Ibraheem Yazeed, who was convicted of abducting and murdering ex-UFC fighter Walt Harris’ 19-year-old stepdaughter Anaih Blanchard in 2019, was sentenced to life in prison after a jury found him guilty in March.
He was actually handed two life sentences with the possibility of parole after being convicted of murder and felony murder charges but the terms run concurrently. The sentence was the stiffest penalty possible based on Yazeed’s conviction.
During the sentencing, Blanchard’s family had to chance to address the judge and Yazeed directly after his conviction. After the sentencing was finished, Harris spoke to reporters outside the courthouse about his statement and being able to speak directly to Yazeed before he received his sentence.
“It was important to look him in the eyes and let him know he didn’t win and that we have the power,” Harris said. “I wanted him to know evil didn’t win.”
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 initially sought the death penalty but that option was eventually dropped when the capital murder charges were reduced to murder and felony murder instead.
“Today, justice has been served,” Alabama attorney general Steve Marshall said in a statement after the sentencing. “I am gratified that the court imposed the maximum allowable sentence for the senseless and brutal murder of Aniah Blanchard, life in prison. It is the sentence that the weight of this crime demanded, and one that Aniah’s family has long deserved.
“My deepest sympathies remain with Aniah’s family and all who loved her. No verdict can undo their unimaginable loss, but my hope is that today’s outcome brings a measure of closure and allows them to begin the long journey toward healing.”
Yazeed’s attorneys previously stated they plan to file an appeal.
At the time of Blanchard’s murder, Yazeed was out on bail after being accused of another crime, which led to “Aniah’s Law” being passed in Alabama in 2022, which allows judges to deny bond to defendants charged with certain violent crimes.
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