In a Nashville court, the disturbing last words of a pregnant woman were revealed, as she allegedly succumbed to poisoning by her boyfriend, a former staff member of the Tennessee Titans. Jade Benning, who was five months pregnant, died on March 6, 2023, reported People. Prosecutors say Blaise Taylor purposely poisoned Benning, who was pregnant with his child. After being rushed to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, her unborn baby died two days later and Benning died on her 25th birthday. Taylor, 28, is facing two counts of first-degree murder after the tragic events.
During the bond hearing, Benning’s best friend, testifying, recalled her frantic phone call. “She was saying, 'My drink tasted funny, I can't even walk straight, you did this to do something to the baby,'" the friend conveyed, according to People. At the scene, homicide detective Adam Reese testified, it appeared some cleanup had been done. This case, which led detectives and crime lab scientists through a lengthy investigation, illustrates not spur-of-the-moment violence but premeditation, as Reese suggested to News Channel 5.
A hefty bond was set for Taylor at $2.5 million. Taylor, who at one point worked as a scout for the Titans and was later employed by Utah State University as a senior defensive analyst, found himself under arrest following an indictment by a Davidson County Grand Jury. Reporting from WKRN, Taylor moved to Utah and was apprehended by deputy U.S. marshals in Cache County on March 14.
Nijaiha Jackson, Benning’s childhood friend, recounted during Taylor's bond hearing the night she heard the victim accuse Taylor of poisoning her drink. She arrived at Benning's apartment to find the victim being attended to by paramedics, while Taylor appeared agitated at Jackson's recounting of the phone conversation. "[Benning] ‘sounded wavy’ but she overheard, ‘You did this to me! You put something in my drink, I knew it tasted funny!’ She also heard [Benning] state that she could not walk straight and ‘Blaise, you’re scaring me!’" Jackson told WLRN. Despite Taylor's assurances he had done nothing and was calling emergency services, Benning's fate was already sealed.
According to testimony at the court hearing, it was made clear early on that Taylor did not intend to be involved in the child's life. A medical examiner confirmed that Benning had a lethal amount of cocaine in her system, which was not consistent with recreational drug use. The amount of cocaine was such that she couldn't have died from recreational use, solidifying the claim of poison, WKRN reports. After Taylor's extradition from Utah and subsequent court proceedings, he remains jailed since his March 26 arrest.
