A jury convicted former Arkansas State football player and NFL scout Blaise Taylor of murdering his pregnant girlfriend and their unborn child, prosecutors said. The verdict came after an eight-day trial in Nashville.
Taylor, 30, was found guilty on two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of felony murder. The jury deliberated for less than three hours before reaching its decision.
Prosecutors alleged that Taylor intentionally gave Jade Benning a fatal dose of cocaine by slipping it into her pink lemonade in February 2023, while she was five months pregnant. Benning died on her 25th birthday in March 2023, several days after the unborn child passed away. Taylor was arrested in March 2024 on four counts of murder.
Defense attorneys suggested Benning may have overdosed herself. Autopsy reports indicated Benning died from acute cocaine toxicity.
Taylor last worked in the scouting department for the Tennessee Titans. He faced potential life in prison without parole.
