Son Of Texas A&M Coach Arrested Murder, Poisoning Pregnant Girlfriend
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Blaise Taylor, the son of Texas A&M running backs coach Trooper Taylor, was arrested Thursday night on two charges of first-degree murder, according to Nashville Police.
Per the police report, one year ago Taylor poisoned and subsequently killed his girlfriend, Jade Benning, who was five months pregnant at the time. Police believe the child was fathered by Taylor.
Benning was rushed to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville on Feb. 25, 2023, after experiencing what Taylor called an "allergic reaction." The unborn child died two days after Benning's admission on the hospital. Benning passed away nine days later on March 6.
Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports
According to the police, a thorough investigation was launched involving crime laboratories and DNA evidence following Benning's death, and a grand jury indicted Taylor last Wednesday.
Taylor, who was living in Logan, Utah while working on the Utah State football team's staff, was arrested and transported back to Tennessee to be extradited in Nashville. At the time of Benning's death, he worked in the NFL's Tennessee Titans' scouting department, but left that position soon after.
At Utah State in 2023, Taylor served as a defensive analyst under head coach Blake Anderson. According to reports from Football Scoop, the 27-year-old was recently set to be hired by Texas A&M.
According to the Bryan-College Station Eagle, Taylor was listed in the staff directory as a senior athletic assistant in the A&M athletic department, with a school email address and an office phone number.
Trooper Taylor recently joined the Texas A&M staff as the running backs coach under newly hired head coach Mike Elko. Trooper Taylor also worked for Elko on Duke's staff.
Blaise Taylor was a four-year starter at Arkansas State 2014-17, where Trooper Taylor coached defensive backs at the time. He was named a captain and earned first-team All-Sun Belt honors as a defensive back and punt returner.
Blaise Taylor holds the Red Wovles' career records for punt return yards (1,151) and pass breakups (30). He also left Arkansas State as the Sun Belt's leader in pass deflections (36). Blaise Taylor later was hired as a defensive graduate assistant at Duke under David Cutcliffe in 2018-19, before leaving to join the Titans.
