Former Titans scout Blaise Taylor was sentenced Wednesday to consecutive life terms, meaning he will spend the rest of his life in prison twice over after being convicted of poisoning his girlfriend, Jade Benning, and their unborn child on July 1.
The sentencing came after more than 80 people sent in letters supporting Taylor’s character, an effort Nashville assistant district attorney Jan Norman addressed in court.
“Your honor, the defense just submitted 87 letters all speaking to Mr. Taylor’s character,” Norman said, via Alicia Patton of WKRN.com.
“They describe a man of honor, honesty, a man of great accomplishments and as someone who has faith in the Lord and was raised by a strong family. More than one of the authors of those letters actually stated he is someone they would want their own daughters to marry.
The person described in these character letters, the authors themselves, not one mentioned Jade Benning, not one of them mentioned baby Ivy, and not one single letter out of the 87 letters mentioned anything about what Blaise Taylor did.”
Taylor’s attorney, Letitia Quinones-Hollins, said the defense was not surprised by the ruling.
“We are extremely disappointed but not surprised by the harsh sentence,” Quinones-Hollins said. “This was a flawed trial of a tenuous case, and we will appeal and look forward to doing so.”
At this point, an appeal is Taylor’s only real path forward. He can either try to get a new trial or seek to have the charges wiped out altogether, or remain in prison for the rest of his life.
For now, Tennessee’s position stands: Taylor committed murder of his girlfriend and their child, and did so in a particularly heinous way. It will be up to Quinones-Hollins to show that mistakes were made at trial severe enough to change that outcome.
In Other News...
Arkansas Just Showed Its Hand In A Key Georgia Week Decision
Ryan Silverfields first Week Three depth chart for the Georgia game offered a pretty clear snapshot of where Arkansas stands heading into a major early test. On the defensive and special teams sides, nothing changed, while the offense featured only minor tweaks as the Razorbacks kept junior quarterback KJ Jackson in the starting role. For a team trying to settle into a rhythm, the message from the top of the chart was less about surprise and more about continuity.
The full listing also serves as a reminder of how much of this week will come down to execution rather than experimentation. Arkansas is sticking with the same broad lineup it has been leaning on, and the staffs decision-making on offense suggests it is comfortable letting Jackson keep steering the unit for now. With Georgia on deck, the Razorbacks are choosing stability over shuffle, and that alone says plenty about how they view the matchup. [Read more 🡒]
Arkansas Already Has A KJ Jackson Question It Can't Ignore
Through two games, KJ Jackson has given Arkansas plenty to sort through at the most important spot on the field. The quarterback has worked through accuracy and confidence issues, and his line so far reflects the uneven start: 38 completions on 69 attempts for 406 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. With the offense still finding its footing, the conversation around the position has started to shift from early-season growing pains to something a little more urgent.
Backup AJ Hill only saw limited action, but even that was enough to add another layer to the discussion around the depth chart. Sam Pittman has already said the offense needs to improve across the board, pointing to the offensive line and the receivers after the loss to Utah, and the quarterback situation now sits right in the middle of that larger fix. For Arkansas, the question is no longer just how Jackson responds, but whether the Razorbacks can afford to let the competition at quarterback linger for long. [Read more 🡒]
Arkansas Opens SEC Play With Ryan Silverfield Under Unwanted Scrutiny
Georgias SEC opener brings an extra layer of attention this week, with Arkansas under new head coach Ryan Silverfield and the spotlight shifting quickly from the matchup itself to the coach on the other sideline. Silverfield, who arrived in Fayetteville after his run at Memphis, has already been pulled into a conversation he probably would have preferred to avoid, one tied to a controversial comment he made about Georgia player arrests while he was with the Tigers.
Kirby Smart has largely tried to close the book on it, brushing the matter off as much ado about nothing, while Silverfield used SEC Media Days to express respect for Smart and explain what he meant. Still, with the Bulldogs opening conference play against an Arkansas team trying to establish a new identity, the on-field stakes are already high enough without the added scrutiny hanging over the week. [Read more 🡒]