The Blaise Taylor murder trial is a Nashville prosecution of the former Tennessee Titans scout on two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of felony murder in the February 2023 poisoning deaths of his pregnant girlfriend, 25-year-old chef Jade Benning, and their unborn daughter. The case is being tried in Davidson County Criminal Court before Judge Steve Dozier, and as of July 2026 the evidentiary phase has concluded with closing arguments set for July 1, 2026. If convicted on both first-degree murder counts, Taylor faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.1KARK. Closing Arguments in Blaise Taylor Murder Trial Set for Wednesday
What Prosecutors Say Happened That Night
On the evening of February 25, 2023, Benning and Taylor spent an at-home date night at her apartment on Lebanon Pike in Nashville, cooking and painting. Benning was nearly 24 weeks pregnant with a daughter the couple planned to name Ivy.2People. Blaise Taylor and Jade Benning Murder Case, What to Know
Her friend Nijaiha Jackson testified that she had visited the apartment earlier that evening, and that about an hour after she left, Benning called her sounding unlike herself. During the call, Jackson said, she heard Benning say to Taylor, “What did you do? What did you put in my drink?” and “Blaise, you’re scaring me.”3WSMV. Blaise Taylor Trial Hears 911 Call, Testimony About Evidence at Jade Benning’s Apartment Prosecutors told the jury Benning also said, “My drink tasted funny, I can’t even walk straight, you did this so something would happen to the baby.”4WKRN. Blaise Taylor Murder Trial Opening Statements
At 9:38 p.m., Taylor called 911 and told the dispatcher he thought Benning was having an allergic reaction. Emergency responders found her with pink foam around her mouth and took her to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in critical condition.5Oxygen. Blaise Taylor Allegedly Poisoned Jade Benning With Cocaine, Say Prosecutors
Cause of Death
Benning’s unborn daughter died on February 27, 2023. Benning remained on life support until March 6, 2023, her 25th birthday, when she died.6WSMV. Woman Recalls Final Heartbreaking Phone Call the Night Jade Benning, Her Unborn Child Were Allegedly Poisoned A treating physician testified that “all clinical signs” indicated she had effectively died before reaching the hospital.2People. Blaise Taylor and Jade Benning Murder Case, What to Know
Davidson County Medical Examiner Dr. Erin Carney testified that Benning died of acute cocaine toxicity. Her blood contained 1,787 nanograms of cocaine per milliliter, a level Carney said she could not recall seeing in more than 3,000 autopsies.7Yahoo News. Ex-College Football Player Blaise Taylor Trial Benning’s brain was swollen and her heart chambers dilated, with no signs of heart attack, pneumonia, or pregnancy complications. Carney noted Benning had no known history of cocaine use and called the circumstances “suspicious.” The unborn baby showed no abnormalities and would have been expected to have a healthy pregnancy had Benning survived.8WSMV. Cocaine That Killed Pregnant TN Woman Suspicious, Medical Examiner Testifies in Murder Trial of Former NFL Scout
Who Blaise Taylor Is
Taylor, 27 at the time of his arrest, played college football as a defensive back at Arkansas State University from 2014 to 2017. He then worked as a scout for the Tennessee Titans from 2021 to 2023.9NBC Sports. Former Titans Scout Blaise Taylor Stands Trial on Charges He Murdered Pregnant Girlfriend After Benning’s death he moved to Utah. A Nashville grand jury indicted him more than a year later, and Deputy U.S. Marshals arrested him in Logan, Utah. He was returned to Nashville on March 14, 2024.10Nashville.gov. Blaise Taylor Arrested in Utah on Nashville First-Degree Murder Indictment
The Prosecution’s Theory
Assistant District Attorney Jan Norman told jurors at opening statements on June 23, 2026, that Taylor did not want the child and that his unwillingness to become a father was the motive. Prosecutors allege he secretly dissolved cocaine in alcohol and mixed it into Benning’s pink lemonade.11News Channel 9. Medical Examiner Details Death of Pregnant Woman in Ex-Titans Scout Murder Trial
Text messages pulled from Benning’s phone became a central piece of the state’s case. In one message to a friend, Benning wrote, “I’m going to tell him today that I’m not having the abortion… so he can just get it out of his head.” In another sent directly to Taylor about three months before her death, she wrote, “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.”12New York Post. Blaise Taylor Allegedly Pressured Girlfriend to Get Abortion Before Alleged Cocaine Poisoning
Prosecutors leaned on Jackson’s account of the phone call, on Dr. Carney’s testimony about the extraordinary cocaine level, and on the absence of any drug-use history for Benning. They argued the cocaine had been dissolved into a liquid before Benning ingested it.5Oxygen. Blaise Taylor Allegedly Poisoned Jade Benning With Cocaine, Say Prosecutors Crime scene photos shown to the jury depicted two juice bottles on the counter and an empty drinking glass, and prosecutors noted at an earlier bond hearing that a cup visible in a photograph in front of Benning was missing when police later searched the apartment.2People. Blaise Taylor and Jade Benning Murder Case, What to Know
How the Defense Is Fighting the Case
Taylor has pleaded not guilty. His attorney, Letitia Quinones-Hollins, has attacked the forensic evidence, the crime scene, and the state’s narrative of the relationship.13NewsNation. Blaise Taylor Murder Trial Opening Statements
The defense told jurors that Benning used drugs and alcohol, and that although the couple’s relationship was casual early on, it became more serious once Taylor learned he was likely the father. About two months after the “no part” message, the defense said, Taylor reached back out expressing a desire to work on the relationship.12New York Post. Blaise Taylor Allegedly Pressured Girlfriend to Get Abortion Before Alleged Cocaine Poisoning Quinones-Hollins emphasized that Taylor was the one who called 911 and that he stayed with Benning at the hospital.14Yahoo Sports. Prosecutors, Defense Outline Competing Accounts
On the physical evidence, a detective testified that Benning’s apartment became a “contaminated scene” after friends and family entered before police could fully process it.15WKRN. Day 2, Blaise Taylor Murder Trial Stephanie Franklin, a family friend, testified that at the request of Benning’s mother she went to the apartment, took photos and video, and removed a comforter Benning had vomited on. Co-worker Lauren Weber testified she entered the apartment to blow out a candle, lock the door, and secure Benning’s keys, and that she noticed a smell of cleaning products. The defense argued that additional evidence, including vomit that could have been tested, was never collected, and that a blood sample was not submitted to the lab until two days after Benning’s hospitalization.3WSMV. Blaise Taylor Trial Hears 911 Call, Testimony About Evidence at Jade Benning’s Apartment
Before trial, the defense filed motions challenging the chain of custody for blood and urine samples, citing a discrepancy in a corrected laboratory report that listed a different collection date and time. They also argued the state should be required to call the specific analyst who performed the testing rather than a witness who only reviewed the results.16WKRN. Trial: Blaise Taylor Seeks Blocking Key Forensic Evidence in Murder Case At trial the defense also noted that Benning tested positive for fentanyl, though the medical examiner attributed that to medications administered during hospital treatment.17Fox 17 Nashville. Trial for Ex-Titans Scout Blaise Taylor Accused of Killing Pregnant Girlfriend Jade Benning
Why There Are Two Murder Counts
The second set of murder charges, for the death of Benning’s unborn daughter, is authorized by Tennessee law. Under Tennessee Code Annotated sections 39-13-107 and 39-13-214, a “human embryo or fetus at any stage of gestation in utero” is recognized as a potential victim of homicide. The statute took effect on July 1, 2012, and allows prosecutors to bring charges including murder, voluntary manslaughter, vehicular homicide, and reckless homicide for the killing of an unborn child at any point during pregnancy.18National Right to Life Committee. State Homicide Laws That Recognize Unborn Victims
Where the Trial Stands
Trial began with jury selection and opening statements in late June 2026 in Davidson County Criminal Court before Judge Dozier.19WBKO. Murder Trial of Former Titans Scout Blaise Taylor Enters Day 3 Over seven days of testimony, jurors heard from Jackson, Dr. Carney, a treating physician, crime scene investigators, and witnesses tied to the apartment scene. The defense rested on June 30, 2026. Judge Dozier gave each side one hour for closing arguments on the morning of July 1, 2026, after which the jury was to receive instructions and begin deliberations.1KARK. Closing Arguments in Blaise Taylor Murder Trial Set for Wednesday