The Blaise Taylor murder trial entered its fifth day on June 27, with testimony coming from a forensic expert, detective and even a former colleague.
Taylor, 30, is accused of fatally poisoning Jade Benning, a 24-year-old woman who was five months pregnant with a child authorities say he fathered. Prosecutors allege that Taylor, a former Tennessee Titans scout, murdered Benning with a fatal dose of cocaine in early 2023. Taylor’s defense has maintained his innocence.
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29-year-old Mical Johnson, a former colleague of Taylor, provided testimony on June 27 about her experience working with him. Johnson was employed by the Titans from 2020 to 2025, where she began as an intern before becoming a scouting assistant.
Johnson testified that she never heard of Benning and didn’t know if Taylor had a steady relationship – though he wasn’t someone that often talked about his personal life. She also said that she was unaware that Taylor was expecting a baby, adding some of his comments about his readiness to becoming a father.
She noted that Taylor would say things like “not ready yet” or “not anytime soon” in casual conversations about becoming a father.
Johnson described Taylor as quiet and easy to get along with, but his demeanor changed in the fall of 2022 – saying he was on his phone more and his computer remained off a few hours into the work day.
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She later testified that Taylor was one of the Titans’ employees that remained in Nashville during the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine, the same week that Benning was allegedly murdered.
If convicted, Taylor is facing life in prison. He is facing four total counts of murder, two for first-degree murder and two for felony murder.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ex-Titans scout testifies at trial of coworker accused of poisoning pregnant woman
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