Former Arkansas State Standout And Tennessee Titans Scout Arrested On March 15
Some shocking news came out of Salt Lake City this weekend as U.S. Marshals arrested former Arkansas State star Blaise Taylor on suspicion of murder. The details of the charges are particularly gruesome. Authorities allege that Taylor murdered his girlfriend — and the couple’s unborn child — by poisoning.
ESPN had more details about the crime. It seems more like something you’d see in a Hollywood movie (or in Vladimir Putin’s Russia):
Taylor is accused of poisoning Jade Benning in February 2023. Benning died March 6, 2023, on her 25th birthday, and her 5-month-old fetus, which Taylor is believed to have fathered, died on Feb. 27, 2023.
Benning was rushed to the hospital on Feb. 25 last year after Taylor called 911, saying Benning was having an allergic reaction. Her condition quickly became critical, and she was unable to speak with police before she died.
ESPN.com
Taylor had been working for Texas A&M University at the time of his arrest, but the school announced over the weekend that it had suspended him without pay pending the results of the investigation. Marshals will extradite Taylor from Utah to Nashville, Tennessee, where the crime took place.
Taylor Was A Star At Arkansas State Before Moving Into Coaching
Taylor was a standout defensive back and punt returner at Arkansas State, where he served as a team captain all four years he attended and played for the university (2014-2017). He made the Sun Belt All-Conference team in 2014 and 2016 and holds school records for punt return yards (1,151), pass breakups (30), and passes defended (36). He had five interceptions as a defensive back, and returned four punts for touchdowns, second in Sun Belt Conference history.
After college, Taylor moved into scouting and coaching in the NFL, working for the Tennessee Titans in the scouting department until 2023, when he joined the staff at Utah State as an analyst. The timing of Benning’s murder matches up with Taylor’s time with the Titans. It is unclear what his role at Texas A&M University was, but his father and former defensive backs coach at Arkansas State, Trooper Taylor, was on the coaching staff for the Aggies.
Strong Reaction To Taylor’s Arrest On Social Media
While Taylor is entitled to due process regarding these allegations, the dark nature of the crime — including the death of an unborn child — elicited some strong reactions on X. As ESPN and WATE News in Knoxville, Tennessee, reported, Taylor even called 911 at the time of the incident and reported to dispatchers that Benning was having “an allergic reaction.”
Again, prosecutors in Tennessee have not proven anything yet. At the moment, these are just allegations.
However, his case involves the murder of a pregnant woman and her unborn child. If there is a trial and a jury finds Taylor guilty of these crimes, Tennessee does have capital punishment for murder. There is a strong likelihood that prosecutors may seek the death penalty in this case.
