Former NFL Scout Blaise Taylor Gets Two Life Terms Plus 22 Years for Poisoning Pregnant Girlfriend
Former NFL scout Blaise Taylor has been sentenced to two consecutive life terms plus 22 years in prison for killing his pregnant girlfriend, Jade Benning, and their unborn daughter by poisoning Benning with cocaine.
Davidson County Criminal Court Judge Steve Dozier imposed the sentence Wednesday in Nashville, two months after a jury convicted Taylor on four murder counts stemming from the 2023 deaths of Benning and the baby she planned to name Ivy.
The judge ordered Taylor’s two life sentences to run back-to-back rather than at the same time. He also imposed a 22-year sentence for second-degree murder.
Dozier said the deaths of Benning and Ivy warranted separate punishment and described Taylor’s actions as showing a “level of cruelty, a level of calculation, a level of inhumanity.”
Taylor’s attorney said the defense plans to appeal, calling the trial flawed and the sentence harsh.
The case centered on the night of February 25, 2023, when prosecutors said Taylor slipped a lethal dose of cocaine into a drink he gave Benning at her Nashville apartment. She was 24 weeks pregnant at the time.
Prosecutors argued Taylor wanted to prevent the birth of the child and deliberately poisoned Benning while the couple was spending the evening together preparing for their daughter.
Taylor later called 911 and told the dispatcher that Benning appeared to be suffering an allergic reaction. She was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in critical condition.
Ivy died two days later. Benning remained on life support until March 6, when she died on her 25th birthday.
Medical testimony showed Benning had an extremely high level of cocaine in her system and died from acute cocaine toxicity.
One of the most closely watched pieces of testimony came from Benning’s childhood friend, Nijaiha Jackson, who described receiving a phone call from Benning shortly before she became unresponsive.
Jackson testified that Benning said her drink tasted strange and accused Taylor of putting something in it. According to Jackson, one of the last things she heard Benning say was that Taylor had done something because he wanted something to happen to the baby.
Taylor pleaded not guilty and maintained his innocence throughout the case. His defense challenged how the drugs entered Benning’s system and argued prosecutors had not proved he poisoned her.
Jurors rejected that argument after an eight-day trial in July.
They found Taylor guilty of second-degree murder in Benning’s death, first-degree premeditated murder in Ivy’s death and two counts of first-degree felony murder, one involving each victim.
The sentencing hearing returned attention to the two victims and the punishment Taylor would receive for each death.
His defense submitted 87 letters from relatives, friends and others who described Taylor as honest, accomplished, religious and trustworthy. Some wrote that he was the kind of man they would want their own daughters to marry.
Assistant District Attorney Jan Norman seized on what those letters left out.
She told the court that none of the 87 letters mentioned Benning, Ivy or what the jury had found Taylor did to them.
Benning’s relatives also addressed the court before sentencing. Her mother described the anguish of knowing her daughter realized something was wrong with her drink and became aware that something terrible was happening to her and her baby.
Dozier ultimately agreed with prosecutors that Taylor should receive consecutive rather than concurrent life terms. Running the sentences together would have meant the punishment for the two deaths was served at the same time.
Taylor, 30, previously worked as a scouting assistant and pro scout for the Tennessee Titans before leaving the organization in 2023. He later worked as a defensive analyst at Utah State and had played defensive back at Arkansas State.
His football career brought national attention to the case, but prosecutors focused at trial on the poisoning, Taylor’s relationship with Benning and evidence they said showed he intended to end the pregnancy.
Defense attorney Letitia Quinones-Hollins said after sentencing that Taylor intends to challenge the convictions.
“We are extremely disappointed but not surprised by the harsh sentence,” she said, adding that the defense considers the case flawed and plans to appeal.
Wednesday’s sentencing leaves Taylor facing two life terms served consecutively, along with the additional 22-year sentence while his attorneys prepare the next stage of the case.
