Former NFL Scout Charged With Fatally Poisoning His Pregnant Girlfriend

Former Arkansas State football player Blaise Taylor “is alleged to have poisoned" his pregnant girlfriend, and has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder.

The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department (MNPD) confirmed Taylor was arrested on Thursday after he was indicted in the 2023 deaths of his girlfriend and her 5-month-old fetus.

Taylor is allegedly the father.

Blaise Taylor was both a star student and a star athlete, something his parents influenced. “My parents, both of them, stressed academics to me and my sister a lot growing up,” Taylor said in a previous interview.

At the time Taylor was playing football, Kelly Damphousse, the previous chancellor of Arkansas State University said, “He is performing very well on the field, but even better in the classroom, and the fact that he has already completed a master’s degree and is working on other graduate courses at the same time is really unusual and outstanding attribute of his."

When he was playing college football, Blaise Taylor emphasized the importance of the sport and their gameplay at the time.

“We try to get it and we try to score every time,” the former Arkansas State University football player said. “You know cause we say you don’t when it’s the next time you are going to have that opportunity.”

Blaise Taylor also worked for the Tennessee Titans as a scout from 2021 to 2023.

According to Deputy United States Marshals and Metropolitan Nashville Police Department (MNPD), Jade Benning, Taylor's girlfriend, died at Vanderbilt University Medical Center on March 6, 2023 -- which was her 25th birthday -- after being rushed to the hospital by an ambulance on the night of February 25, 2023.

Taylor called 911 at 9:38 p.m. and reported that his pregnant girlfriend appeared to be suffering from an allergic reaction. Her "medical condition immediately became critical."

According to police, her unborn fetus died on February 27, 2023 and Benning died on March 6, 2023. Benning was not able to be interviewed by police before she died.

Homicide Unit Detective Adam Reese along with scientists from crime laboratories and doctors from the Medical Examiner’s Office launched a months-long investigation, which ultimately led to the murder indictment against Taylor earlier this week.

He is alleged to have poisoned Benning without her knowledge while visiting her Lebanon Pike apartment on the night of February 25," per the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department.

A Nashville grand jury charged Taylor with two counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of "poisoning deaths of his girlfriend and her five-month-old fetus" which the 27-year-old is "alleged to have fathered."

The MNPD is working with Utah authorities to arrange for Taylor’s return to Nashville.

Blaise Taylor previously as a defensive back at Arkansas State. He was a team captain and a first-team All-Sun Belt defender, per The Athletic.

“Taylor worked as an analyst with the USU football program from July 1, 2023, to March 1, 2024, when he left to begin a new role at another institution,” Utah State said in a statement.

FootballScoop reported on March 5, 2024 that Taylor was joining Texas A&M’s staff in a defensive analyst role, however, Texas A&M had not confirmed he was hired.

Texas A&M Head Football Coach Mike Elko issued the following statement on the matter:

“Our thoughts are with all those affected by this heartbreaking situation, including the family and friends of the victim. It’s essential to allow the courts to handle this situation with the diligence and fairness it demands.

We also would like to extend our prayers and support to Coach Trooper Taylor, Dr. Evelyn Taylor and their family as they navigate this extremely difficult time.”

Police did not release any details on the alleged poisoning.