Overview
- Prosecutors say Blaise Taylor gave Jade Benning a drink that led to her collapsing at her Nashville apartment on Feb. 25, 2023 and that the overdose later killed her unborn child and Benning.
- A forensic pathologist has testified that the amount of cocaine in Benning’s blood could only be reached by ingestion, a point prosecutors have used alongside phone and 911 audio played for the jury.
- Taylor is charged with two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of felony murder and faces life in prison without parole if convicted; prosecutors are not seeking the death penalty.
- The defense says Taylor called 911 that night and portrays him as an excited father-to-be while suggesting Benning had a history of drug and alcohol use and disputing the prosecution’s account.
- The trial is continuing in Nashville with additional expert and witness testimony expected this week and a verdict will determine legal closure for Benning’s family and shape how forensic and phone-evidence are used in similar cases.