Jury deliberations begin Wednesday in the case of the man charged with capital murder in the 2019 death of 19-year-old Aniah Blanchard.
Ibraheem Yazeed, 36, of Montgomery, was on trial for six days. Witness testimony and closing arguments concluded this week, leaving the case up to the jury.
During testimony, jurors heard that Blanchard’s cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head. Her decomposing body was found in rural Macon County in November 2019, a month after she was reported missing from Lee County. Testimony revealed she was identified through dental records.
Investigators believe the Southern Union State Community College student was kidnapped from a gas station in Auburn. They said Blanchard likely fought back, leading to her shooting death.
The case received national attention and led to the passing of Alabama’s “Aniah’s Law,” which allows judges to hold suspects without bond if they have been arrested for violent offenses.
Yazeed was in court each day of the trial. His attorneys argued there is no physical evidence, such as DNA, tying their client to the crime.
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