Updated

Updated · ESPN · Jul 1

Blaise Taylor Guilty on 4 Murder Counts in 2023 Poisoning, Jury Recommends Life Sentence

Updated

Updated · ESPN · Jul 1

Blaise Taylor Guilty on 4 Murder Counts in 2023 Poisoning, Jury Recommends Life Sentence

Q: Why was the murder charge for the unborn child more severe than the one for his girlfriend?

The unborn child charge was more severe because the jury found a higher level of intent for that death under Tennessee law. Taylor was convicted of second-degree murder in Jade Benning’s death, which generally means a knowing killing but not one the jury found was proven to be premeditated. By contrast, for the unborn child, the jury convicted him of first-degree premeditated murder, meaning jurors concluded prosecutors proved he acted with advance intent to cause the baby’s death. That distinction appears to have turned on the prosecution’s theory and evidence. Prosecutors argued Taylor poisoned Benning because he did not want the pregnancy. Jurors heard evidence that Benning was five months pregnant, that Taylor had allegedly pressured her to get an abortion, and that he was accused of secretly putting cocaine in her drink. That gave the state a basis to argue the fetus was the specific target of a planned act, even if jurors were not persuaded beyond a reasonable doubt that Benning’s own killing met the same premeditation standard. Tennessee law also treats an unborn child as a separate homicide victim in these circumstances, allowing a distinct murder count. That is why the fetus could support a first-degree murder conviction even though Benning’s death resulted in a lesser second-degree murder verdict. Taylor was also convicted of felony murder counts for both deaths, which separately elevate killings that occur during certain underlying felonies.

3 articles · Updated · ESPN · Jul 1

A Nashville jury convicted Blaise Taylor on four murder counts for the deaths of girlfriend Jade Benning and her unborn child, and recommended a life sentence; formal sentencing is set for Sept. 9.
Prosecutors said Taylor, 30, poisoned Benning's pink lemonade with cocaine in February 2023, after calling 911 to report what he described as an allergic reaction.
Benning was hospitalized on Feb. 25, became unable to speak with police, and died on March 6, 2023—her 25th birthday; her 5-month-old fetus died on Feb. 27.
Taylor was arrested in 2024 while working as a defensive analyst at Utah after four years in the Tennessee Titans' scouting department; he had previously starred at Arkansas State.