Former Arkansas State football player sentenced to life in prison in deaths of Little Rock woman, unborn child
UPDATE: Following the verdict, the jury sentenced Taylor to life imprisonment on the first-degree murder convictions.
Taylor is scheduled to return to court Sept. 9 for sentencing on the second-degree murder conviction. During that hearing, the court also will determine whether the life sentences will be served concurrently or consecutively.
ORIGINAL STORY:
A Tennessee jury has found former Arkansas State football player Blaise Taylor guilty in the 2023 deaths of his pregnant girlfriend, Little Rock native Jade Benning, and her unborn child.
The jury returned its verdict Wednesday after nearly three hours of deliberation following an eight-day trial in Davidson County Criminal Court.
Taylor, 30, had pleaded not guilty to four murder charges stemming from the deaths of Benning, who was five months pregnant with a child authorities said Taylor had fathered.
Jurors found Taylor guilty on all four counts, including second-degree murder in Benning’s death, first-degree premeditated murder in the death of the unborn child, and two counts of first-degree felony murder related to the deaths of both Benning and her baby.
Taylor now faces the possibility of life in prison. Sentencing is expected at a later date.
Prosecutors alleged Taylor intentionally poisoned Benning by giving her a drink containing a lethal combination of cocaine and alcohol during a date night at her Nashville apartment on Feb. 25, 2023.
Authorities said Taylor called 911 after Benning became unresponsive, telling dispatchers she was experiencing an allergic reaction.
Benning was taken to a Nashville hospital, where doctors determined she had suffered acute cocaine and alcohol toxicity. Her unborn child died two days later, and Benning died on March 6, 2023, her 25th birthday.
Throughout the trial, prosecutors argued the evidence showed Taylor deliberately poisoned Benning, while defense attorneys contended the state failed to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt. The defense argued Benning had a history of drug use and suggested she may have consumed cocaine and alcohol on her own.
During seven days of testimony, jurors heard from Benning’s stepmother, coworkers of both Benning and Taylor, law enforcement officers and several medical experts, including a forensic toxicologist.
The jury ultimately rejected the defense’s arguments and unanimously convicted Taylor on all counts.
Taylor played college football at Arkansas State. After his college career, he worked as an assistant coach and NFL scout, including stints with the Tennessee Titans and Utah State.
Benning, a native of Little Rock, had been living in the Nashville area at the time of her death.
The case drew national attention because of Taylor’s football background and the allegations that the deaths resulted from intentional poisoning rather than an accidental overdose. The guilty verdict concludes more than two years of criminal proceedings that began after Benning’s death in March 2023.