Blaise A. Taylor is seen here during the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl on Saturday, January 20, 2018, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA. Police in Nashville, Tennessee, said that he fatally poisoned his girlfriend, Jade Benning, and their unborn baby on Feb. 25, 2023. (Photo by Jordon Kelly/Icon Sportswire) (Icon Sportswire via AP Images)
A former college football player turned NFL scout is charged with poisoning his girlfriend, killing her and her unborn child.
Blaise A. Taylor, 27, was arrested Thursday in Utah and is expected to be extradited to Tennessee, according to police in Nashville.
Cops say that Taylor called 911 on the night of Feb. 25, 2023. He allegedly said that his girlfriend, Jade Benning, appeared to have an allergic reaction, and he asked for paramedics. Her condition immediately turned critical. First responders rushed her by ambulance to the hospital, authorities said.
“Her unborn fetus died on February 27, 2023,” officers wrote. They said Taylor allegedly fathered the baby.
Benning died at Vanderbilt University Medical Center days later, on March 6, her 25th birthday.
“Benning was not able to be interviewed by police before she died,” officers wrote.
According to his LinkedIn account, Taylor left his job as a scout for the Tennessee Titans in May 2023. The team declined to comment to Law&Crime.
As officers noted, Taylor moved to Utah after the deaths.
He joined the Utah State University football team as a senior defensive analyst. In a July 28 announcement, the school touted his history as a state defensive back and punt returner for Arkansas State from 2014 to 2017.
But that working relationship was already over when he was arrested on Thursday.
“He left March 1 for another institution, so he was not employed with us at that time,” Utah State spokesperson Amanda DeRito told Law&Crime in an email.
Now, after months of investigation, police claim Taylor poisoned Benning without her knowing while he visited her apartment then.
Nashville cops said that Deputy U.S. Marshals arrested Taylor on Thursday on a grand jury indictment. He is charged with two counts of first-degree murder. Records show that he is in custody in Cache County, Utah.
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