A former Arkansas State star football player and NFL scout for the Tennessee Titans, is looking at a lengthy prison sentence for murder.
According to ESPN, on Wednesday, July 1, a Nashville jury found Blaise Taylor guilty of the murder of his girlfriend, Jade Benning, and their unborn child — the 25-year-old was five months’ pregnant when she died on March 6, 2023.
The jury read their verdict and immediately recommended that the judge sentence Taylor to life in prison. However, a judge will ultimately make that decision on Sept. 9.
A jury found the 30-year-old Taylor guilty of four counts of murder in the deaths of Benning and the five-month-old fetus.
Prosecutors charged the former defensive back with poisoning Benning’s pink lemonade with cocaine in February 2023.
Paramedics rushed Benning to the hospital on Feb. 25, 2023, following a 911 call from Taylor claiming she suffered an allergic reaction.
Upon arriving at the hospital and receiving medical attention, Benning’s condition became critical, limiting her ability to speak, and she was unable to tell police what happened.
She was pregnant at the time and the fetus, believed to be Taylor’s, died on Feb. 27, 2023. Benning died a few days later on March 6, 2023, which was also her 25th birthday.
Nashville police arrested Taylor in 2024 in connection with the deaths.
Taylor held a starting spot and served as team captain throughout his entire football career at Arkansas State.
Scouts for the Tennessee Titans previously tracked Taylor, who held a job as a defensive analyst for the University of Utah prior to his arrest, according to 40/29 News.
In a statement to USA Today following the verdict, Taylor’s attorney shared plans to appeal his conviction.
“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,” Letitia Quinones-Hollins said via statement to the outlet.
“He maintains that he is innocent and we will continue working to prove that,” she said. “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.”
