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Adam Rittenberg, ESPN Senior Writer
Blaise Taylor, a former college football star at Arkansas State who has worked as an analyst on college football staffs and as an NFL scout, has been arrested on suspicion in the poisoning deaths of his girlfriend and her unborn child in Nashville, Tennessee.
United States Marshals arrested Taylor, 27, on Thursday night in Utah, serving an indictment from Nashville police on two counts of first-degree murder. Taylor is accused of poisoning Jade Benning in February 2023. Benning died March 6, 2023, on her 25th birthday, while 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, 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.
Taylor had been working in Nashville for the Tennessee Titans, where he rose in the pro scouting department. He joined Utah State as a senior defensive analyst for the 2023 season, and reportedly had been hired earlier this month in a similar role at Texas A&M. Taylor’s father, Trooper, a longtime college coach, recently joined Texas A&M’s coaching staff as running backs coach and associate head coach under new head coach Mike Elko.
Blaise Taylor is accused of poisoning Benning without her knowledge while visiting her apartment. Nashville police say they are working with authorities in Utah to transport Taylor back to the city. Taylor was a four-year starter at Arkansas State, where Trooper coached defensive backs at the time. Blaise served as a captain and earned first-team All-Sun Belt honors as both a defensive back and a punt returner. He holds Arkansas State career records for punt return yards (1,151) and pass breakups (30), and left as the Sun Belt’s all-time leader in passes defended (36).