Overview
- A jury in Nashville found Blaise Taylor guilty on four counts, including first-degree and second-degree murder and two felony-murder counts, with jurors recommending life imprisonment for the first-degree charges after returning their verdict on Wednesday, July 1.
- Medical examiners and forensic testimony at trial attributed Jade Benning’s death to acute cocaine toxicity combined with alcohol after she was rushed to the hospital on Feb. 25, 2023 and her five-month fetus died two days later.
- Prosecutors told jurors Taylor mixed cocaine into Benning’s drink because he did not want the pregnancy to continue and presented 911 audio, witness testimony and scene evidence that they said showed the poisoning was intentional.
- Taylor pleaded not guilty, his attorneys argued Benning’s own substance use caused the fatality, and his defense announced plans to appeal the guilty verdict.
- A judge will hold a separate sentencing hearing on Sept. 9, 2026 to sentence Taylor on the remaining conviction and to decide whether any prison terms will run concurrently or consecutively, and Benning’s family has said the verdict brought them some measure of closure.