A jury took just three hours to convict former National Football League scout Blaise Taylor of murdering his pregnant girlfriend and their unborn daughter — finding him guilty of poisoning them both with a lethal dose of cocaine slipped into a drink.

Story Snapshot

• Blaise Taylor, a former Tennessee Titans scout and ex-college football player, was convicted of first-degree murder and felony murder for killing his pregnant girlfriend, Jade Benning, and their unborn child.
• Prosecutors said Taylor dissolved cocaine in Benning’s drink. The cocaine level in her blood was the highest the medical examiner’s office had ever seen in any overdose death.
• A key witness testified that Benning called a friend at 9:29 p.m. and said Taylor had poisoned her drink. Taylor did not call 911 until 9:50 p.m.
• A separate witness said Taylor tried the same thing in 2017 — slipping something into another woman’s drink to end a pregnancy.

What the Jury Heard

The trial ran eight days in Davidson County, Tennessee. Prosecutors told the jury that Taylor arrived at Benning’s apartment around 7:00 p.m. with cocaine and spent about 30 minutes there taking selfies while her condition got worse. He did not call 911 until 9:50 p.m. — nearly three hours after he arrived. A witness named Niga Jackson testified that Benning called her at 9:29 p.m. and said Taylor had put something in her drink.

Medical expert Dr. Aaron Carney testified that the cocaine concentration found in Benning’s blood was the highest the entire medical examiner’s office had ever recorded. Carney said a person who ingested that much cocaine would go into cardiac arrest within 30 minutes. Vomit found on Benning’s comforter also tested at an extreme cocaine level, supporting the theory that she swallowed the drug in a liquid.

A Pattern the Jury Could Not Ignore

One of the most damaging moments came when witness Apple Denny took the stand. Denny testified that back in 2017, Taylor tried to slip something into her drink — with the goal of ending a pregnancy. The defense did not call any witness to directly challenge that claim. Investigators also found a washed-out cup near the sink and noted that a security camera had been moved so it could not capture what happened in the area where Benning was sitting.

The defense pushed back hard on the physical evidence. Their toxicology expert argued that the science could not prove Taylor poisoned anyone because key evidence was mishandled and the original cup Benning drank from was never recovered. The medical examiner officially ruled the manner of death as “undetermined,” not homicide — a fact the defense highlighted throughout the trial. The defense also argued Taylor had no clear motive, pointing out that he and Benning had a casual relationship and that he had no prior criminal record.

Life in Prison — and a Planned Appeal

The jury convicted Taylor on three of four counts: premeditated first-degree murder for the death of the unborn child and felony murder for both Benning and the baby. The judge sentenced him to life in prison. Taylor’s legal team has announced plans to appeal the verdict.

A Davidson County jury has found former Tennessee Titans scout Blaise Taylor guilty following an eight-day trial in the 2023 deaths of his pregnant girlfriend, Jade Benning, and their unborn daughter. Jurors convicted Taylor of second-degree murder in Jade Benning's death,… pic.twitter.com/fNJrZ3TzkX

— Janice Ayers🎓BA/MA Criminal Justice (@byjaniceayers) July 2, 2026

Poisoning cases like this one are notoriously hard to prove. No one sees the act happen. Prosecutors must build their case from behavior, timing, and physical clues. Legal historians note that the majority of successful poisoning convictions — going back centuries — have rested on this kind of circumstantial evidence rather than someone witnessing the poison being given. In recent years, cases like the Australian “Mushroom Murderer” and the Utah case of Kouri Richins, who was convicted of poisoning her husband, followed the same pattern: juries convicted based on behavior, access to the substance, and actions taken after the fact — even without direct proof of the poisoning moment itself. This case fits squarely in that mold. The jury heard Benning’s own words, spoken minutes before she died, accusing Taylor by name. That, combined with his delay in calling for help and the 2017 prior incident, appears to have been enough.

Sources:

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