Man accused of Aniah Blanchard killing to face trial on capital murder charges
Ibraheem Yazeed faces three charges of capital murder for allegedly kidnapping and murdering Blanchard, the stepdaughter of former UFC heavyweight Walt Harris.
Yazeed will face trial March 2 in Macon County (Ala.) court, according to the Montgomery Advertiser.
What happened to Aniah Blanchard?
Blanchard, 19, was a college student at Auburn University when she went missing. Her disappearance was reported and an extensive search from authorities and volunteers ensued.
Through surveillance camera and witness interviews, police concluded Blanchard and Yazeed ran into one another at a local convenience store. Footage showed Yazeed entering and exiting Blanchard's car.
Yazeed, then 29, was eventually located and arrested. Blanchard's remains were located, as was her car. A "life-threatening amount of blood" was found in the vehicle.
An autopsy showed Blanchard was shot to death.
At the time of the alleged murder, Yazeed was out on $295,000 bail for multiple charges, including kidnapping and attempted murder from a prior incident.
Since his arrest, Yazeed has been incarcerated without bond. He faces the death penalty.
Aniah's Law
Following Blanchard's death, "Aniah's Law" was passed in Alabama.
The amendment tweaked laws that said only capital offenders would not have a right to reasonable bail. "Aniah's Law" added a series of serious crimes for which bail would not be allowed for accused offenders, like Yazeed was.
Such offenses include first-degree rape, sexual torture, sodomy, terrorism, robbery, human trafficking and more.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
2 days ago
- USA Today
Man accused of Aniah Blanchard killing to face trial on capital murder charges
The man charged with the killing Aniah Blanchard in October 2019 will now face trial. Ibraheem Yazeed faces three charges of capital murder for allegedly kidnapping and murdering Blanchard, the stepdaughter of former UFC heavyweight Walt Harris. Yazeed will face trial March 2 in Macon County (Ala.) court, according to the Montgomery Advertiser. What happened to Aniah Blanchard? Blanchard, 19, was a college student at Auburn University when she went missing. Her disappearance was reported and an extensive search from authorities and volunteers ensued. Through surveillance camera and witness interviews, police concluded Blanchard and Yazeed ran into one another at a local convenience store. Footage showed Yazeed entering and exiting Blanchard's car. Yazeed, then 29, was eventually located and arrested. Blanchard's remains were located, as was her car. A "life-threatening amount of blood" was found in the vehicle. An autopsy showed Blanchard was shot to death. At the time of the alleged murder, Yazeed was out on $295,000 bail for multiple charges, including kidnapping and attempted murder from a prior incident. Since his arrest, Yazeed has been incarcerated without bond. He faces the death penalty. Aniah's Law Following Blanchard's death, "Aniah's Law" was passed in Alabama. The amendment tweaked laws that said only capital offenders would not have a right to reasonable bail. "Aniah's Law" added a series of serious crimes for which bail would not be allowed for accused offenders, like Yazeed was. Such offenses include first-degree rape, sexual torture, sodomy, terrorism, robbery, human trafficking and more.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
Montgomery man sent to federal prison on gun charges
A Montgomery man has been sentenced to more than six years in federal prison on firearms charges. On July 31, Calvin Craig Griffin, 22, of Montgomery was sentenced to 81 months in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm, said acting United States Attorney Kevin Davidson. Following his prison term, Griffin will serve three years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. According to court records, on Aug. 28, 2024, officers with the Montgomery Police Department were conducting patrols in the area of Eastern Boulevard and Carmichael Road when they saw an person entering a hotel room carrying what appeared to be an AR-style pistol. Hotel management informed officers that they suspected illegal activity in that room and requested assistance in having the individuals removed from the property. More: Trial date set in kidnapping and murder case that changed Alabama laws When officers entered the room, they identified the armed individual as Griffin. Inside, they recovered an AR-style pistol with an extended magazine containing 63 rounds of ammunition. Because of prior felony convictions, Griffin is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition. Griffin pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm on April 21. The case was investigated by the Montgomery Police Department (MPD) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with assistance from the Metro Area Crime Suppression Unit, which includes the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, ATF, Montgomery County Sheriff's Office, and MPD. Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Marty Roney at mroney@ To support his work, please subscribe to the Montgomery Advertiser. This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Montgomery man sent to federal prison on gun charges
USA Today
6 days ago
- USA Today
Conor McGregor loses appeal in civil rape, sexual assault case in Ireland
A legal effort by Conor McGregor to reverse the decision of a civil rape and sexual assault trial in Ireland has failed. McGregor, a former UFC fighter, remains an adjudicated rapist in the eyes of Ireland's civil High Court after his appeal was denied following a verdict that found him liable for a 2018 sexual assault of Nikita Hand in a Dublin hotel room, according to multiple reports from Dublin. McGregor's legal team filed an appeal earlier this year, but eventually withdrew some of the basis for that appeal. Thursday, the appeal was denied on each of the arguments that were presented for it. Part of the new evidence presented by the McGregor side in the appeal included sworn affidavits from neighbors who said they saw Hand in a physical altercation with her partner hours prior to her encounter with McGregor. That, presumably, was to suggest Hand's bruising was not from McGregor. But Hand denied such an event ever took place, and McGregor's team withdrew the evidence. The judges in the appeal, according to reports, did "not wish to speculate" as to why the evidence was not presented. Additionally, the McGregor defense in the appeal said the issue paper at the conclusion of the trial asked the jury whether McGregor "assaulted" Hand, rather than "sexually assaulted." The judge in the appeal said there was little doubt the jury members in the original trial were confused over Hand being "assaulted" or "sexually assaulted." The trial judge, it was brought up, in jury instructions before their deliberations, told the members that Hand had been "violently raped" by McGregor, according to her own testimony. McGregor's team also hoped there might be some substance to his repeated "no comment" to initial police questioning, and that the jury members did not appropriately know that was not an admission of liability. McGregor remains responsible for the initial €250,000 verdict. In addition, he must pay Hand's legal costs. McGregor's co-defendant, James Lawrence, also appealed. He was found not guilty of sexually assaulting Hand the same night as the McGregor incident. But Lawrence took exception with the court's decision to not award him any costs. Lawrence's legal team claimed this was done on the basis of an unproven assumption Lawrence and McGregor concocted a story to get themselves both off the hook. But at the end of the day, the appeals court didn't buy that appeal, and in fact said the McGregor-Lawrence relationship in regards to the Hand case is "shrouded in mystery" given it appears McGregor was paying Lawrence's legal fees – and then Lawrence tried to appeal to get his legal fees covered by Hand. McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) has not fought since he broke his leg in a second straight knockout loss to Dustin Poirier more than four years ago. He was supposed to return against Michael Chandler at UFC 303 in June 2024, but pulled out after he broke his baby toe.
