Blaise Taylor, a former player at Arkansas State and current college football staffer, was apprehended by U.S. Marshals on Thursday evening in Utah.
He faces two charges of first-degree murder in connection with the deaths of his girlfriend and their five-month-old unborn child in Nashville.
According to a statement from the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department (MNPD), Taylor’s girlfriend, Jade Benning, passed away on March 6, 2023, at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. The release detailed that Benning had been rushed to the hospital on February 25, 2023, after Taylor dialed 911, reporting an alleged allergic reaction she was experiencing.
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Deputy United States Marshals, at the request of the MNPD, this evening arrested Blaise A. Taylor, 27, in Utah on a Nashville grand jury indictment charging him with two counts of first-degree murder for the poisoning deaths of his girlfriend and her five-month-old fetus which Taylor is alleged to have fathered.
Tragically, Benning’s unborn child also succumbed two days later, while Benning remained in critical condition until her eventual passing on March 6. Following an extensive investigation, Nashville police alleged that Taylor had poisoned Benning without her awareness during a visit to her apartment on the night of February 25.
At the time of the alleged murders, Taylor resided in Nashville and was employed by the Tennessee Titans. Subsequently, he joined the coaching staff at Utah State as a senior defensive analyst under coach Blake Anderson for the 2023 football season. Recent reports indicated Taylor’s move to a similar position at Texas A&M under new coach Mike Elko.
Notably, Taylor is the son of veteran college football assistant Trooper Taylor, who currently serves as an associate head coach and running backs coach at Texas A&M under Elko’s leadership.
