A Tennessee jury has now said Blaise Taylor killed his pregnant girlfriend and their unborn child by poisoning her drink with cocaine.
Quick Take
- The jury found Taylor guilty on all four counts after a seven-day trial.
- Prosecutors said Jade Benning was five months pregnant when she was poisoned in February 2023.
- Witnesses said Benning accused Taylor on a phone call before she died.
- The defense argued the relationship was casual and Taylor did not know she was pregnant.
The Verdict Put the Case at Center Stage
A Davidson County jury in Nashville found former Tennessee Titans scout Blaise Taylor guilty of murdering Jade Benning and their unborn child. Jurors returned the verdict after only a short deliberation and recommended a life sentence, with parole eligibility after 51 years. The case drew national attention because prosecutors said Taylor used cocaine as a weapon inside an intimate relationship, a pattern that hits family safety and personal trust at the same time.
Prosecutors said Taylor poisoned Benning on February 25, 2023, by mixing cocaine into her drink. Medical examiner Erin Carney ruled Benning’s death acute cocaine toxicity, and the state argued the drug level was too high for casual use. Court testimony also said Benning was five months pregnant, and her unborn daughter died two days later. That timeline made the case more than a simple overdose story. It became a murder case tied to pregnancy and intent.
What the Jury Heard About Benning’s Final Call
One of the most damaging moments came from Benning’s phone call to her best friend, Nijaiha Jackson. Jackson testified that Benning said Taylor had put something in her drink and that she knew it tasted funny. Prosecutors used that call to argue Benning understood what was happening while the poison was taking effect. They also said Taylor called 911 and described the event as an allergic reaction without telling the dispatcher about the pregnancy.
The state built its case around that call, the toxicology results, and witness testimony about Taylor’s behavior before and after Benning collapsed. Prosecutors said the cocaine was ingested in liquid form, based on blood testing and pink frothy vomit found on a comforter. That detail mattered because it supported the claim that someone put the drug in her drink. In plain terms, the state told jurors this was not a random medical crisis.
The Defense Tried to Cast Doubt on Intent
Defense lawyers pushed a narrower story. They said Taylor had no history of drug or alcohol use and argued the couple had a casual, non-exclusive relationship. They also said the 911 call could reflect panic, not guilt, and they attacked a former girlfriend’s testimony as uncorroborated hearsay. Those points did not erase the verdict, but they show the defense fought the motive case hard and tried to weaken the claim of a planned killing.
Even with that defense, jurors accepted the state’s version of events and convicted Taylor on all counts. The verdict included second-degree murder for Benning, first-degree premeditated murder for the unborn child, and two felony murder counts. For conservatives who care about law, order, and the protection of the unborn, the facts in this case will land hard. A baby was lost, a mother was killed, and the jury said the poisoning was deliberate.
