A frantic 911 call reporting an apparent allergic reaction has become the centerpiece of a Tennessee murder trial that prosecutors say was anything but an accident.
More than three years after 25-year-old Jade Benning and her unborn daughter died, former college football player and NFL scout Blaise Taylor is standing trial on multiple murder charges. Prosecutors allege Taylor secretly poisoned Benning by lacing her drink with cocaine dissolved in alcohol because he did not want her to continue the pregnancy.Taylor has pleaded not guilty.
According to prosecutors, Taylor called 911 in February 2023, claiming Benning was suffering from an allergic reaction after the couple spent the evening cooking together, The New York Post reported. First responders found Benning unconscious in her Nashville apartment and rushed her to the hospital, where doctors determined she had suffered catastrophic brain damage.
Her unborn daughter, whom family members planned to name Ivy, died two days later. Benning died on March 6, 2023, her 25th birthday, according to reports. Medical examiners later testified that a fatal amount of cocaine in her system caused her death.
The case shifted from a suspected medical emergency to a homicide investigation after authorities concluded Benning had likely ingested the cocaine without her knowledge. A Nashville grand jury indicted Taylor in 2024, and he was arrested in Utah before being returned to Tennessee to face trial.
During trial testimony, prosecutors argued Taylor’s alleged motive centered on the pregnancy, telling jurors he did not want to become a father. They also presented testimony from one of Benning’s closest friends, who said Benning’s final words over the phone included an accusation that Taylor had tampered with her drink because she believed he wanted to harm the baby.
“She was saying, ‘My drink tasted funny, I can’t even walk straight, you did this to do something to the baby,’ ” Nijaiha Jackson, Benning’s friends, said at the hearing, according to News Channel 5.
Prosecutors have also pointed to evidence they say suggests the apartment was cleaned before investigators arrived and noted that a cup visible in earlier photographs was missing when police searched the scene, according to The Post.
Taylor’s attorneys dispute those allegations, arguing Benning’s death resulted from her own drug use rather than intentional poisoning. The defense has questioned witnesses about Benning’s history of using marijuana and alcohol and has challenged the integrity of the crime scene after friends removed some belongings from the apartment before investigators completed their work.
Taylor, 30, faces two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of felony murder. If convicted on the most serious charges, he could be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The trial remains ongoing.
