NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — The former football scout accused of murdering his pregnant girlfriend was found guilty in a Nashville courtroom Wednesday.
Blaise Taylor, 30, pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Jade Benning and her unborn daughter. Prosecutors believe he intentionally poisoned Benning with a deadly dose of cocaine during a date night at her Nashville apartment on Feb. 25, 2023.
Click here for previous coverage of the Blaise Taylor trial.
Jade Benning (Photo: WKRN)
Jade Benning (Photo: WKRN)
Benning died at Vanderbilt University Medical Center on March 6, 2023, her 25th birthday, according to investigators. She was rushed to the hospital via ambulance on the night of Feb. 25, 2023, after Taylor reportedly called 911 and said Benning appeared to be having an allergic reaction.
Benning’s medical condition immediately became critical, and her 5-month-old fetus, who Taylor is believed to have fathered, died on Feb. 27, 2023. Detectives were unable to interview Benning before she died.
Taylor was taken into custody in Utah, where he moved after Benning and her unborn baby died.
The Tennessee Titans employed Taylor as a scout for four years. He was formerly employed as a senior defensive analyst at Utah State University. Taylor played at Arkansas State between 2014 and 2017.
A jury found him guilty on all four counts, including first- and second-degree murder. The verdict included:
- GUILTY – Second-degree murder (mother)
- GUILTY – First-degree pre-meditated murder (baby)
- GUILTY – First-degree felony murder during the commission of a felony (mother)
- GUILTY – First-degree felony murder during the commission of a felony (baby)
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Taylor was also recommended to serve life in prison by the jury for the first-degree murder charges. Jurors spent over an hour deliberating on whether or not Taylor should be sentenced to life with or without the possibility of parole.
Taylor’s defense team argued their client would not have been released before he was 80 years old while asking the jury to show mercy on him.
The jury ultimately recommended “life imprisonment” for the first-degree murder charges, which carries the possibility of parole after 51 years under current state law.
Taylor will be back in court Sept. 9 for sentencing for the second-degree murder charge. That hearing will also determine if Taylor’s sentences will be carried out consecutively or concurrently.
Following the verdict, Taylor’s attorney, Letitia Quinones-Hollins, shared the following statement with News 2:
While we respect the jury system and the process, we must also respectfully disagree with today’s verdict and plan to appeal the decision because Blaise did not do this. He maintains that he is innocent and we will continue working to prove that. We understand and respect the pain that Ms. Benning’s family and friends feel over her tragic death and the death of her unborn baby, but putting an innocent man behind bars is also a tragedy.
