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Real Crime Stories Memorial archive, documentary reporting, and public accountability

Real Crime Stories Archive

Jade Benning

Archive Case RCS-00083

Jade Tristen Benning was a Nashville chef whose obituary remembers her dedication to cooking and her community. She died on March 6, 2023, after being hospitalized following an emergency on February 25. The unborn child she was carrying died on February 27. Metropolitan Nashville Police later alleged that Jade had been poisoned without her knowledge. On July 1, 2026, a Davidson County jury returned four guilty verdicts against Blaise Taylor. As of July 30, 2026, the court docket remained open and listed a September 9 sentencing hearing. This Archive record preserves Jade’s life and the documented public record of the investigation and court proceedings.

Portrait of Jade Benning.
Portrait of Jade Benning

AI-assisted memorial image created for Real Crime Stories from a photograph of Jade Benning.

Documented record

Remembering Jade

Jade Tristen Benning was a chef living in Nashville, Tennessee. Her obituary remembers her love of cooking and records her culinary education, restaurant work, and creation of JTB Eatery. The Archive includes these details to remember Jade as a person and professional, not only through the circumstances of her death.

Jade died on March 6, 2023, her twenty-fifth birthday. The unborn child she was carrying died on February 27.

Emergency and investigation

According to a Metropolitan Nashville Police Department release, Blaise Taylor called 911 on February 25, 2023, and reported that Jade was experiencing an allergic reaction. Emergency personnel transported her to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in critical condition.

MNPD later said its investigation led detectives to allege that Jade had been poisoned without her knowledge. A Davidson County grand jury indicted Taylor in March 2024, and he was arrested in Utah on March 14 and returned to Nashville. These statements describe the police account at the charging stage; they are not presented as independent medical findings by the Archive.

Court proceedings

The official Davidson County docket records four guilty-after-trial dispositions dated July 1, 2026: second-degree murder, first-degree murder, and two felony-murder counts. The Nashville District Attorney’s office and contemporaneous local reporting provide the public context connecting those counts to Jade’s death and the death of the unborn child she was carrying.

As of July 30, 2026, the docket listed the case as open and the defendant’s status as pending. It scheduled a sentencing hearing for September 9. The District Attorney’s office reported that the jury selected life punishment on the three first-degree counts, but the Archive had not obtained final judgments or a sentencing order.

Chronology

February 25, 2023 — Emergency response and hospitalization described by MNPD. February 27, 2023 — Death of the unborn child Jade was carrying. March 6, 2023 — Jade’s death on her twenty-fifth birthday. March 13–14, 2024 — Indictment reported by MNPD; arrest in Utah and return to Nashville. April 3, 2024 — Arraignment appearance. June 22–23, 2026 — Jury selection began June 22; opening statements began June 23. July 1, 2026 — Four guilty-after-trial dispositions. September 9, 2026 — Sentencing hearing scheduled as of July 30.

Why this record is preserved

The Real Crime Stories Archive preserves this Case to remember Jade and to document the public record of the investigation and prosecution. The record distinguishes police allegations, prosecution statements, jury verdicts, and the still-pending sentencing process. It will be corrected as necessary when new court records are obtained.

Public source record

  1. Woodlawn-Roesch-Patton Funeral Home / Dignity Memorial, “Jade Tristen Benning,” published March 8, 2023, https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/nashville-tn/jade-benning-11187565 (accessed July 30, 2026).
  2. Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, “Blaise Taylor Arrested in Utah on Nashville First Degree Murder Indictment,” March 14, 2024, https://www.nashville.gov/departments/police/news/blaise-taylor-arrested-utah-nashville-first-degree-murder-indictment (accessed July 30, 2026).
  3. Criminal Court Clerk of Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County, case detail for State of Tennessee v. Blaise Taylor, 2024-A-490, https://sci.ccc.nashville.gov/Search/CaseSearchDetails/2383809%5E5839842%5ECJIS/BLAISE%5ETAYLOR%5E03221996%5E624784 (accessed July 30, 2026).
  4. Steve Hayslip, Nashville District Attorney, “Former NFL Scout Found Guilty of Killing his Girlfriend and their Unborn Daughter,” July 6, 2026, https://da.nashville.gov/former-nfl-scout-found-guilty-of-killing-his-girlfriend-and-their-unborn-daughter/ (accessed July 30, 2026).
  5. Amanda Roberts, Holly Lehren, Jessica Genader, Aaron Cantrell, and Nikki Hauser, NewsChannel 5/WTVF, “Blaise Taylor found guilty of murder on all counts in Jade Benning case,” updated July 1, 2026, https://www.newschannel5.com/news/blaise-taylor-murder-trial-begins-jury-hears-opening-statements-in-death-of-jade-benning (accessed July 30, 2026).

Preservation note

Created by Real Crime Stories from reviewed case materials maintained in the Real Crime Stories Newsroom and research files. The record was compiled, edited, and approved by Kenya Moorer for permanent preservation in the Real Crime Stories Archive.