Former college football player said pregnant girlfriend was having an allergic reaction. He’s now serving two life sentences for killing her

Blaise Taylor is now serving two consecutive life sentences plus 22 years in prison after a judge handed down the punishment. The former college football player and Tennessee Titans scout was convicted in July for the murders of his pregnant girlfriend, Jade Benning, and their unborn child. 

As reported by People, in February 2023, Taylor reportedly contacted 911 to request medical assistance for Benning. He told emergency responders that his girlfriend, who was five months pregnant at the time, was suffering from an allergic reaction. 

This claim proved to be a cover for a much darker reality. Medical examiners reportedly later testified that Benning died from a lethal combination of a large amount of cocaine dissolved in alcohol. The couple’s unborn child died two days after the initial incident, and Benning passed away in March 2023, on her 25th birthday.

He reportedly didn’t want Benning to give birth

During the trial held in June 2026, prosecutors laid out a disturbing narrative regarding Taylor’s motivations. They reportedly argued that he spiked a glass of pink lemonade with a mixture of cocaine and alcohol because he did not want Benning to give birth to the child, who was believed to be his. 

The jury ultimately found him guilty of second-degree murder and first-degree felony murder regarding Benning, as well as first-degree premeditated murder and first-degree felony murder regarding the death of their unborn child.

The sentencing hearing highlighted a strange disconnect between Taylor’s public persona and the crimes he committed. Nashville Assistant District Attorney Jan Norman noted that Taylor had submitted 87 character witness letters to the court. 

Norman criticized the content of these letters during the proceedings. “The person described in these character letters, the authors themselves, not one mentioned Jade Benning, not one of them mentioned baby Ivy, and not one single letter out of the 87 letters mentioned anything about what Blaise Taylor did,” Norman said.

Despite the conviction and the sentencing, Taylor’s legal team is reportedly not accepting the outcome, WSMV reports. Letitia Quinones-Hollins, Taylor’s attorney, released a statement following the sentencing. “We are extremely disappointed but not surprised by the harsh sentence,” Quinones-Hollins said. “It was a flawed trial of a tenuous case, and we will appeal and look forward to doing so.”