A former NFL scout's murder case has reached its most consequential chapter. Blaise Taylor, the ex-Tennessee Titans scout and former college football player, has been sentenced to life in prison after a Tennessee jury found him guilty of killing Jade Benning and the couple's unborn child by poisoning her with cocaine. The verdict came after an eight-day trial, with jurors deliberating for less than three hours before convicting Taylor on multiple murder counts tied to the 2023 deaths.
According to USA Today Sports, prosecutors argued that Taylor deliberately laced Benning's pink lemonade with cocaine dissolved in alcohol during a date night at her Nashville apartment on February 25, 2023. Benning—who was five months pregnant with a child prosecutors said Taylor had fathered—was rushed to Vanderbilt University Medical Center after Taylor called 911 claiming she was suffering an allergic reaction. The unborn baby died on February 27, and Benning died days later on March 6, 2023, which was also her 25th birthday. Prosecutors told jurors Taylor's motive was simple: he did not want the baby.
The jury returned guilty verdicts on all four murder counts. It recommended life imprisonment for the first-degree murder conviction involving the unborn child, while also convicting Taylor on felony murder charges connected to both Benning and the fetus, as well as a second-degree murder conviction.
A formal sentencing hearing remains scheduled for September 9, when a judge will determine whether portions of the sentence run concurrently or consecutively.
Taylor once held positions across both college football and the NFL, including four seasons with the Tennessee Titans scouting department. He also previously worked at Arkansas State, Utah State, and Texas A&M.
Benning's family said the verdict finally brought a measure of peace after more than a year of grief. "One whole year we have had to live in silent pain, but we are just very glad we finally got the justice," her mother, Bridget Burks, said.
Her father, Dennis Browning, echoed that sentiment, saying, "Definitely glad everything is over and justice is served."
Taylor's defense maintained throughout the trial that Benning had a history of drug and alcohol use and argued she voluntarily consumed cocaine while pregnant. His attorney, Letitia Quinones-Hollins, said the legal fight is far from over.
"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," she said in a statement to USA TODAY Sports. "He maintains that he is innocent and we will continue working to prove that." She also acknowledged "the pain that Ms. Benning's family and friends feel over her tragic death and the death of her unborn baby."
