The Black Swan Murder Trial | Love, Abuse, and a Deadly Custody Battle | Ashley Benefield

Love and Murder is a weekly true crime podcast about love that turns to murder

Now part of the Dark Cast Network. Welcome to Indie Podcasts With a Dark side. A marriage built on a whirlwind romance crumbles into a deadly custody battle that ended in gunshots. But was the mother defending herself from an abusive husband? Or was this calculated murder disguised as self defense? Today I tell you the case of the Black Swan trial right now on Love and Murder, Foreign heartbreak to Homicide, your weekly true crime podcast telling you cases of love that turn to murder. Hi, I am your host, Kai, and as usual, if you’re new here, take a seat, take a listen all the way to the end, and if you like it, don’t forget to subscribe.

This episode focuses on the Black Swan trial involving Ashley Benefield

Today’s episode, I am telling you the case of the Black Swan trial, which is the case of Ashley Benefield. Now, I’m going to tell you beforehand, with this case, my opinions went up and down like a seesaw. Like you’ll see during the case, your opinions are going to change too, because so much circumstantial evidence, it’s just. Ooh. We’ll discuss my opinions as usual throughout the episode and then I’ll sum it up at the end. If you’re returning lambs, thank you so much for your continued support. Also, if you didn’t know, you could subscribe on our patreon patreon.com loveandmurder so you don’t miss an episode if you’re not ready to become a sponsor of Love and Murder and choose, uh, one of the bonus tiers where you get bonus episodes, intro, free episodes. So basically you don’t get this whole intro, it just goes right into the case. Commercial, free episodes, and so much more. Then you can actually subscribe for free. And you do get some benefits for subscribing for free. Patreon.com forward/loveandmurder now, without further ado, go ahead and grab your butts, grab your glass of delicious apple juice and let’s get into some love and murder.

Doug Benefield shot and killed his wife Ashley Byers on September 27

On the evening of September 27, 2020, a frantic 911 call came in from the neighborhood of Lakewood Ranch, Florida. Yes, I know this is a Florida episode. It should be in Florida Man Friday. But it, it’s a full episode, trust me. So it’s here. On Monday, a neighbor had called in reporting a woman at her doorstep, visibly distressed and holding a gun. Responders arrived to find 58 year old Doug Benefield suffering from two gunshot wounds, one to his leg and another to his chest. Despite emergency efforts, an hour later, Doug died from his injuries at a local hospital. The shooter was his estranged wife, Ashley Benefield, a 33 year old former ballerina and co founder of the failed American National Ballet. She claimed self defense, alleging Doug had attacked her. This all happened inside her mother’s home, by the way. Now, Doug Benefield was a former naval flight officer and defense consultant. A widower, he had lost his wife Renee in 2015 and was raising their teenage daughter Ava alone. In August 2016, he met Ashley Byers at a Republican fundraiser in Palm Beach. She was 24. He was 54. Ashley Byers grew up in Maryland, where she started studying dance when she was eight years old. She dropped out of high school to work with the, uh, Maryland Youth Ballet. But by the time she turned 21, her ballet career wasn’t going where she thought it would. So instead she became a teacher and taught dance to children. She also designed dance costumes. Do you know the phrase those who can’t teach? I hate that phrase because to me that means they’re kind of demeaning the teachers, but it’s like those who can do, but who do they learn the skill from? You know what I’m saying? So teachers are just important as the athletes, the people who are actually doing it. So I really hate that phrase. Am, um, I the one taking it the wrong way? Let me know in the comments below. Ashley also tried modeling. She made a portfolio and went through all the steps to try and make it, but it never turned into a career. By the time she was 24, she was divorced and no longer dancing. Ashley said that when she met Doug, she thought he was, quote, funny and that they clicked right away. Quote, he was very loving and attentive. We laughed a lot and he made me feel very special and loved. By the next day, the couple was talking non stop and six days in they’d already said, I love you. Now pause here before you condemn them and call them stupid. This formula does work out for some people. Personally, I wouldn’t suggest it because you don’t really know the person, but I do personally know people who were married within a week, within a month, within a year, and they are happily together decades later, like they’re still together. So this formula does work for some people. So we can’t judge based on this. Ava expressed immediate discomfort with the new family dynamic. After my mom died, he really took both a motherly and fatherly role. When she questioned her father about potential remarriage, Ava said he promised, quote, no, Ava, I’m here for you. I don’t plan on doing any of that. However, on September 6, 2016, 13 days after Ashley met Doug, they were married. There were no guests or witnesses at the wedding other than one of Doug’s friends named Tripp Kremeni, which he was the one who officiated the ceremony. Tripp would later go on to say that he didn’t agree with how fast Doug and Ashley got married, but quote, I was being loyal to my friend. The age difference raised eyebrows with everyone, especially Doug’s daughter, who was only nine years younger than his new wife. Doug encouraged Ashley to assume a maternal role, but towards Eva, he basically told her that I needed someone, I needed a motherly role in my life, and I didn’t think that I needed that. Ashley and Doug seemed to be building a future together, founding the ambitious yet short lived American National Ballet in Charleston, South Carolina. This ballet company was Ashley’s dream. But the company collapsed within months, leaving dozens of dancers without jobs and the Benefields with mountain debt. If it’s one thing we know about problems in marriage, one of the main problems in marriage is financial issues. By 2017, their marriage had already started to crack. In June 2017, Ashley had read Eva’s diary, in which she’d written that she didn’t like her stepmother. This caused an argument between Doug and Ashley, which I don’t understand why. It’s not Doug’s fault he can’t control how his daughter feels. And in this argument, Doug allegedly threw a gun at the wall. You threw a gun at the wall? What? In other arguments, Doug supposedly shot a gun into the ceiling of the house and punched a wall. He also punched their family dog, Sully, which he actually admitted to. Why would you punch the dog? A short time later, Doug and Ashley had a wedding reception for their families and friends. With all this turmoil going on, why then Doug reversed his vasectomy. To be able to start a family, which we know the way to fix any problem in a marriage is to have a child that’ll fix the problem. And if you’re not familiar with me because you’re a new listener, that was dripping in sarcasm that summer. In August 2017, Ashley became pregnant. But instead of celebrating, she moved in with her mother in Florida, alleging severe illness and a need for support. By September, while Doug was at work, Ashley drove to their house, packed up her stuff, and left Doug a Dear John letter, which, if you don’t know, that’s a breakup letter, listing 21 reasons for leaving him, including claims of emotional abuse and controlling behavior. She included that she was, quote, completely heartbroken and told him not to contact her or her mother. Doug, devastated, begged for reconciliation, texting her, quote, I just read the note. I don’t even know how to start responding. I will never act the way you talk about again. Hmm. Huh. So you’re not saying you never did that. You’re saying you’re never going to do it again. He told Ashley that he was going to go to therapy and asked her not to leave him. They continued to reconcile intermittently. Ashley didn’t just leave Doug, but she also attempted to stop him from being in their daughter’s life. In March 2018, Ashley went to the hospital in Florida and told them that Doug was being abusive and that he’d poisoned her. Now, actually, before this, she’d gone to several doctors complaining about sharp pains in her abdomen and believed it was due to Doug poison in her. She even took medicine to try and stop the pain, but nothing helped. Now, my thing is, why are you taking random medicine when you’re pregnant Anyways? In November, Doug had sent her a tea set for her birthday, which included, like, little teas in there and, you know, stuff like that. Well, she thought it was poisoned and took it to the police. Police said it was neither poisonous or hazardous, but she didn’t believe them because, you know, she knows better. So, because she didn’t believe them and she thought they were in cahoots with Doug, I guess she went and got her hair tested for poison, and they just allegedly told her that she had heavy metals in her hair, which heavy metals can come from, like, the food you eat, the drinks you drink, stuff like that. Did you know, which I just found this out because. Oh, uh, that’s a whole backstory. Did you know that it can come also from your menstrual pads? So basically, all that to say that’s not a sign that she was being poisoned by Doug, That’s a sign that she was being poisoned by big food. Anyway, so she’s currently in the hospital where she told them that she was being abused. They allowed her to check in under her middle name to protect her, and performed a C section to deliver Emerson, their daughter, who was three weeks premature. Now, remember, the hospital doesn’t know any of this.

Ashley accused Doug of being poisoned during her pregnancy, but judge dismissed allegations

Like, she went and got her hair tested, and the police were saying that she’s not being poisoned, anything like that. So they have to take her at face value. She comes in, she says she’s being abused, so they have to take those necessary steps. Now, Ashley didn’t tell Doug of their child’s birth, and even, uh, didn’t put his name on the birth certificate. She later filed restraining orders against him, which is how he even found out about the birth of his child. And later, judges dismissed these restraining order requests as lacking evidence. In November 2018, they’d even started going to couples therapy together. However, later, due to Ashley’s actions, Doug ended up hiring a PI to check up on her, and it came out that she was seeing another man. They still continued to go to therapy, though, which soon ended because the therapist found out that Doug had been recording their sessions. And then the therapist continued seeing Ashley alone. It sounds like they’re both toxic, but let’s see. By 2020, the two were still locked in a heated custody battle, with Ashley accusing Doug of in her and even suggested he poisoned his late wife. No evidence supported these claims, by the way. And in all actuality, Renee had died of an undiagnosed heart condition. She requested sole custody of Emerson and asked that Doug not be able to see the baby. She also denied that her pregnancy was, quote, uncomplicated and said that she was being poisoned by Doug throughout the entire pregnancy. Judge Diana Moreland dismissed the poisoning allegation, saying that there was, quote, not a single scintilla of credible evidence that Ashley had ever been poisoned. Doug was granted visitation rights that summer, leading him to believe that reconciliation was on the horizon. On the night of the shooting, Doug went to Ashley’s mother’s house to help pack for their planned moves back to Maryland. The couple had allegedly agreed to try co parenting, but in a new state. Her mother had taken their daughter to a nearby park, leaving Doug and Ashley alone in the house. According to Ashley, an argument escalated, and Doug became physically aggressive, and she said she feared for her life. So she went and got a Springfield armory.45 caliber pistol and fired four times. Two bullets struck Doug, one in the leg and the other in his arm, before that bullet traveled to his chest cavity. Ashley then went to the neighbor’s house with the gun still in her hand, and she told the neighbor that she’d shot Doug because he’d attacked her, and she was just defending herself. Ashley was arrested in November 2020 and charged with second degree murder on a $10,000 bond. Her trial, which was called the Black Swan trial due to her ballet background, because we got to give everything a, uh, cool name, started in July 2024. In the opening statement, the prosecution said, quote, this was a custody battle that his mother was going to win at all costs. The prosecution argued that Ashley had made up abuse allegations to gain full custody of their daughter. Assistant State Attorney Suzanne O’Donnell said, quote, this case is about a woman who very early in her pregnancy, decided she wanted to be a single mother, and she did not want the father of this child to have any visitation, and she would stop at nothing to obtain that goal. She pointed to Ashley’s history of trying to prevent Doug from seeing their child, the failed restraining orders, and the bullet trajectory analysis that suggested Doug was not attacking when he was shot. Ashley alleged that Doug had become aggressive while they were packing and said that he’d hit her and attempted to stop her from leaving the room. Fearing for her life, she claims she got the gun and shot him. However, medical examiner findings showed Doug was shot from the side, indicating he was turning away from her rather than lunging at her. If someone were coming at you or attacking you, the entrance wound to the fatal shot would not be on the side. Also, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office report from the night of the shooting said, quote, based on the entry wounds on Douglas, it does not appear that he was facing Ashley when she began shooting. It also does not appear that Douglas had taken any kind of defensive or combative stance. Douglas was not found to have any weapons on his person or near him. Forensic analysis established the shots were fired from 3 to 7ft away, negating claims of close quarter combat. Prosecutors also questioned the presence of two firearms in an otherwise empty room, noting, quote, everything else was in a U haul truck. Forensic shooting reconstruction expert Michael Hagg’s analysis demonstrated that Ashley moved positions between shots. Quote, there’s not a physical possibility for the firearm to have been stationary between just those two shots. His examination revealed two additional bullets had hit objects in the room, indicating four shots total were fired. Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Russell Vegas autopsy, uh, findings revealed crucial details about Doug’s death. The examination identified three distinct injuries on Doug’s body. A gunshot wound to his right chest, an injury to his right shoulder, plus a gunshot wound to his right leg. Dr. Vega also identified a braided contusion, which is a swollen and scalped bruise on the back of Doug’s scalp. The medical examiner determined that the chest wound caused Doug’s death by damaging his lungs and triggering internal bleeding. Ultimately, the bullet trajectory analysis belied Ashley’s version of events, with prosecutor O’Donnell saying, quote, Doug Benefield was not coming at her at the time the fatal shot was fired. Now, all of this as part of being an exclusive lamb in the Patreon. You also get, I, uh, have the entire trial in there. So if you wanted to see the trial and not just my retelling of it. You can join just at the $3 a month tier. And part of the benefit you get for that is for each episode that has extras, you get the pictures, court details, court videos, the entire video of the trial if it’s available, stuff like this. So this is part of the benefit of becoming an exclusive. Lam starting at only $3 a month. Patreon.com forward/loveandmurder and in the bonuses, I also have a video of the crime scene, so you’re able to see that as well.

Prosecutors portrayed Doug Benefield as manipulative and abusive; defense countered with battered woman syndrome

Patreon.com forward/loveandmurder now, the neighbor who called 911 also testified that they saw no visible injuries on Ashley when she came to them for help. Remember, she said Doug, uh, was hitting her at that time, so she should have injuries. But the neighbor said he didn’t see anything. And also respondent police from that day said the same no visible injuries other than a small scratch that was already healing, meaning she’d gotten that scratch days before the incident. Officer Chris Gilliam testified about Ashley’s aggressive behavior, telling the court about one of her statements to him. Quote, if the judge sees you arrest him, this will help me keep my baby. I will do anything I have to do to keep my baby. Ashley also told him to arrest Doug, saying, quote, you will effing arrest him in front of the judge. Witnesses testified that Doug had no history of violence. And the prosecution also showed Ashley’s previous accusation that Doug had poisoned her and his first wife and that these claims were dismissed by the court as baseless. A video from Doug’s phone recorded just one week before the shooting showed the family laughing together, saying that this contradicted Ashley’s claim of living in fear, which. Side note, no, it doesn’t. Just because you’re being abused doesn’t mean you’re always looking like you’re crying and everything like that. Which, if you go back to one of the episodes I did back in season four, it was called an important conversation about the Hitting reality of Male Domestic abuse, the Case of Alex Skeele, which you could find the link to that one if you missed it in the show notes below. But if you go back to that episode, this dude was literally dying, and you can still find pictures of him looking emaciated but still smiling and having fun with this woman who was literally killing him. So that’s not a sign that no abuse was going on. Ashley’s mother, Alicia Byers, testified that her daughter never discussed the details of the shooting with her. The prosecution Also submitted to the court that three days before Doug’s death, a court ordered psychological evaluation was scheduled to present findings regarding custody arrangements. Prosecutor Odonald emphasized Ashley’s private admission to the psychologist that she had no intention of withdrawing her ongoing child abuse petition, but this was contrary to what she had actually told Doug during their joint sessions. The defense, Ashley’s attorney, Neil Taylor, countered with claims of battered woman syndrome, portraying Doug as manipulative and abusive. Quote, 30 years older than Ashley, he was obsessed with her, and he successfully portrayed himself as he was not in an effort to win her hand in marriage. Despite promoting himself as a religious, honorable and decent human being, Benefield was manipulative, cunning and abusive man who insisted, absolutely insisted on control. The defense also cited testimony from Doug’s first wife, Renee, who had once text Doug that he had kicked her, quote, so hard on their honeymoon. Ashley also took the stand and testified, quote, he would throw things or break things or smash things. He would come at me like he was going to hit me. He told me I was lucky that he punched walls instead of me. I felt like I was living in a nightmare. I never knew what I was going to get. She also said that Doug, uh, would scream at her or drive erratically when he was angry with her. She said that right before she shot him, he had hit her in the face. Quote, I thought he was going to kill me. Which is weird because everybody who came that night said she had no bruises on her. So that part you can actually fact check. And I don’t believe that. She also talked about the night of the murder. She said that Doug arrived in a U Haul truck, appearing optimistic about the move. His mood shifted between, quote, happy, hyper and animated, to, quote, agitated, sullen and intimidating. Throughout the afternoon, the situation deteriorated as Doug allegedly shouted, quote, we are moving together as a family, making a fresh start, but you’re dividing us, which to me just sounds like a, uh, frustrated man with somebody saying, we’re going to move together, we’re not going to move together, we’re going to move together, we’re not going to move together. So, again, uh, the confrontation intensified after Doug allegedly drove a move in box into Ashley’s right side, causing pain and scratches, which was not seen by the police or anybody during that night. Not, uh, saying she was showing the neighbors, but if this is what she’s claiming, police would take pictures of all the bruises, all the cuts, whatever that happened that night. There were none. When Ashley attempted to leave, Doug reportedly grabbed her left hand, yanking her backwards, saying, quote, you can’t leave me. Then, like I said before, according to Ashley, Doug punched her in the face. Then that’s when she got the.45 caliber from the master bedroom. She said Doug followed, allegedly entering with a, quote, fierce scowl. And that’s when she pointed the gun at Doug, ordering him to leave. And she claimed he assumed a fighting stance. Quote, blading. It says blading. Blading, blading. Hands parallel with his chest, shoulders moving, his arm’s hand in small, circular motions. That whole sentence I couldn’t picture. I have no idea what she’s talking about. As Doug allegedly advanced, she fired multiple times, and neighbors actually had reported that they’d heard approximately six gunshots ring out. The defense then presented testimony from domestic violence specialists who suggested that Ashley exhibited behaviors consistent with abuse victims. They pointed out that she had repeatedly sought legal protection against Doug. The defense team highlighted Ashley’s documented escape preparations, including, quote, a safe place to stay, a burner phone, and a rental car rented under a different name. Faith Brown, another of Ashley’s lawyers, told police that her client, Fair Doug, quote, had gotten wind of these plans. They also presented a psychological evaluation indicating Ashley lived in fear for her life. A therapist testified about Ashley’s mental state at the time of the shooting, saying, quote, she was in full survival mode, fully believing that her life was in danger. Multiple mental health professionals documented the troubled relationship between Doug and Ashley throughout their marriage. The defense presented evidence of Ashley’s, quote, acting differential and subservient. During joint therapy sessions, Dr. Brad Broder conducted psychological evaluations with the couple in summer of 2020, meeting them both jointly and separately. The sessions revealed a contrast in Ashley’s behavior. In joint meetings, she deferred to Doug’s plan about reconciling plus moving to Maryland. But in private sessions, Ashley adamantly opposed reconciliation and and expressed her frustration with the court system and law enforcement. Dr. Broder expressed concern Ashley might flee with their child to Maryland, noting that she, quote, appeared, uh, frustrated that Doug used their daughter to maintain contact with her. The psychological evaluation’s findings remained sealed until September 30, 2020, which was three days after Doug’s death. Throughout treatment, Ashley maintained her role as primary caregiver, with Dr. Broder confirming she showed no signs of ang angry outbursts, plus demonstrated good parenting skills. Ultimately, the extensive mental health documentation painted opposing pictures of the couple’s dynamic. Domestic violence specialist Barbara Russell, who actually consulted through a crisis agency, noted subtle signs of abuse, saying, quote, most incidents of domestic violence involve isolation, financial control, threatening verbal abuse, things the general public doesn’t necessarily see. Trauma counselor Dr. Jason Quintel, who worked with the couple months before the shootings, observed Doug’s domineering testify and quote, doug occurred as somebody who was domineering, super controlling. But he acknowledged that Doug remained, quote, very dedicated to wanting the relationship to work. Mental health expert and domestic violence specialist Bruce Ferris analyzed Ashley’s actions, finding them consistent with abuse patterns. Quote, we’ve all heard the term walking on eggshells. They’re trying to avoid aggression by their partner because they’ve grown to believe there’s a threat there. He addressed video evidence showing Ashley laughing with Doug a week before the shooting, explaining victims often appease abusers to maintain peace. Forensic experts hired by the defense argued that Ashley’s gunshot wounds to Doug were consistent with an act of self defense. A, uh, ballistic expert supported Ashley’s account, finding, quote, no inconsistencies between the crime scene and Ashley Benefield’s account of the shooting. But the evidence from the state’s ballistic analysis said something different. So then also retired medical examiner Dr. Emma Liu’s presentation also backed the self defense argument.

The jury acquitted Ashley of second degree murder but found her guilty of manslaughter

So with all that said, and after six days of trial and seven hours of deliberation, on July 30, 2024, the jury rejected the second degree murder charge, but found Ashley guilty of manslaughter with a firearm. This means that the jury believes that the shooting was not premeditated, but also not justified as self defense. State attorney Ed Broski’s office pushed for the maximum 30 year term. Ashley’s defense team tried to overturn her conviction, alleging juror misconduct. And to that I ask, in what way? The, what way was their juror misconduct? Maybe that’s just something they have to say to try and get it overturned. After interviewing each juror, Judge White found no evidence of phones being used during deliberations. He faulted the defense team for not asking follow up questions during jury selection. So he was like, I didn’t see anything wrong and it was your fault. You didn’t ask more questions. When the jury was being selected, they also presented evidence of Ashley’s diagnosed ptsd, requesting less time in sentencing based on extreme duress. On October 3, 2024, Judge Matthew White sentenced Ashley to 20 years in prison, followed by 10 years probation. So still the 30 years the court mandated mental health evaluations plus completion of any recommended treatment programs. Upon her release, the judge acknowledged Ashley acted, quote, under extreme duress plus showed remorse. But these factors did not warrant a reduced sentence given the circumstances surrounded Doug’s death. While there may have been moments of conflict, this was not the case where self defense is justified. State attorney Brodsky spoke about the verdict’s significance, saying, quote, this was an example of someone that wanted to take the law into their own hands. Eva gave a powerful victim impact statement condemning Ashley’s actions and expressing relief that justice had been served. I’ve waited so long to speak to her face to face. Why did you end my dad’s life knowing that he was my only living parent and the only person I could confide in? You managed to orphan not only one, but two young girls. I hope prison serves her well. I want to apologize to all of the women who have gone through domestic violence situations. I think that what Ashley was doing was unfair to them. Doug’s cousin Tommy said that they thought Ashley’s motive was financial, saying, quote, she found him when he was at his most vulnerable. He was her mark. She took his money, his peace, and eventually she took his life. And he loved her until the end. He also said, quote, the sentencing means we know what it’s going to cost her finally, as opposed to what it’s going to cost their daughter. Even though her story was not corroborated by evidence, it’s still confusing to get to that second degree homicide level. But we were always comfortable that it would at least be manslaughter with a firearm charge. And we’re happy and comfortable with that. Prosecutor O’Donnell said, quote, when something like this happens, people have to pay the price. If that means you don’t get to see your daughter grow up, you don’t get to see your daughter grow up. I just thought about that. Wow. By the time she gets out, her daughter will be like, in her 20s. Wow. This black swan trial drew national attention and started debates over self defense claims in domestic disputes. Ashley, now 33, will spend the next two decades in a Florida prison. Her daughter, who she fought so hard to keep from Doug, will grow up without either parent. And for those who follow this case, the question remains, was this the desperate act of an abused woman or a calculated move to erase Doug from their child’s life forever? Now, during my research, my thoughts, like I told y’all, were so up and down about this case. At first, I believed Ashley murdered Doug in cold blood. Then I believe maybe Doug was abusive and she suffered battered woman syndrome. Now I think the truth is somewhere in between because at first when I was doing the research, everybody was saying Doug was not abusive. But then he did agree that he punched a dog. I mean, Punched a dog. Like, for you to punch a defenseless animal, like, uh, to me that means a lot. Then when she said she sent him the text or whatever and he said, I’ll never act that way again. He didn’t say, I’ve never done any of that. That you’re saying, you crazy lady. He said, I’ll never do that again. Which means that he’s agreeing that he did it in the first place. You know what I’m saying? So it was like certain things that were coming out that he was agreeing to, even the therapist was seeing all of this was like, okay. But then Ashley lied and said he punched her and he was doing all this stuff on the night. But there’s no evidence supporting that. So it’s like, that’s why I’m like, Now I’m just like, in the middle. The truth is, like, in the middle, you know, both sides made a really compelling case. But what I do know for sure is that at the time of the shooting, Doug was not in pursuit of her because all that evidence points to the fact that he wasn’t even facing her. He wasn’t running towards her, not, you know, nothing that she was saying. So that part I know for sure, as well as all the other things that I pointed out to you. Those things for sure, you know, but everything else is just so gray. So what do you think? LaM? I want to hear your thoughts about this case in the comments below. Also, I think I’m going to go ahead and put out the poll. It seems like Spotify is back to working. So we’re going to have this poll in the Spotify. We’re going to have this poll also in, uh, the Patreon, which the question is, do you think this was an act of an abused woman or do you think this was a calculated move so that Doug wouldn’t be able to see their child? So that’s going to be the poll question. You choose whichever one you think. And also let me know your thoughts about this case in, uh, the show notes below. Also, if you want to hear the full trial, like I said, I do have it listed out day one through six, all in the Patreon, as well as video of the crime scene pictures. And these are just the case extras. This is what you get from being a lamb Patreon starting at the $3 a month tier. Patreon.com forward/loveandmurder.

Let’s go through your comments from previous episodes

Speaking of comments, uh, let’s go through your comments from previous episodes and as usual, if you haven’t caught the episode that we’re reading the comment from. You can find all the links in the show notes below so you can go back and listen to the episode and find out why this person said this comment. So the first comment comes from the case of Teresa Noor, which the title of that episode was. A, uh, jealous mother abuses her six kids and horrifically murders two of her daughters. Sheila Quezada says, yes, I have heard of this. The daughter Teresa has given interviews. One of the saddest truth is that children to this day are still being ignored by people in power like the police, cps counselor, social workers, schoolteachers. We need to open our ears and listen to these children. Children are one of the most honest creatures on this planet. Anyway, I love your show. Continue to stay positive no matter what the negative comments. Maybe a lot of it is just jealousy. Keep your head up. Thank you so much, Sheila. Uh, yes. I mean, I don’t know if it’s jealousy or not, but, you know, negative people gonna. Negative people. What you gonna do it? It annoys me. And when it annoys me, I bring it to the air. But it is what it is. I let it roll off my back and move on. Because this show isn’t about people’s negative comments. It’s about getting people’s cases out there. And also, I do agree with you that we’re still having a problem listening to children and taking what they’re saying seriously. As you can see in all these episodes that, you know, this, like CPS workers and all this stuff, all they had to do is take one action and this would have been prevented. So, yeah, it’s still a huge problem. Thank you so much for your comment.

We have another comment from Teresa Noor. This one is from Vicki Stevenson

We have another comment from Teresa Noor. This one is from Vicki Stevenson. Vicki, I love seeing your name. Vicki. Vicki, um, says the ing idiot can friggin piss off. You stay as you are, Kai. You’re fabulous. Thank you so much, Vicky. And that’s the same thing as I was saying, like, you couldn’t listen to my episode. I speak so eloquently, but I dropped my ings. Like, are you freaking kidding me or my bad. Are you freaking kidding me? So, yeah, Vicki, thank you so much.

This listener by the name of Butcher Pete has some interesting comments about true crime

The next comment I have for you comes from the episode Body Frowned Stuffed in a Fridge in Forest Boyfriend Charged with Murder. The Case of Christopher Blevins. This listener by the name of Butcher Pete. I don’t really think that’s a good name to be listening to true crime. But anyway, this listener by the name of Butcher Pete says, very weird case. Who pleads to a higher charge. I suspect some bad cop, worst cop action in that interrogation room. Yeah, that was, uh. Yeah, I, I didn’t understand that either. And if you want to find out what he’s talking about, the link to this case is in the show notes below. So click on that and you’ll hear the. The craziness about that case. Then, Julie, the ADRIC 3699 says. Kai, feel better? Well, yeah, I feel better now. This was back when I was feeling sick, so I think, uh, AI Gein or AI Jensen and Jessica had taken over for that case. Not really sure. And the last comment that I’m going to read on this episode was the case of Virginia McCullough, which that episode name was. Woman murders parents and lives with their body for four years before being arrested. And Butcher Pete again says she was selfish, period. Her selfishness led her to live on her parents for over 30 years. Her selfishness led her to steal from her parents and her selfishness inspired her to murder them when they found out she was stealing. 100%. Butcher Pete, I completely agree with this sentiment. And that’s all the comments I have, uh, for this episode. Uh, if you haven’t heard those cases below, all of the links are in the show notes below. Go back and listen to them. You’re missing some crazy cases. Is there. Keep the comments coming. Let me know what you think about this case of the Black Swan trial. As usual, thank you for being a lamb. Thank you for listening. Thank you so much for your support. And as we end every full episode, I want to remind you that it’s say it with me now. All, uh, love and no murder. Y’all stay. Ah, Tuned for my commercial guest. Bye.

True Crime podcast focuses on unsolved missing persons cases involving people of color

Hello, I’m Cona Gallagher.

And I’m Ethan Flick.

We’re the husband and wife team behind the True Crime podcast. And then they were gone.

We’re a weekly show that covers unsolved missing persons cases. These are cases that you, the listener, can have an impact on.

Some of the people you may have heard of, like Kristen Smart or Braceless Pisa. But we also bring you missing people of color into other cases that haven’t gotten the mainstream attention that they deserve. You can find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, GoodPods, or your favorite podcast.

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