Death of Aniah Blanchard

The death of Aniah Blanchard occurred in the fall of 2019. Blanchard, the 19-year-old stepdaughter of Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter Walt Harris, was reported missing on October 24. She had last been seen at a Chevron Gas Station in Auburn, Alabama the previous night. A witness from the gas station claims to have seen Blanchard being kidnapped. Blanchard's body was found in Macon County, Alabama one month after her disappearance.[1] The cause of death was determined to be a gunshot wound.[2] A suspect, identified as Ibraheem Yazeed, was arrested and charged with Blanchard's murder. As of July 2020, Yazeed is being held in Lee County Jail without bond.[3] A judge has decided that there is probable cause for a Grand Jury to hear the case.[4] Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.[5][6]

Death of Aniah Blanchard
Family photo of Blanchard (left). Blanchard in the Chevron gas station before her disappearance (right).
DateOctober 2019
LocationAlabama, United States
DeathsAniah Blanchard
ArrestsThree (charges against two suspects were dismissed)
SuspectsIbraheem Yazeed
ChargesCapital murder & kidnapping

Blanchard's death attracted national attention and media coverage[7][8] and led to the creation of "Aniah's Law" which reforms Alabama's bail system.[9]

Disappearance, investigation, and arrests

Blanchard was reported missing to the Auburn Police Department on October 24, 2019.[10] She had last been seen by a family member on the evening of October 23 and had reportedly told a friend over the phone about plans to see a man she had met on a dating app.[1] Blanchard and her roommate exchanged several Snapchat messages in the late-night hours. At 11:09 pm. Blanchard informed her roommate that she was close to being home. At 11:40 Blanchard told her roommate that she was with a man she had just met named Eric. Blanchard’s phone activity ended at 11:47 pm. On June 3, 2020, Auburn police detective Josh Mixon testified at a preliminary hearing that the phone died or was powered off in the area of the Clarion Inn on South College Street.[4] Blanchard's roommate and parents found her behavior to be "uncharacteristic" and it is unclear if Blanchard herself had, in fact, sent the messages.[10]

Surveillance video showed Blanchard in the Chevron gas station in Auburn in the late-night hours of October 23.[5][11] Though Blanchard's phone has not been recovered, police were able to use records to trace her phone's movement. The phone left a Murphy Oil gas station and traveled in the direction of Longleaf Drive and Cox Road in Auburn towards a subdivision. It then went down Wire Road to Shug Jordan Parkway back to the area of the Chevron gas station. From there, it went north on South College Street towards Auburn Camp Road for a brief period before going dark in the Clarion Inn area. Blanchard’s vehicle was last seen on video on a tag reader near Interstate 85 just south of Veterans Boulevard and South College Street.[4]

Blanchard's disappearance resulted in an extensive effort to locate her. By October 30, a task force of several law enforcement agencies including the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences, was formed.[10] The disappearance and the subsequent effort to find Blanchard received national media coverage.[8] On October 25, authorities found Blanchard's damaged vehicle.[12] The black 2017 Honda CRV, which police have reported seemed to be "in disarray", had been abandoned near an apartment complex in Montgomery and contained evidence of "foul play"—specifically, blood in the front passenger's seat. The blood, which was confirmed by the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences to be that of Blanchard, "was indicative of someone suffering a life-threatening injury."[4][13][14] In addition to blood, investigators found a bullet hole in the passenger side door and shell casings in the left cup holder.[4] Police have also reported that there was an odor of cleaning solution, such as ammonia or Clorox.[4]

On November 6, the Auburn Police Department released an image from a surveillance video of a "person of interest." The following day, the person of interest was identified as 29-year-old Ibraheem Yazeed of Montgomery. Surveillance video showed that he was in the store at the same time as Blanchard. He is seen buying alcohol and looking in Blanchard's direction.[1] He was also captured exiting the passenger side of Blanchard's vehicle. Surveillance video from another gas station shows him re-entering the passenger's side of her car. Blanchard and Yazeed are then seen leaving the station together.[4][15] In addition to surveillance footage, a witness allegedly saw Blanchard and Yazeed interacting outside the store near her car.[15] The witness also claims to have seen him force her into the car against her will and then leave with her in the vehicle.[13][16] According to detectives, the witness told a companion about the event but was told to mind his business.[1] Yazeed allegedly told another witness that he had Blanchard's vehicle, but would not allow the witness to see Blanchard at that time. The witness also claims that Yazeed said he shot a girl after she "went for the gun."[15] At the time of Blanchard's death, Yazeed was free on a $295,000 bond. He had been charged with possession of marijuana, robbery, kidnapping, and attempted murder.[17] The charges are connected to an alleged crime in January 2019, during which four assailants robbed and beat two men in a hotel in Montgomery. One of the victims, a 77-year-old man, was reportedly left "unconscious, unresponsive, severely injured and near death."[18][19] The suspect is also accused of attempting to kill two police officers in 2012 by ramming his car into theirs and was arrested in 2017 for aggravated battery on a police officer.[18] In June 2020, Yazeed was charged with the 2018 murder of Stephen Hamby. He was also charged with the attempted murder of a woman who was shot in the face during the incident in which Hamby was killed.[20]

On November 7, police issued an arrest warrant for Yazeed on suspicion of first-degree kidnapping.[19] A tip led police to Pensacola, Florida[21] and the Florida Regional Fugitive Task Force located him near Interstate 10's Pine Forest Road exit. The suspect fled on foot and refused to comply with Marshall's verbal commands, leading them to "physically remove him from his hiding spot." He was taken to the Escambia County Jail[16] and subsequently agreed to be extradited back to Alabama.[19] He has been held in the Lee County Jail without bond since then.[3] He was moved to solitary confinement after his attorneys filed court documents claiming that he was facing death threats. A judge has determined that there is enough probable cause to proceed to grand jury hearings. The judge also issued a gag order preventing Yazeed's attorneys, prosecutors, and witnesses from speaking to the media about the case.[1]

On November 22, police arrested Antwain "Squirmy" Fisher, alleging that he disposed of evidence and provided transportation for Yazeed.[10] Fisher had previously served three years in prison for his part in a drug-deal related murder.[1] On November 25, police arrested a third suspect, David Johnson Jr., and charged him with hindering prosecution.[10] Charges against Fisher and Johnson were later dismissed. In regards to the dismissal of Fisher's charges, District Attorney Brandon Hughes stated that "it was determined that Mr. Fisher's conduct did not rise to the level of accomplice liability as was originally charged and as is required under Alabama law."[22] In June 2020, it was revealed that Fisher had spoken to investigators about the crime. According to Fisher, Yazeed came to the home of David Johnson Sr. on October 24, 2019, between around 5:00 am. and 6:00 am. Fisher claimed to have seen Blanchard's vehicle parked near some bushes during this time. Yazeed allegedly told Fisher that he needed more gas for Blanchard's vehicle. Fisher took Yazeed to the gas station where they purchased gasoline before going back to Johnson's residence. Yazeed allegedly informed Fisher that he needed to pick something up and Fisher drove him north on Interstate 85 towards Shorter. Fisher said that the pair stopped in Montgomery where Yazeed obtained the item he wanted, a type of assault rifle. The two then allegedly went to a cemetery off I-85. There, Fisher claimed to have seen Yazeed drag what appeared to be two legs wrapped in a comforter. Yazeed is said to have spent some time in the woods before returning to the vehicle. Fisher said he confronted Yazeed, saying something to the effect of "tell me that’s not a body,” to which Yazeed replied, "it won’t come back on you and your family.”[4]

On November 25, human remains were found in Macon County, in the woods off County Road 2. Investigators discovered a skull which appeared to have a bullet hole in the top. Along with the remains were clothing similar to what Blanchard had last been seen wearing and a led projectile. On November 27, the remains were identified as Blanchard's.[1][4][17][23] An autopsy determined that Blanchard was killed by a gunshot wound.[2] The charges against Yazeed were then upgraded from first-degree kidnapping to capital murder.[1] He currently faces two counts of capital murder, one for committing a murder in a car through the use of a deadly weapon while the victim is in a vehicle, and the other for committing a murder during a kidnapping in the first degree.[3] District Attorney Hughes's office is seeking the death penalty.[24] A preliminary hearing was scheduled for March. It was later moved to April but was again postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak.[3] During the hearing, which was finally held on June 3, Auburn police detective Josh Mixon gave testimony about the case. Defense attorneys disputed the prosecution's claim that the crime was committed in Lee County. Upon hearing the evidence, Judge Russell Bush found probable cause to send the case to a Lee County Grand Jury.[4]

On March 23, Yazeed allegedly assaulted several corrections officers. He was charged with second degree assault.[25]

Victim
Aniah Blanchard
Born(2000-06-22)June 22, 2000
DisappearedOctober 23, 2019
Auburn, Alabama
Died2019
Cause of deathGunshot wound
Body discoveredNovember 25, 2019
Alma materSouthern Union State Community College
Home townHomewood, Alabama
Parents
  • Elijah Blanchard (father)
  • Angela Haley-Harris (mother)
RelativesWalt Harris (stepfather)

Aniah Haley Blanchard (born June 22, 2000) was from Homewood, Alabama.[26][27] She is the daughter of Elijah Blanchard, a Birmingham businessman[28] and Angela Haley-Harris, a registered nurse. Haley-Harris is married to UFC heavyweight fighter Walt Harris.[26] Blanchard graduated from Homewood High School where she played softball.[27][29] At the time of her death, she was a student at Southern Union State Community College and was studying early childhood education. She planned on transferring to Auburn University.[12][21] A scholarship in Blanchard's memory has been established by Homewood Public Schools.[21] In June 2020, a bench at the Patriot Park in Homewood was dedicated to her.[30]

Aftermath

Blanchard's disappearance and death attracted national attention and media coverage.[8][31][32][33][34] Governor Kay Ivey issued a proclamation authorizing a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction. UFC president Dana White pledged an additional $25,000 to Ivey's award and an anonymous source offered $5,000.[35] The reward later rose to over 105,000, with much of the money coming from the UFC and UFC supporters.[1]

Blanchard's death led to the creation of Aniah's law, which reforms Alabama's bail laws. Alabama's Constitution guarantees the right to bail for all defendants except those charged with capital offenses. Aniah's Law would expand the exception to other serious crimes including arson, burglary, domestic violence, aggravated child abuse, assault, robbery, kidnapping, human trafficking, rape, sodomy, sexual torture, terrorism, and murder. Prosecutors would be allowed to request a hearing regarding bail which a judge could grant or deny. If the hearing is held, the defendant would be allowed to testify, present witnesses, and cross-examine witnesses. The judge could choose to either allow or deny bail.[36] Blanchard's parents and step-parents have spoken to legislators in support of the proposed law. In February 2020, the Alabama House of Representatives voted 104–0 in favor of Aniah's law.[37]

References
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  2. Lyman, Brian (December 3, 2019). "Lead suspect in death of UFC fighter's stepdaughter to face capital murder charge". usatoday.com.
  3. "Suspect in Murder of Aniah Blanchard Has His Preliminary Hearing Delayed". alabamanews.net. April 9, 2020.
  4. Palczewski, Sara (June 3, 2020). "New evidence revealed during Blanchard capital murder suspect's preliminary hearing". oanow.com.
  5. Shepherd, Katie (December 3, 2019). "He allegedly kidnapped and murdered a UFC fighter's stepdaughter. Prosecutors want the death penalty". washingtonpost.com.
  6. Albert, Victoria (December 2, 2019). "Suspect charged with capital murder in Aniah Blanchard's death". cbsnews.com.
  7. Bonvillian, Crystal (November 27, 2019). "Aniah Blanchard: DNA confirms remains found are those of missing Alabama college student". wftv.com.
  8. "Missing student Aniah Blanchard's remains possibly found". fox8live.com. November 25, 2019.
  9. Carson, Mike (March 11, 2020). "Aniah's Law on Alabama bail reform moves step closer to passing". al.com.
  10. Pateras, Grace (November 7, 2019). "Aniah Blanchard timeline: What we know about the disappearance, search for Alabama teen". montgomeryadvertiser.com.
  11. "Update: Investigators on Scene in Macon County in Aniah Blanchard Case". alabamanews.net. November 25, 2019.
  12. Day, Samantha (October 28, 2019). "Timeline of Aniah Blanchard's disappearance". wsfa.com.
  13. Osborne, Mark (November 9, 2019). "Witness said he saw suspect force Aniah Blanchard, missing stepdaughter of UFC fighter, into car against her will: Affidavit". abcnews.go.com.
  14. Brown, Lee (November 11, 2019). "Blood of UFC star's missing stepdaughter Aniah Blanchard found inside car". nypost.com.
  15. Sederstrom, Jill (December 6, 2019). "Aniah Blanchard's Alleged Killer Said She 'Went For The Gun,' While Apparently Trying To Fight Him Off, Witness Says". oxygen.com.
  16. Robinson, Carol (November 9, 2019). "Witness saw Aniah Blanchard abducted from outside Auburn store, records state". al.com.
  17. Fiscus, Kirsten; Brown, Melissa (November 27, 2019). "Remains confirmed to belong to UFC fighter's stepdaughter Aniah Blanchard". usatoday.com.
  18. Bryars, Rachel (November 18, 2019). "Authorities must answer why Aniah Blanchard's kidnapper was out on bond". al.com.
  19. Holcombe,, Madeline; Almasy, Steve; Kallingal, Mallika (November 8, 2019). "A man has been arrested in last month's disappearance of Aniah Blanchard". cnn.com.CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
  20. Robinson, Carol (June 25, 2020). "Suspect in Aniah Blanchard killing now charged in unrelated Montgomery cold case homicide". al.com.
  21. Carrega, Christina (December 21, 2019). "Memorial service held for Aniah Blanchard in Alabama to remember slain teen's 'light'". abcnews.go.com.
  22. Robinson, Carol (December 18, 2019). "Kidnapping charge dismissed against 1 suspect in Aniah Blanchard case". al.com.
  23. Kaplan, Talia (November 27, 2019). "Remains found in Alabama confirmed as that of missing college student". foxnews.com.
  24. Lynch, Jamiel; Gray, Melissa (December 3, 2019). "Charges upgraded to murder for suspect in Aniah Blanchard case". cnn.com.
  25. Robinson, Carol (April 20, 2012). "Suspect in Aniah Blanchard murder charged with biting officer during jailhouse struggle". al.com.
  26. Charles, Safiya (November 14, 2019). "Aniah Blanchard's family still hears the voice and laughter of their 'baby girl'". usatoday.com.
  27. Robinsons, Carol (October 28, 2019). "Aniah Blanchard's father: Missing teen's disappearance is 'devastating'". al.com.
  28. Robinsons, Carol (November 11, 2019). "Natalee Holloway's mother joins search for Aniah Blanchard". albugle.com.
  29. Brown, Melissa (November 4, 2019). "'A heart of gold': Aniah Blanchard's father pleads 'we want her home'". montgomeryadvertiser.com.
  30. "BENCH IN HOMEWOOD DEDICATED TO ANIAH BLANCHARD". wvua23.com. June 25, 2020.
  31. "Suspect in Aniah Blanchard case faces second capital murder charge". wbrc.com. December 4, 2019.
  32. Jones, Alex (November 26, 2019). "Full timeline of the disappearance of Aniah Blanchard". wbrc.com.
  33. "Preliminary hearing set for April in Aniah Blanchard case". wtvm.com. March 4, 2020.
  34. Bonvillian, Crystal (November 27, 2019). "Aniah Blanchard: DNA confirms remains found are those of missing Alabama college student". boston25news.
  35. Allen, Karma (October 31, 2019). "Evidence found in car of UFC star's missing stepdaughter indicates foul play, police say". abcnews.go.com.
  36. Carson, Mike (February 19, 2020). "Alabama bail reform bill called Aniah's Law advances in House". al.com.
  37. Carson, Mike (February 27, 2020). "Alabama House passes Aniah's Law for bail reform". al.com.


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