A Nashville jury found former football player Blaise Taylor guilty on all four counts tied to the 2023 deaths of Jade Benning and her unborn child. Taylor, 30, was convicted of second-degree murder, first-degree felony murder, first-degree premeditated murder,
When the Davidson County Criminal Court jury closed its case and moved to the verdict, Blaise Taylor didn’t speak. For the former college football player, the silence ended with guilty findings read by the jury foreperson on Wednesday, July 1.
A Nashville jury convicted Taylor. 30. of all four counts connected to the deaths of his former girlfriend. Jade Benning. and her unborn baby. The verdict came after an eight-day trial. with the jury reaching its decision within two hours of closing arguments. which concluded the proceedings on Wednesday.
Taylor was found guilty of second degree murder and first degree felony murder during commission of a felony in Benning’s death. He was also convicted of first degree premeditated murder and first degree felony murder during commission of a felony for the unborn child’s death.
After the verdict, the jury recommended a sentence of life imprisonment for the first-degree murder charges. Taylor will be sentenced on September 9 for the second-degree murder charge.
In the courtroom, Taylor sat silent as the verdict was read out in Davidson County Criminal Court. The outcome now sets up what could become a long fight over whether the deaths happened the way prosecutors argued—an argument Taylor’s attorneys say rests on the wrong conclusion.
Letitia Quinones-Hollins, Taylor’s lawyer, spoke after the ruling. “While we respect the jury system and the process. we must also respectfully disagree with today’s verdict and plan to appeal the decision because Blaise did not do this.” She added. “[Taylor] maintains that he is innocent and we will continue working to prove that.” Quinones-Hollins also acknowledged the families’ grief: “We understand and respect the pain that Ms. Benning’s family and friends feel over her tragic death and the death of her unborn baby. but putting an innocent man behind bars is also a tragedy.”.
During the trial, prosecutors accused Taylor of administering a fatal dose of cocaine to Benning through a drink during a date night at her apartment on February 25, 2023.
One account central to that accusation came from Benning’s fear during that February night. An assistant district attorney told the court on Wednesday. June 24. that Benning called a friend to say she feared Taylor may have spiked her drink because he did not want her to carry her pregnancy to term. In court. the friend—Nijaiha Jackson—was described as recounting Benning’s demand: “‘What did you put in my drink?’ Benning demanded to know. according to friend Nijaiha Jackson. “‘I knew my drink tasted funny. You did this because you didn’t want the baby.’”.
Benning died on her 25th birthday on March 6, 2023, after losing her unborn baby several days earlier on February 27, 2023. An autopsy found that Benning had 1,787 nanograms of cocaine per milliliter of blood at the time of her death.
Taylor, for his part, has denied any wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty to all charges. His attorneys argued at trial that Benning’s death was caused by her own alleged drug use.
The legal story now lands at a critical moment: Taylor’s conviction covers two separate death outcomes—Benning’s and the unborn child’s—each tied to specific murder counts, and the recommended life imprisonment applies to the first-degree charges.
Before this case, Taylor’s life was built around football. He played college football at Arkansas State University from 2014 to 2017, then joined Duke University as a graduate assistant coach. After college, he worked as a scout for the Tennessee Titans from 2021 to 2023.
The verdict on July 1 now changes the stakes of that background overnight—turning a former athlete’s career path into a case that will return to court on September 9, when sentencing begins for the second-degree murder charge.
Blaise Taylor Jade Benning convicted Nashville jury Davidson County Criminal Court second degree murder first degree felony murder premeditated murder unborn child death cocaine autopsy Letitia Quinones-Hollins