Share and Follow
Left: Ibraheem Yazeed (WBMA). Right: Aniah Blanchard (Auburn Police Department).
An Alabama man has been sentenced to life imprisonment after he abducted a 19-year-old woman from a gas station, murdered her, and discarded her body in a wooded area.
Ibraheem Yazeed, 36, received his life sentence on Thursday following his conviction for murder, felony murder, and kidnapping in the case of Aniah Blanchard. This was announced by the Alabama Attorney General’s Office.
The tragic events unfolded on October 23, 2019, in Auburn. Yazeed encountered Blanchard, a college student, at a gas station around 11 p.m. After noticing her, he waited outside and seized the opportunity to ambush her as she headed to her car. He then forced her to drive away.
During the ordeal, Yazeed fatally shot Blanchard. He subsequently drove her car to an apartment complex in Montgomery, abandoned it, and with the assistance of another man, transferred her body into the trunk of a different vehicle. Together, they transported her remains to a secluded wooded location.
When Blanchard did not return home, her roommate raised the alarm, prompting her family to report her missing. This led to a comprehensive search involving multiple agencies. A few days later, authorities discovered her vehicle with significant amounts of blood, pointing to a violent crime. The search ended in sorrow approximately a month after her disappearance when police found her remains in Macon County along County Road 2.
Yazeed was arrested a few days after authorities discovered her body. Several delays set the case back, but Yazeed’s trial began in March and resulted in his conviction.
“My daughter fought a very violent criminal, she fought hard and she got him off the streets so he could never hurt anybody again, and that feels good,” Blanchard’s mother, Angela Harris, told reporters.
Her family noted that she did not die in vain. At the time of the murder, Yazeed was out on bond for another kidnapping and attempted murder. As a result, Alabama legislators approved “Aniah’s Law,” which allows judges to deny bond for violent offenses beyond just capital murder.
“Today, justice has been served. 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,” Attorney General Steve Marshall said in a statement. “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.”