Former football player Blaise Taylor gets life for poisoning pregnant girlfriend with cocaine

NASHVILLE, Tenn (TCN) -- Blaise Taylor, a 30-year-old former college football player and scout for the Tennessee Titans, has been sentenced to life in prison for the 2023 deaths of his girlfriend and an unborn child prosecutors believe he fathered. 

On Feb. 25, 2023, Taylor dialed 911 to say that his girlfriend, 24-year-old Jade Benning, was having an allergic reaction. She was transported to the hospital, where her unborn child died two days later. Benning died on March 6, 2023, her 25th birthday. After Benning’s death, Taylor moved to Utah, where he was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder before being extradited back to Nashville, Tennessee.

Taylor pleaded not guilty to the charges. WKRN reports prosecutors believe Taylor intentionally poisoned Benning with cocaine at her apartment on the night of Feb. 25, 2023. According to WZTV, prosecutors believe the fatal dose of cocaine was mixed with alcohol and placed into a glass of pink lemonade by Taylor because he did not want the baby.

On July 1, a jury found him guilty of second-degree murder for killing Benning, first-degree murder in the death of the unborn child, and two counts of first-degree murder during the commission of a felony. He was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 51 years.

Taylor, who played football at Arkansas State University from 2014 to 2017 before becoming a scout for the Tennessee Titans, maintained his innocence throughout proceedings. KARK reports Taylor’s defense argued that Bennings may have overdosed of her own accord.

WKRN reports that after the verdict was read on July 1, Taylor’s attorney released a statement that read, “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.”

Bennings’ obituary describes her as a woman with a passion for cooking. She studied culinary arts, served as the head pastry chef at two restaurants, and owned a catering business.

The obituary reads, “To know Jade is to love Jade… In addition to her passion for cooking, she enjoyed taking time to travel as much as possible. She loved her tattoos, music, and a good Netflix series. But most of all, she loved spending time with the extensive group friends and family who got to share her warmth over the years.”

According to WKRN, Taylor will appear in court on Sept. 9 to be sentenced for the second-degree murder charge. WZTV reports Taylor and his team plan to appeal.

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