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Blaise Taylor during the 2018 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.
cnn
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Blaise Taylor, a Texas A&M analyst and son of the school’s associate head coach, was arrested in Utah on Thursday after being charged in the 2023 deaths of his girlfriend and her unborn child, according to Nashville police.
Taylor, a former college football star at Arkansas State, was indicted Wednesday by a Nashville grand jury and charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the poisoning deaths of his girlfriend and her five-month-old fetus, “which Taylor allegedly having been a father,” said a statement from the Nashville Police Department.
He was held without bond Friday night at the Cache County Jail in Logan, Utah, jail records show. An attorney for Taylor was not listed in jail records.
Taylor “allegedly poisoned Benning without his knowledge while visiting his apartment on Lebanon Pike on the night of February 25,” police said.
She was rushed to a hospital that night, after Taylor called 911 and told them that “Benning appeared to be having an allergic reaction,” according to police.
Their unborn baby died two days later and Benning died on March 6, 2023, police said. Authorities said they were unable to interview her before her death.
Police did not reveal any details about the alleged poisoning.
“Months of investigation, led by Homicide Unit Detective Adam Reese and involving crime lab scientists and doctors from the Medical Examiner’s Office, led to Wednesday’s return of the murder charge against Taylor,” it says. the notice.
Shortly after the deaths, Taylor moved to Utah, according to police. Nashville police say they are working with Utah authorities to arrange for her return.
Taylor was recently named an analyst at Texas A&M, but the school announced Friday night that he was “suspended pending an investigation.” He was a defensive back in Arkansas State from 2014 to 2017, starting all four years, while his father, Trooper Taylor, was a defensive backs coach at the school.
Trooper Taylor is now the associate head coach on offense and running backs coach at Texas A&M. He has been a coach for more than 30 years, with stints at Baylor, New Mexico, Tulane, Tennessee, Oklahoma State and Auburn during their 2010 BCS National Championship.
“Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this heartbreaking situation, including the victim’s family and friends. It is essential to allow the courts to handle this situation with the diligence and fairness it demands,” Texas A&M football coach Mike Elko said in a statement released by the university. “We would also like to extend our prayers and support to Coach Trooper Taylor, Dr. Evelyn Taylor, and her family as they go through this extremely difficult time.”