The prison sentences against a former Tennessee Titans scout convicted of murdering his unborn child and the child's mother will run consecutively, a judge ruled Sept. 9, ensuring he is never released from prison.
Blaise Taylor, 30, fatally poisoned Jade Benning, the 24-year-old woman pregnant with their daughter, in February 2023, a jury determined earlier this year.
Judge Steve Dozier said he reached his decision after considering Taylor's dangerousness and the seriousness of the crime. Words that came to mind when thinking of the crime, Dozier said, included "a level of cruelty, a level of calculation, a level of inhumanity that's deeper than just some impulsive, reckless thoughts."
Benning's family and friends, who packed several rows in Dozier's
courtroom in the Justice A.A. Birch Building, cried, smiled and shared long hugs in response to the decision.
"We did it," Benning's best friend Nijaiha Jackson, whose testimony about Benning's final phone call to her helped secure Taylor's conviction, said to other loved ones. "It's over. It's over."
Dennis Benning, Jade Benning's father, said after the hearing the family is happy with Dozier's decision and to see the case end.
Taylor, wearing an orange jumpsuit, rose and exited immediately following the hearing, without glancing toward his family in attendance. Letitia Quinones-Hollins, one of Taylor's attorneys, said they were "extremely disappointed but not surprised by the harsh sentence."
"This was a flawed trial of a tenuous case, and we will appeal and look forward to doing so," Quinones-Hollins said in a statement.
At trial ending July 1, a Nashville jury sentenced Taylor to life in prison with an opportunity for parole after 51 years for both Benning's and the unborn baby's death. If Dozier ordered Taylor's two life sentences to run at the same time, there would be a chance Taylor would eventually walk free.
Dozier said the decision was burdensome but eventually determined "it's not the court's burden to carry, but Mr. Taylor's burden to carry."
Before the hearing, 87 people who knew Taylor, including family, friends, former teachers and a former girlfriend, submitted letters speaking highly of his character. None of those letters, however, mentioned the crime Taylor was convicted of, Assistant District Attorney Jan Norman said.
Three of Benning's loved ones testified about the impact of the death of Benning and her unborn daughter, who she planned to name Ivy. Bridget Benning Burks, Benning's mother, said one of the hardest parts has been "grieving someone I never had a chance to hold."
Prosecutors say Taylor slipped cocaine mixed with alcohol in Benning's drink during a date night at her apartment.
Have questions about the justice system? Evan Mealins is the justice reporter for The Tennessean. Contact him with questions, tips or story ideas at emealins@tennessean.com.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Ex-Titans scout guilty of deadly poisoning gets no chance at parole
