Former NFL Figure Found Guilty Of Murder After Jury Delivers Stunning Verdict
This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.
Former Tennessee Titans scout Blaise Taylor has been convicted of murdering his pregnant girlfriend, Jade Benning, in one of the NFL’s darkest off‑field scandals.
A Nashville jury returned guilty verdicts Wednesday after an eight‑day trial, recommending life in prison.
Prosecutors said Taylor poisoned Benning’s pink lemonade with cocaine on February 25, 2023. Her condition deteriorated immediately.
The five‑month‑old fetus, believed to be Taylor’s child, died two days later. Benning herself passed away on March 6, her 25th birthday, at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Detectives never got the chance to interview her.
The jury found Taylor guilty of first‑degree premeditated murder, first‑degree felony murder, and second‑degree murder. He pleaded not guilty but was undone by witness testimony, including a close friend of Benning’s.
Prosecutors argued that the motive was clear; Taylor didn’t want Benning to carry the pregnancy.
“Benning’s medical condition immediately became critical and her 5-month-old fetus, who Taylor is believed to have fathered, died on Feb. 27, 2023. Detectives were unable to interview Benning before she died,” WKRN notes. “Taylor was taken into custody in Utah, where he moved after Benning and her unborn baby died.”
Blaise Taylor To Learn Details Regarding His Jail Sentence In September
Taylor’s football resume once looked promising. He played defensive back at Arkansas State from 2014 to 2017, earning All‑Sun Belt honors. He later joined Utah State as a senior defensive analyst before landing a four‑year stint in the Titans’ scouting department.
His father, Trooper Taylor, is a longtime college coach.
The trial drew national attention, not just for the gruesome details but for Taylor’s NFL ties. The Titans cut him loose after his arrest in Utah in 2024, and his career ended before it ever truly began.
Sentencing is scheduled for September 9, 2026. The judge will decide whether Taylor’s life sentences run concurrently or consecutively. Either way, he is unlikely to ever experience freedom again.
