A former scout for the Titans was found guilty of murder and is now facing life in prison should a jury find that sentencing appropriate.
A Nashville jury found Blaise Taylor, 30, guilty of four counts that he was facing for the death of his pregnant 25-year-old girlfriend, Jade Benning, and the 5-month-old fetus she was carrying.
The counts included one count of second-degree murder of Benning, first-degree felony murder of Benning, one count of first-degree felony murder of the unborn child and one count of first-degree murder of the unborn child.
Taylor was arrested in 2024 for the February 2023 death of Benning, who prosecutors said Taylor had poisoned by putting cocaine into her pink lemonade. She was rushed to Vanderbilt University Medical Center on Feb. 25, 2023. Her unborn child died two days later.
Benning died on March 6, which was her 25th birthday.
Because Benning’s condition had become critical, police were not able to speak with her before she died.
Taylor is believed to have been the father of her unborn baby.
Giving a family impact statement, Benning’s aunt, Brandi Moran, described the toll her death had on her mother.
“It’s destroyed her. When she talked about Jade Benning being her life, she was her life. They talked every day, and aside from the fear and the hurt I know she has, I live with the fear of is she going to get past this,” Moran said.
A jury recommended that Taylor serve life in prison for the first-degree murder charges, and he will be back in court in September for sentencing on the second-degree murder charge.
Taylor had been working as a defensive analyst at Utah State at the time of the murder.
Prior to his role with the college, Taylor was a scout for the Titans from 2019 to 2023. It was reported just before he was arrested that he was going to take a role with Texas A&M’s football staff as a defensive assistant.
Before coaching, Taylor was a four-year starter at Arkansas State.
