Former Football Player’s Trial in Pregnancy Poisoning Case
A jury listened to the emotional final words of a former college football player during a murder trial involving the alleged poisoning of his pregnant girlfriend and their unborn child.
Blaise Taylor, a 30-year-old former player at Arkansas State University, has pleaded not guilty to four murder charges. Prosecutors allege that he intentionally gave lethal amounts of cocaine to Jade Benning and her unborn child on February 25, 2023, at her apartment in Tennessee.
The trial’s second day began with Assistant District Attorney Jean Norman recounting a phone call made by Benning to a close friend just before she became unresponsive that night.
Norman recited what are believed to be Benning’s last words: “‘What did you put in my drink? I knew my drink tasted weird. You did this because you didn’t want a baby.’
Her best friend, Nijaiha Jackson, also remembered the troubling phone call during Taylor’s bail hearing in April 2024. “She said, ‘My drink tasted weird, I can’t even walk straight, you did this to do something to the baby,'” Jackson testified in court.
Jackson recounted her attempts to get Benning’s attention, stating, “I said, ‘Jade, Jade,’ and she stopped responding,” she recalled tearfully.
According to recorded audio presented to the jury, Benning, who was five months pregnant, was unconscious in another room when Taylor, then 27, called 911. “I don’t know, but I think she’s having an allergic reaction. We were eating, cooking, hanging out, and she said she didn’t feel well,” Taylor said anxiously during the call around 9:38 p.m.
He added, “Everything was fine…I don’t know what’s going on,” despite repeatedly being asked for details about the situation and the apartment address.
Paramedics, arriving around 20 minutes later, reportedly found Benning without a pulse. She was subsequently placed on life support at a local hospital, but her unborn child, who was to be named Ivy, passed away on February 27, 2023. Benning herself died on March 6, 2023, coincidentally Taylor’s 25th birthday.
Prosecutors noted that Benning’s toxicology results were unprecedented, suggesting that Taylor, who allegedly didn’t want the baby, had a motive. However, Taylor’s defense attorney suggested that Benning had a troubled relationship with substances, which complicated the situation.
Defense attorney Letitia Quinones Hollins emphasized to jurors, “Only one person called 911 that night.” She argued that Taylor was the only one to reach out for help amid the emergency.
Since posting a $2.5 million bail in April 2024, Taylor has been wearing a GPS monitor. If found guilty of two counts each of first-degree murder and felony murder, he faces the possibility of life without parole.
The trial is set to continue this week, with testimony from various experts and witnesses expected.
Taylor was a member of the Arkansas State University football team from 2014 to 2017, serving as a defensive back and punt returner, holding records for pass breakups and total punt return yards at the school.
