A verdict was reached for Ibraheem Yazeed, the man on trial for the murder of Southern Union college student Aniah Blanchard. After two days of deliberations the Macon County jury returned with a guilty verdict for felony murder and murder but not capital murder. The lesser verdict means the convicted killer will not face the death penalty. Yazeed now faces a maximum of life in prison.
The case generated national headlines when Blanchard disappeared from an Auburn gas station on the night of October 23rd, 2019. The East Alabama college student’s remains were discovered a month later behind a church in a rural area of Macon County, AL. Yazeed was captured on the run in Florida and originally faced three counts of Capital Murder.
The case also prompted legislators in Alabama to pass “Aniah’s Law” which allows judges to deny bond for certain violent crimes. Yazeed’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 7, 2026.
