband, my son-in-law, uh got into a fight with my daughter [Molly]. I intervened and I … I hit him in the head. With a baseball bat. A Deadly American Marriage, Netflix 2025
It’s one of the bloodiest crime scenes I’ve seen in a long while. ibid. rozzer
Are they [Tom & Molly] the victims or is he [son-in-law] the victim? ibid.
Tom Martens is an ex-FBI agent. ibid.
Within hours of Jason’s death, Molly and Thomas Martens returned home, and at this point, the children are in the care and control of Molly Martens and her family. ibid. Jason’s sister
In 30 years of prosecuting, I’ve never seen photos like these. ibid. prosecutor
They [Tom and Molly] were just doing everything they could to destroy his [Jason] charater. ibid. Jason’s sister
We came to the conclusion that Molly wasn’t credible. ibid. rozzer
I remember the day I was taken from Molly. ibid. Jason’s son
At the time he [Jason] died he was not drunk. ibid. rozzer
He [Jason] was beaten to death with a cinder block and a baseball bat. ibid. Jason’s son
The wife and father-in-law of Limerick man Jason Corbett have been sentenced to between 20 and 25 years in jail. ibid. TV news
It’s not a coincidence that all the physical evidence and the circumstantial evidence all corroborate what Tom and Molly told law enforcement from the beginning. ibid. Tom’s lawyer
I believe that this is a gross miscarriage of justice. ibid. Molly’s uncle
The judge ruled that Jason Corbett was the aggressor that night. But the state is appealing the decision. ibid. Tom’s lawyer
North Carolina Supreme Court upheld an appellate court’s ruling granting Tom and Molly a new trial. ibid. TV news
Domestic abuse was going to come into the light, the abuse that I suffered and endured. ibid. Molly
Molly was becoming a shell of what she had been. ibid. Tom
If a jury hears this evidence of domestic abuse, they will find Tom and Molly innocent. ibid. expert
If Molly could get Jason to blow up, while her parents were there as witnesses, she could apply for a domestic protective order, which would remove him from the house. And then she can file for emergency custody of the children, and take his children away from him. ibid. prosecutor
His [Jason] first wife died in mysterious circumstances. ibid. Tom to rozzers, original interview
Nobody investigated any further into Mag’s [first wife] death. ibid. appeal lawyers
Jason’s first wife did not die from an asthma attack. The evidence to me shows that she succumbed to injuries from manual strangulation. ibid.
The only reason wife number two was not victim number two was because that night her 65-year-old father was there to intervene and stop it. ibid.
This afternoon, the judge sentenced them to 51 to 74 months. ibid.
In 2011 Sally Challen was convicted of murdering her husband Richard. For six years her lawyer has been working to quash her conviction. The Case of Sally Challen, caption, BBC 2019
Such a bizarre act out of the blue. ibid. law dude
Fewer than 10% of those who try to appeal against conviction are successful. ibid. caption
Sally’s defence team claimed she was not guilty of murder, arguing for the lesser charge of manslaughter on the grounds of ‘diminished’ responsibility’. ibid.
There was the issue of the hammer; there was a lot of discussion as to whether Mrs Challen brought the hammer in the house. The offence took place in the kitchen. ibid. legal dude
The jury’s verdict that it was murder was unanimous. ibid. caption
Sally’s legal team have asked Professor Evan Stark, an expert on coercive control, to assist with the case. ibid. caption
Harriet will not be arguing coercive control on its own. She has brought in forensic psychiatrist Gwen Adshead to assess Sally’s mental state. ibid.
27 February 2019 Appeal: Sally’s case is the first time the offence of coercive control will be used as a partial defence to murder: ‘We shall quash that conviction.’ ibid.
After serving eight years and ten months, Sally Challen was released from prison. ibid.
Berrow, Somerset, 13th February 2021: Well, I just might go and stab him again. Why? Well, I’m in the lounge and he’s in the kitchen bleeding to death with any luck. Er, three times. Once I thought I’d get his heart: we’ll, he hasn’t got one, and then twice in the abdomen. A Killer Makes a Call s1e5: Black Widow, 999 call, Channel 5 2024
Police have been called by 66-year-old retired accountant, Penelope Jackson. ibid. commentary
He’s an aggressive bully and nasty and I’ve had enough. ibid. Penny
If I hadn’t done it properly I’d be really annoyed. ibid.
Rozzer: I’m arresting you for murder.
Penny: Oh good. ibid.
I had taken so much abuse over the years … May he rot in hell. ibid. Penny’s To Whom It May Concern
A whirlwind romance turns lethal. In the eyes of the law it’s a thin line between self-defence and murder. Scene of the Crime with Tony Harris, ID 2017
A car crash: 24-year-old Jeffery Brown is killed; 21-year-old Cherelle Brown survives the crash. And in the days following it she becomes the focus of an investigation that paints her as a killer. But this is anything but a clear-cut case. ibid.
The man she loves is turning her life into a living nightmare. ibid.
The police agree and seek to charge Charelle with first-degree murder. ibid.
Not guilty: ‘The jury was crying’. ibid.