A former Arkansas State football star and Tennessee Titans scout was arrested last year in the poisoning deaths of his girlfriend and her unborn child in Nashville, Tennessee.
Blaise Taylor, 27, was indicted on two counts of first-degree murder and arrested Thursday evening in Utah by U.S. marshals. Nashville police said Taylor is “alleged” to be the father of the child.
Taylor is accused of poisoning Jade Benning in her Nashville apartment on February 25, 2023. She was rushed to a hospital after Taylor called 911 and reported she was having an allergic reaction.
Benning’s five-month-old fetus died two days later, and she died on March 6 — her 25th birthday — without ever speaking to police.
After months of investigation by police, scientists and the medical examiner, authorities determined that Benning was “poisoned without her knowledge” after Taylor visited her home.
Taylor was a four-year starter as a defensive back and return specialist at Arkansas State from 2014 to 2017. As a captain and first-team All-Sun Belt selection, he set the school record for career punt return yards (1,151) – returning one for a touchdown in each of those seasons.
Taylor later spent four years as a scout for the NFL’s Titans before serving as a defensive analyst at Utah State in 2023. Earlier this month, he joined the defensive staff at Texas A&M, where his father, Trooper Taylor, is the Aggies’ leader. back coach.