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Ex-Titans Scout Convicted of Killing Pregnant Girlfriend, Fetus

7/2/2026

Summary

Taylor Convicted

Former Tennessee Titans scout Blaise Taylor was found guilty July 1, 2026 of four murder charges for the deaths of his pregnant girlfriend Jade Benning and her unborn child.
A jury said Taylor poisoned Benning’s pink lemonade with cocaine-alcohol on Feb. 25, 2023, causing her death and the fetus’s two days later.
The state seeks life without parole, with the first-degree murder count mandating life and sentencing set for Sept. 9, 2026 after bond revocation.

Summary

Taylor Arrested

Blaise Taylor was arrested in March 2024 in Utah after a Metro Nashville Police Department investigation into the 2023 deaths and was extradited to Tennessee.
The arrest halted his planned transition from a Tennessee Titans scouting role to a defensive analyst position at Texas A&M.
A 911 recording presented at trial showed Taylor telling dispatchers he believed Benning was having an allergic reaction.

Summary

Taylor Arrested

Blaise Taylor was arrested, with reports listing his coaching role at the time as a defensive analyst for either Utah State or the University of Utah.
He set Arkansas State’s career punt-return record with 1,089 yards, the second-most in Sun Belt Conference history.
He earned First-Team All-Sun Belt honors in 2014 and 2016, was a National Scholar-Athlete, and completed bachelor’s and master’s degrees before his senior 2017 season.

Summary

Taylor Guilty

Detectives could not interview Jade Benning before she died, limiting direct testimony.
Benning’s fetus died on Feb. 27, 2023, two days after her condition became critical.
Benning died at Vanderbilt University Medical Center on March 6, 2023.
A jury reached a verdict after less than three hours of deliberation.
Taylor relocated to Utah after the deaths and was later taken into custody there.

History

Historical Context

After the Patriots cut Aaron Hernandez in June 2013 following his arrest for Odin Lloyd’s murder, a Massachusetts jury convicted him of first-degree murder in April 2015, sentencing him to life without parole after 90 minutes of deliberation. The 2023 murder conviction of former Titans scout Blaise Taylor, decided in three hours, shows the NFL’s tighter background-check policies.

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Taylor Convicted

Former Tennessee Titans scout Blaise Taylor was found guilty July 1, 2026 of four murder charges for the deaths of his pregnant girlfriend Jade Benning and her unborn child.
A jury said Taylor poisoned Benning’s pink lemonade with cocaine-alcohol on Feb. 25, 2023, causing her death and the fetus’s two days later.
The state seeks life without parole, with the first-degree murder count mandating life and sentencing set for Sept. 9, 2026 after bond revocation.

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