Blaise Taylor, a former Arkansas State football player and Tennessee Titans scout, was found guilty in a Nashville courtroom of murdering his pregnant girlfriend in 2023, per WKRN. Prosecutors successfully argued Taylor poisoned Jade Benning and what was believed to be his unborn child with cocaine in her apartment on Feb. 25, 2023.
Taylor was found guilty on four counts: Second-degree murder of Benning, first-degree pre-meditated murder of the unborn baby, and two counts of first-degree felony murder during the commission of a felony.
On the night of Feb. 25, Taylor called 911 and reportedly told the operator that Benning appeared to be having an allergic reaction. Benning was transported to the hospital by ambulance, while her condition quickly became critical. The 5-month old fetus died on Feb. 27, while Benning died nine days after being poisoned, March 26th, which was her 25th birthday. Following an investigation, officials determined that Benning was, "poisoned without her knowledge."
Benning was a former cheer captain from Little Rock that turned her attention to the culinary arts, working as a head pastry chef at Mirabellas Table and chef at Earnest Bar & Hideaway. She also created a catering business, JTB Eatery.
Taylor was a defensive analyst at Utah State during the time of the murder, a position he took after four years spent with the Titans as a scout from 2019-23. Just days before his arrest, Football Scoop reported that Taylor was set to join Texas A&M's staff as a defensive assistant.
During his time as a defensive back at Arkansas State Taylor established himself as a special teams star, earning all-conference nods in 2014 and 2016. According to the Red Wolves' official website, he is the program's leader in career punt return yards (1,089), which were also the second-most ever by a Sun Belt player.
Taylor was also a NFF National Scholar-Athlete, and was believed to be the only active player in the FBS to have earned his bachelor's and master's degrees before his senior season in 2017. Now, he's potentially facing life behind bars without the possibility of parole.
