Ibraheem Yazeed, who was charged with the murder of ex-UFC fighter Walt Harris’ stepdaughter Aniah Blanchard in 2019, has been found guilty by a jury in Alabama, but he won’t face the death penalty for his crimes.
Yazeed, 36, was convicted on charges of murder and felony murder, but he was not convicted on the capital murder charges, which means he will not face the death penalty. He’s scheduled to be sentenced on May 7 and could face life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The trial lasted six days with testimony and witnesses before prosecutors, and the defense gave closing statements on Tuesday. The jury deliberated on Wednesday and then returned the verdict on Thursday.
Blanchard went missing in October 2019, and she was later spotted on surveillance footage at a local convenience store in Auburn, Ala. Yazeed was seen on the same surveillance footage in the store at the same time as Blanchard, and an eyewitness later identified him as the man he saw force Blanchard into her car against her will.
Blanchard’s 2017 Honda CR-V was recovered two days later with a “life-threatening” amount of blood discovered inside. Police then announced that they believed she was the victim of foul play.
Yazeed’s arrest soon followed, but Blanchard’s body wasn’t recovered until November in a wooded area in Macon County, Ala. where she was declared dead, and the kidnapping case then turned into a homicide investigation.
An autopsy was performed, with authorities confirming Blanchard was killed by a gunshot wound. Yazeed was the only person being charged with her murder after he initially faced first-degree kidnapping charges.
Prosecutors stated during the trial that Blanchard was shot in the passenger seat of her own car before she was carried out to the wooded area in Macon County, where she was shot again in the head.
Yazeed was out on bail after being accused of another crime when he murdered Blanchard, which led to “Aniah’s Law” being passed in Alabama in 2022, which allows judges to deny bond to defendants charged with violent crimes.
Harris was understandably devastated by the loss of his stepdaughter
“She was probably my biggest fan,” Harris told MMA Fighting as he made his return to action in 2020 after Blanchard’s tragic death.
With the trial concluded, Blanchard’s family now just awaits the sentencing in May.
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