[{"_1":2,"_182":-5,"_183":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_11":12},"root",{"_5":6,"_7":8,"_9":10},"theme",0,"baseURL","https://pocketcasts.com","locale","en","routes/_app.podcast.$podcastSlug.$podcastUuid.$episodeSlug.$episodeUuid",{"_13":14,"_15":16,"_17":18},"podcastUuid","787a9580-6cd3-013d-19b9-0acc26574db2","episodeUuid","dec1e21e-2964-4281-9b3b-5603b0b709dd","dehydratedState",{"_19":20,"_21":22},"mutations",[],"queries",[23,176],{"_24":25,"_26":27,"_170":171,"_174":175},"dehydratedAt",1771942370086,"state",{"_28":29,"_156":147,"_157":158,"_159":-5,"_160":6,"_161":6,"_162":6,"_163":-5,"_164":-5,"_165":35,"_166":167,"_168":169},"data",{"_30":31,"_32":33,"_34":35,"_36":6,"_37":38,"_39":35,"_40":41},"episode_frequency","Weekly","estimated_next_episode_at","2025-05-05T04:00:00Z","has_seasons",false,"season_count","episode_count",9,"has_more_episodes","podcast",{"_42":43,"_44":45,"_46":47,"_48":49,"_50":51,"_52":53,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":59,"_60":14,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":35,"_66":35,"_67":68},"url","https://wondery.com/","title","Black Swan Murder","slug","black-swan-murder","author","Law & Crime","description","In the summer of 2016, 24-year-old ballerina Ashley Byers and 54-year-old veteran-turned-entrepreneur Doug Benefield struck up a conversation at a party for a presidential contender. They say it was love at first sight – despite the thirty year age gap. And within just thirteen days of meeting – shocking everyone they knew – the two were married.A family wasn’t the only thing they set out to build; together, they dream up a wave-making ballet company: the American National Ballet. With a mission and a promise to turn the ballet world upside down with dancers of varying ethnicities, body types, and racial backgrounds, in just two years, the Benefields assembled a troupe of nearly 50 dancers from across the globe, with an annual budget of $2.5 million dollars to back their dance revolution. But just months into the company’s formation, it collapses. And the money isn’t the only thing unaccounted for: Ashley is nowhere to be found. And when she finally emerges, Ashley forges a violent path that leaves two young girls without a father.From Law and Crime, BLACK SWAN MURDER is the story of a seemingly picture-perfect marriage that turned out to be anything but. Over the course of six episodes, a tale of betrayal and desire unfolds: a woman pushed to her limits, culminating in a gripping crime of passion. But was it an act of vengeance—or a desperate fight for survival? The answer depends on who you ask. In key interviews with investigators, attorneys and those with a front row seat to the Benefields’ turbulent partnership, BLACK SWAN MURDER traces the twisted path of Ashley and Doug Benefield, weaving a years-long timeline of violent behavior and conspiracy-fueled tendencies that ultimately turned a poised and disciplined ballerina into a cold-blooded killer.","description_html","

In the summer of 2016, 24-year-old ballerina Ashley Byers and 54-year-old veteran-turned-entrepreneur Doug Benefield struck up a conversation at a party for a presidential contender. They say it was love at first sight – despite the thirty year age gap. And within just thirteen days of meeting – shocking everyone they knew – the two were married.

A family wasn’t the only thing they set out to build; together, they dream up a wave-making ballet company: the American National Ballet. With a mission and a promise to turn the ballet world upside down with dancers of varying ethnicities, body types, and racial backgrounds, in just two years, the Benefields assembled a troupe of nearly 50 dancers from across the globe, with an annual budget of $2.5 million dollars to back their dance revolution. But just months into the company’s formation, it collapses. And the money isn’t the only thing unaccounted for: Ashley is nowhere to be found. And when she finally emerges, Ashley forges a violent path that leaves two young girls without a father.

From Law and Crime, BLACK SWAN MURDER is the story of a seemingly picture-perfect marriage that turned out to be anything but. Over the course of six episodes, a tale of betrayal and desire unfolds: a woman pushed to her limits, culminating in a gripping crime of passion. But was it an act of vengeance—or a desperate fight for survival? The answer depends on who you ask.

In key interviews with investigators, attorneys and those with a front row seat to the Benefields’ turbulent partnership, BLACK SWAN MURDER traces the twisted path of Ashley and Doug Benefield, weaving a years-long timeline of violent behavior and conspiracy-fueled tendencies that ultimately turned a poised and disciplined ballerina into a cold-blooded killer.

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The investigation into Doug’s death begins. While Ashley claims self-defense, evidence suggests premeditation. She embarks on an uphill battle to make her case as prosecutors simultaneously build one against her.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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The Silent Witness

Episode Description

Never lose your place, on any device