During a hearing in Nashville on Wednesday, former NFL scout Blaise Taylor, who was found guilty of poisoning his pregnant girlfriend Jade Benning and her unborn child in 2023, was given consecutive life sentences.
After just two hours of deliberation, the jury unanimously found Taylor guilty of two charges of first-degree murder and two counts of felony murder, recommending life in prison.
Prosecutors claimed that on February 25, 2023, during a date night at her Nashville apartment, Taylor, a scout for the Titans from 2019 to 2023, purposefully poisoned Benning with a lethal quantity of cocaine. On March 6, 2023, her 25th birthday, she passed away in Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
According to WKRN, the defense presented 87 letters addressing Taylor’s character during the trial, characterizing him as trustworthy, honest, and selfless. Benning and “baby ivy” were not referenced in any of the communications, according to the prosecution.
Jan Norman, the assistant district attorney for Nashville, stated:
“Your honor, the defense just submitted 87 letters all speaking to Mr. Taylor’s 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. The person described in these character letters, the authors themselves, 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.”
Benning’s mother was among the family members who took the stand to give victim impact statements. Taylor’s lawyer, Letitia Quinones-Hollins, stated that the trial was faulty and that they will file an appeal.
At the time of the murder, Taylor was employed by Utah State as a defensive analyst. He started four years at Arkansas State as a defensive back.
