Ex-college football star learns his fate after being found guilty of poisoning his girlfriend and unborn child to death
Former Arkansas State star Blaise Taylor will spend the rest of his life behind bars after being convicted of poisoning his girlfriend – killing both her and their unborn child.
Taylor, who later worked as a scout for the NFL’s Tennessee Titans, was given consecutive life sentences on Wednesday following convictions on one count of second-degree murder, one count of first-degree murder and two counts of first-degree felony murder.
According to prosecutors, Taylor spiked the pink lemonade of his girlfriend, Jade Benning, with a deadly dose of cocaine back in February 2023.
She was five months pregnant at the time and their unborn child died two days later, while Benning passed away from acute cocaine poisoning on March 6 – her 25th birthday.
Defense attorneys suggested Benning may have overdosed herself but Taylor was convicted back in July, with the jury reportedly reaching its verdict after less than three hours of deliberations.
Taylor played as a defensive back at Arkansas State between 2014 and 2017 and was appointed team captain before joining the Titans’ scouting department.
Former Arkansas State star Blaise Taylor will spend the rest of his life behind bars
He was convicted of poisoning his pregnant girlfriend, killing both her and their unborn baby
During his sentencing hearing on Wednesday, the 30-year-old – who had denied the allegations – received 87 witness letters vouching for his character.
‘They describe a man of honor, honesty, a man of great accomplishments and as someone who has faith in the Lord and was raised by a strong family.
‘More than one of the authors of those letters actually stated he is someone they would want their own daughters to marry,’ Nashville Assistant District Attorney Jan Norman said, per WKRN.
‘Not one mentioned Jade Benning, not one of them mentioned baby Ivy, and not one single letter out of the 87 letters mentioned anything about what Blaise Taylor did.’
Following the sentencing, Taylor’s attorney Letitia Quinones-Hollins said: ‘We are extremely disappointed but not surprised by the harsh sentence… this was a flawed trial of a tenuous case, and we will appeal and look forward to doing so.’
As detailed by prosecutors, Benning sent a heartbreaking text to her close female friend in the months before she died, in which she appeared to suggest Taylor wanted her to terminate the pregnancy.
‘I’m going to tell him today that I’m not having the abortion… so he can just get it out of his head,’ the message stated, according to an investigator who read it aloud to the court.
In a separate message to Taylor himself three months before her death, she said: ‘You said how you felt and stated that moving forward you want no part, so I will let it be that.
Benning was rushed to the hospital with what Taylor called an ‘allergic reaction’ in 2023
He played as a defensive back at Arkansas State before joining the Titans’ scouting team
‘I will not involve you at any point. I will love this child unconditionally with or without you.’
Taylor’s defense team allege that he later reached back out to Benning and said he wanted to work on their relationship, but prosecutors argue his lack of desire to father the child ultimately led to his decision to poison the victim in early 2023.
On February 25, 2023, Taylor allegedly called 911 and reported that Benning was having an allergic reaction.
He was arrested less than a week after it emerged that he was joining Texas A&M as a defensive analyst, having previously spent a year with Utah State.
According to KARK, Tennessee law states that Taylor can first apply for parole when he is 81 years old. Should that be granted, he will then begin serving his second life sentence.
