Pregnant Girlfriend Poisoned — Deadly Plot Exposed

A Nashville judge ordered two consecutive life sentences for Blaise Taylor after a jury found he poisoned his pregnant girlfriend with cocaine dissolved in alcohol.

Story Highlights

A Davidson County jury convicted Taylor on four murder counts tied to two deaths.
Prosecutors said Taylor spiked a drink with cocaine mixed in alcohol inside the victim’s apartment.
Medical testimony said a fatal cocaine and alcohol mix caused the victim’s death.
The judge cited calculated cruelty and abuse of private trust in imposing consecutive life terms.

Guilty Verdicts in the Poisoning Deaths of Mother and Unborn Child

On July 1, 2026, a Davidson County jury found Blaise Taylor guilty in the deaths of Jade Benning and her unborn child. Jurors returned guilty verdicts on second-degree murder, first-degree premeditated murder, and two felony-murder counts, according to trial reporting from Nashville outlets. The case centered on a fatal poisoning in 2023. The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department earlier said Taylor was arrested in 2024 after a grand jury indictment in the case, confirming the prosecution’s posture from the start.

Court records list the case as 2024-A-490, with an offense date of February 25, 2023, and a filing date of March 27, 2024. Those records align with the timeline presented at trial and sentencing. Prosecutors asked the court for severe punishment. Coverage of the hearing shows the state sought consecutive life sentences and the maximum term for the second-degree murder conviction. The judge agreed with the consecutive structure for the two life terms.

Prosecution Theory: Drink Spiked With Cocaine and Alcohol

During trial, the state argued that Taylor poisoned Benning by dissolving cocaine in alcohol and placing it in a drink at her apartment. Medical examiner testimony reported by national outlets said Benning died from a deadly mix of a large amount of cocaine dissolved in alcohol, a combination that can be rapidly lethal. Prosecutors also presented messages to show Taylor stayed in close contact while planning access, a pattern they said showed manipulation before the poisoning, according to courtroom coverage.

Police and charging details tracked with that theory. Nashville authorities said Taylor was arrested in Utah on March 14, 2024 after a grand jury indictment in the poisoning deaths of Benning and her unborn child. Reporting on the trial proceedings said jurors heard how the poisoning method turned a routine drink into a weapon. While motive language in public reports leaned on inference, the jury still found the evidence proved intent beyond a reasonable doubt.

Sentencing: Consecutive Life Terms and Judicial Findings

At sentencing, the court imposed two consecutive life sentences for the murder convictions, matching coverage that emphasized no practical chance at parole. The judge cited a “position of private trust” and said the conduct showed cruelty, calculation, and inhumanity, which supported the consecutive structure under Tennessee law. Prosecutors had requested consecutive life terms plus the maximum sentence for the second-degree murder count, reflecting the weight of two lives lost.

Blaise Taylor sentencing hearing: Two Consecutive Life Sentences.

Full hearing recap –
The State initially asked the court to sentence Count 1, even though it merges. Defense argued that, as a matter of law, it should just merge. The State later agreed Count 1 merges into Count… pic.twitter.com/fTSsLTNXYk

— Katt (@kattnotwilliams) September 9, 2026

Media reports noted the defense signaled plans to appeal. That step is common in serious cases and can take time, but it does not change the current judgment. The verdict and sentence rest on the jury’s findings and the court’s weighing of aggravating factors. For families who value life, this outcome affirms that the justice system can still hold a predator accountable when evidence shows a calculated attack on a mother and her unborn child.

Why This Case Resonates Beyond One Crime

This case underscores a wider danger: violence against pregnant women by intimate partners. Several studies show a large share of homicides during pregnancy involve a current or former partner, with estimates ranging from about one-half to two-thirds, depending on the dataset. The Nashville outcome shows that when prosecutors build a clear record and courts apply the law, communities can push back against a brutal trend and defend the most vulnerable—mothers and their babies.