**What This Story Is About**
* Blaise Taylor, a former NFL scout convicted of fatally poisoning his pregnant girlfriend, will spend the rest of his life in prison. Taylor was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences for the death of Jade Benning and their unborn baby.
**What Happens Next**
* Taylor’s attorney Letitia Quinones-Hollins said she plans to file an appeal.
**Catch Up**
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - Blaise Taylor, a former NFL scout convicted of fatally poisoning his pregnant girlfriend, will spend the rest of his life in prison. Taylor was sentenced Wednesday to two consecutive life sentences for the death of Jade Benning and their unborn baby.
Benning’s family and friends embraced in the courtroom after the sentence was handed down. Benning’s father, Dennis Browning, said the outcome is what the family had been praying for.
“It brings closure to the situation, but it doesn’t bring her back. We’re just happy justice was served more than anything,” Browning said.
A jury found Taylor guilty in July of murdering Benning and her unborn baby, Ivy. The crime happened in February 2023, when Taylor agreed to go to Benning’s apartment for a date while she was five months pregnant. The jury agreed that Taylor spiked Benning’s drink with a lethal dose of cocaine because he did not want to be a father.
During the sentencing hearing, Jade’s mother, Bridget Benning Burks, said the greatest pain is knowing she couldn’t be there for her daughter.
“What makes the loss even harder to bear is that Jade believed she was safe,” Benning Burks said. “I think about my daughter being afraid, not knowing if she would be okay.”
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Benning died on her 25th birthday, March 6, shortly after her unborn child died.
“The impact of their death shattered our family and changed every part of our lives. Holidays, anniversaries and ordinary days are now marked with an emptiness that will never be filled,” Benning Burks said.
Browning said the family is now focused on moving forward and keeping his daughter’s memory and legacy alive. He said the family plans to create a scholarship in her name.
“We’re going to try to grow and move on from this,” Browning said.
Taylor received two consecutive life sentences, which means he would have to spend 102 years in prison before he could be released. Taylor’s attorney Letitia Quinones-Hollins released a statement following the hearing saying she plans to appeal.
“We are 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,” said Letitia Quinones-Hollins.
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