Former pro football scout Blaise Taylor is standing trial in Nashville, Tennessee for the 2023 murder of his girlfriend and her unborn child. If convicted, he could spend the rest of his life behind bars.

Criminal Charges

Blaise Taylor, 30, is charged with four counts, including two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of felony murder in the death of his girlfriend, Jade Benning. He has pleaded not guilty to killing the victim, who died on her 25th birthday while she was pregnant with a little girl.

Death of Jade Benning

Taylor called 911 on February 25, 2023, to report that his girlfriend seemed to be having an allergic reaction. Benning was rushed to the hospital, where she received care, but not quickly enough. Her condition began declining until she passed away on March 6, 2026. Her unborn baby died earlier on February 27, and prosecutors believe Benning “lingered” and “languished” for days.

A toxicology report revealed that Benning had more drugs in her system than considered recreational use, according to the medical examiner who testified at one of Taylor’s hearings. The report showed she had a heavy amount of cocaine in her system when she died.

Pro Scout Arrested

After a months-long investigation, Taylor was arrested and charged with her murder. Prosecutors announced his arrest, stating that Benning was poisoned “without her knowledge” while the defendant was at her apartment.

At Taylor’s bond hearing in 2024, Benning’s best friend was called to testify about a phone call she received from the alleged victim the night she was rushed to the hospital. While on the phone, she could hear Benning and Taylor speaking, in which the victim said to him, “My drink tasted funny, I can’t even walk straight, you did this to do something to the baby.”

Look Into Blaise Taylor’s Background

At the time of his arrest, Taylor worked as a senior defensive analyst for the Utah State University football team. Before then, he was a scouting assistant, eventually rising to pro scout for the Tennessee Titans. 

He seems to have a strong track record, including a Master of Business Administration and a bachelor’s degree from Arkansas State, where he also played as a defensive back and punt returner.

Opening Statements

Taylor has been out on a $2.5 million bond since his initial arrest and will remain a free man until proven otherwise at his trial, which began on June 23, 2026. 

Jan Norman, with the prosecution, delivered opening statements on Tuesday. She said they met on a dating app, but Taylor did not know the victim was five months pregnant. When she arrived at the hospital, she was dead due to the highest concentration of cocaine that the medical examiner’s office had ever seen.

Norman continued to say that the cocaine had been dissolved in the victim’s pink drink and was orally ingested. That night, she spoke with her best friend, who heard Benning say, “I knew my drink tasted funny.”

Attorney Letitia Quinones-Hollins followed with the defense’s opening statements, claiming that Taylor never did drugs nor did he drink while in college, but accused the victim of doing both. The two met on Hinge in Tennessee in January 2022, but they did not begin talking and going on dates until August that year. 

At the end of September, Benning found out she might be pregnant, and two months later, she told Taylor it was his child. The victim wanted to keep the child, but he disagreed, so they decided to go their separate ways, and he did not have to be involved.

However, on December 31, 2022, they rekindled their relationship and met up in the new year to get to know each other and figure out how to co-parent if the child was truly Taylor’s. The defense alleges that Benning used marijuana, mushrooms, Adderall, and was a heavy drinker. Sometimes her food will be infused with marijuana, and there is no proof that her death was caused by another person.

Fact Witnesses Testify

Several fact witnesses testified on behalf of the prosecution during the first day of trial, including the victim’s stepmother and her OBGYN. Both witnesses testified that Benning seemed excited about the pregnancy and about becoming a mother. 

She never showed any hesitation or that she was doing anything she shouldn’t, especially since all of her appointments came back clear, showing that the baby was developing properly.

When it came time for police officers and the responding paramedics to testify, they all noted the same behavior of Taylor. They described him as frantic, anxious, and stressed. Paramedics said he physically interfered with their efforts while at the apartment, causing them to “load and go” in the ambulance. 

Dramatic Testimony From Best Friend

Prosecutors called upon Benning’s best friend, Nijaiha Jackson, who was on the other end of the phone at the time the victim thought she had been poisoned. She delivered an impactful and dramatic testimony, recalling that her friend had accused Taylor of spiking her drink.

“She was like, ‘I know you put something in my drink. I knew my drink tasted funny,’” Jackson told jurors. She said the victim repeated it once more and was unable to move her legs at that point. Prosecutors allege those were Benning’s final words before she was taken to the hospital.

Taylor’s defense countered the witnesses about Benning’s history with drugs and alcohol, trying to argue that her death was caused by her own careless actions and, in fact, an accidental drug overdose.