Woman shot, killed by ex 24 hours after he was released from custody

Buffalo mom-of-three is executed in front of her children by estranged husband – less than 24 hours after he was sprung with no bail for beating her in video she posted to Facebook: Victim even donned bulletproof vest over fears he’d retaliate

• A New York mother of three was shot and killed by her estranged husband in Buffalo
• Keaira Bennefield, 40, was murdered by Adam Bennefield, 45, in front of her three children while driving them to school on October 5
• Adam had been released less than 24 hours previously for an assault that had occurred inside their home on September 28 
• After the assault took place, Keaira posted video of the incident to Facebook in a plea for help 
• The woman was so scared of her estranged husband that she had moved out of their house and was wearing a bulletproof vest at the time of the shooting 
• Adam was able to walk free thanks to New York’s lax laws surrounding misdemeanors, which he had been charged with in connection to the assault 

A New York mother was murdered by her husband less than 24 hours after he had been set free from prison on no bail for beating her in a video she posted to Facebook. 

Keaira Bennefield, 40, was shot and killed by her estranged husband, Adam Bennfield, 45, on a Buffalo, New York, street on October 5. 

The mom was driving her three children, ages five, nine, and six months, to school when she was attacked by Adam, police said. 

At the time of her death, the mother of three was was so scared of her estranged husband that she went out of the house the morning of her death wearing a bulletproof vest, according to the Buffalo News. 

Keaira was a mother to two girls, ages five and nine, as well as a six month old boy she shared with Adam 

Adam Bennefield was arrested on October 12, eight days after Keaira was shot and killed 

Investigators at the scene found Keaira in her car, deceased from a gunshot wound inflicted by Adam

Adam was let go thanks to New York’s no-cash bail laws that allow suspected criminals to walk free without having to pay in most misdemeanors and nonviolent offenses. 

According to the Brennan Center for Justice, the law was passed by Democrats in the state and was ‘aimed to reduce the risk that someone would be jailed because they could not afford to pay for release.’ 

The law, passed in 2019, also is in place to ‘reduce the unnecessary use of incarceration, which can have a profound disruptive effect on peoples’ lives.’ 

Keaira’s murder happened in New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s hometown. 

Hochul has repeatedly stated that she has no plans to repeal the law, even as incidents like Keaira’s death pop up all over the state. 

On September 28, Keaira posted the video of Adam assaulting her repeatedly, taken on cameras inside what appears to be their apartment. 

‘This is what this man dose to me but i’m always treated like i’m the abuser,’ she wrote in her social media post. 

The video, which features two different angles of the attack, is just under eight minutes long and shows her lying on the floor for several minutes after Adam is seen forcing her to the ground and punching. 

Adam can be seen punching her at least 28 times in the video and kicking her nearly a half a dozen times as she was lying on the ground following his punches.  

Keaira called the police after the incident, telling dispatch officials that Adam had punched her and that she was hurt. 

Keaira’s posed with her family members on her wedding day to Adam, looking happy after the ceremony 

The mother was taken at just 40 years old thanks in part to lax laws in New York that allow people who have been charged with misdemeanors to be released with no bail

Upon arrival at the scene, police decided to arrest Adam for harassment. Keaira did not go to the hospital for her injuries. 

Adam was found by officers locked in a bathroom and was taken to the Erie County Medial Center to be evaluated.  

An arrest warrant for the man was obtained after he was released and police told Keaira to reach out to them if he came back. 

Later that evening, the woman posted the video to her Facebook page. 

Keaira’s three children will now have to live a life without their mother after her husband brutally murdered her in front of them

The Buffalo News reported that the day after the incident took place, a domestic violence advocate from the Cheektowaga Police Department reached out to Keaira, which is when she said that she had video of the assault. 

The advocate later spoke to law enforcement officials and told them the harassment charges Adam was facing was not enough. 

After speaking with the domestic violence advocates, police contacted Keaira and told her to upload her video to the police system so they could exam it. 

On September 30, Keaira posted a heartbreaking update on social media, telling family and friends that she was strong and smart enough to ‘get myself outta that situation alive.’ 

‘Don’t Underestimate me I am a Hudson we were born strong but I also know when to play weak an it saved my life,’ Keaira wrote in a Facebook post. ‘i was smart enuff to get myself outa that situation alive.’ 

At the time of her murder, Keaira told Facebook friends that she had gotten out of the situation with Adam, after he was seen beating her in a video she posted to Facebook

On October 2, Keaira called police, telling them that she feared someone was in her home. When they responded to the home, they didn’t find anyone but they were able to watch the video that Keaira had posted to Facebook.   

It was at that time that officers from the Cheektowaga Police Department decided that Adam’s charges should be bumped up to misdemeanors, including third-degree assault, fourth-degree criminal mischief, second-degree menacing and second-degree unlawful imprisonment.

Just one day later, Keaira went to the police station to sign papers related to the charges and on October 4, Adam was finally arrested and taken to court. 

A judge at that time issued Keaira an order of protection and released Adam with no bail. Despite having been hit with several charges, the misdemeanors were still not enough to hold him under the legislature.   

Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn said in a meeting after the fact that ‘there was zero evidence for anything higher’ than the misdemeanor charges he was already facing. 

‘The charges were correctly charged. The judge had no choice but to release this person,’ Flynn said. 

The mom of three was terrified for her life and had been staying at her mother’s home, police and law enforcement officials said 

The very next day, the woman, who had been staying with her mother, was driving her kids to school when Adam rammed his own vehicle into hers, ambushing and gunning her down with a shotgun in the street. 

All three of her children, including the six month old baby she shared with Adam, were in the backseat at the time. 

Investigators found her in a bulletproof vest at the scene. 

On October 12, police officers were finally able to locate Adam thanks to a tip from the public. 

The man was found and arrested near the intersection of Bissell and Walden avenues, according to police. 

Keaira has been driving her children to school when she was ambushed by her estranged husband and fatally shot

To make matters worse, Adam had been previously charged for kidnapping an ex-girlfriend and another woman, and had once escaped from the Erie County Correctional Facility. 

On October 21, the man pleaded not guilty to Keaira’s murder, as well as other charges in this case. 

‘The allegations contained in this indictment are horrifying,’ Assistant District Attorney Ryan Haggerty said during Adam’s plea hearing. ‘They are the stuff of nightmares.’ 

He remains in custody and has been ordered by State Supreme Court Justice M. William Boller to be held without bail. 

He is next set to appear in front of a judge in Erie County on Wednesday, November 2.  

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