On the witness stand in Nashville, an investigator and a medical examiner described allegations that former Arkansas State football star-turned-Tennessee Titans scout Blaise Taylor pressured Jade Benning to end her pregnancy before she and their unborn baby di
Blaise Taylor allegedly called 911 in February 2023 claiming his pregnant girlfriend was having an allergic reaction. Two days later, their unborn child died. Jade Benning died on March 6, her 25th birthday.
Now, in a Nashville courtroom, jurors are hearing testimony the prosecution says ties those deaths to one decision Taylor made weeks earlier. Prosecutors allege that Taylor gave Benning a fatal dose of cocaine by slipping it into her pink lemonade while she was five months pregnant.
Taylor, a 30-year-old who worked in the scouting department of the Tennessee Titans, is on trial for four counts of murder after he was arrested in March 2024. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges and is facing the possibility of life in prison without parole if convicted.
The prosecution told the jury that Benning sent a message to a close female friend in the months leading up to her death. In that text, Benning appeared to reference Taylor’s desire for her to terminate the pregnancy.
The investigator read the message aloud in court on Thursday: “I’m going to tell him today that I’m not having the abortion… so he can just get it out of his head.”
Jurors also heard about a separate message Benning sent directly to Taylor three months before her death. In it, she told him she would step back and let him move forward without being involved, while insisting she would love the child whether he stayed or not.
The message said: “You said how you felt and stated that moving forward you want no part, so I will let it be that. I will not involve you at any point. I will love this child unconditionally with or without you.”
Taylor’s defense team argued that later on, he reached back out to Benning and said he wanted to work on their relationship. Prosecutors countered that Taylor’s lack of desire to father the child ultimately fed into his decision to poison Benning in early 2023.
On February 25, 2023, Taylor allegedly called 911 and reported that Benning was having an allergic reaction. Benning’s fetus, who was going to be named Ivy, died two days later on February 27. Benning herself died on March 6, 2023.
Investigators later concluded Benning had been poisoned without her knowledge after Taylor visited her home, with police, scientists and the medical examiner all involved in months of review.
Friday’s testimony put the focus on the autopsy findings. A medical examiner told the jury that she had never before seen the cocaine levels found in Benning’s body.
Dr Erin Carney said of the sample: “I could not recall anything this high,” describing results that showed 1,787 nanograms of cocaine per milliliter of blood.
Carney told jurors that the circumstances of Benning’s ingestion were deeply troubling and that the acute cocaine toxicity was what caused Benning’s death.
“The circumstances surrounding [Benning’s] ingestion of cocaine were very concerning, that she ingested this unknowingly. Acute cocaine toxicity caused Miss Benning to die,” Carney said.
Carney also addressed the cause of death for the unborn baby. She told the jury that the specific cause of death “could not be determined. ” but she said she believed cocaine was likely a factor. explaining that cocaine is one of the only drugs known to cause pregnancy loss because it can lead to placental abruption.
Outside the substance of the prosecution’s case, the trial has also been shaped by Taylor’s legal status while he awaits a verdict. After being arrested in March 2024, Taylor posted a $2.5 million bond set by a judge in April 2024. He has since been required to wear a GPS monitor.
As jurors weigh the messages Benning sent in the months before she died. the timeline that began with a supposed allergic reaction call on February 25. and the autopsy findings described as unlike anything the medical examiner had seen before. Taylor remains in custody for a case that carries the weight of life-altering consequences for everyone left behind.
Blaise Taylor Jade Benning Arkansas State football Tennessee Titans scout murder trial cocaine poisoning abortion pressure Nashville court Ivy
Life trial?? NFL scout stuff is always crazier than you think.
So wait he slipped cocaine into pink lemonade while she was pregnant??? Like how does that even happen without her noticing. And then 911 call too… I’m just sad honestly. I didn’t even know he was a Titans scout.
I saw the headline and thought this was about abortion arguments not actual murder. But then they’re saying cocaine dose? That feels like a huge leap. Also “unborn child died” like ok but was it confirmed she died from that specific thing or are they just connecting dots with texts.
Pink lemonade with cocaine is wild, I can’t get past that. And he called 911 saying allergic reaction?? That sounds like the oldest trick in the book, like blame the allergy. I feel bad for her friend too, sending texts about not having the abortion and then it turns into a whole court thing. Idk I just think people need to stop trusting “sports guys” cuz they always have some secret side hustle.