Video After The Jump
The man charged with kidnapping Aniah Blanchard is now charged in her death, Lee County District Attorney Brandon Hughes announced on Monday.
Blanchard, 19, was abducted in October outside an Auburn convenience store and was found dead last week in rural Macon County woods. The cause of Blanchard’s death was a gunshot wound, Hughes said.
Three people have been charged in connection with the abduction.
Ibraheem Yazeed, 29, was initially charged with first-degree kidnapping and has been held without bond in the Lee County Jail since his Nov. 8 arrest. Video evidence from the College Street convenience store placed both Blanchard and Yazeed at the store during the same time. Yazeed has a history of arrests for violent crimes.
Yazeed is now charged with capital murder. Hughes said his office will seek the death penalty.
During the course of the investigation into Blanchard’s disappearance, it was determined Yazeed abducted her from the Chevron gas station on College Street in Auburn, Hughes said. "After the arrest of Mr. Yazeed, the focus of the investigation turned exclusively to finding Aniah,'' he said.
On Nov. 25, investigative efforts led authorities to County Road 2 in Macon County where human remains were found and later determined by the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences to be those of Blanchard.
The charge against Yazeed is capital murder because Blanchard was killed during the course of another felony crime, which in this case was kidnapping. Hughes declined to say when Blanchard was actually shot to death, nor would he discuss whether Blanchard was a crime of opportunity and what the suspect’s ultimate motive may have been.
"In the interests of public safety, I can say that the investigation has determined Ibraheem Yazeed to be the lone person responsible for Aniah’s abduction and her murder and he remains in the Lee County jail without bond,'' Hughes said. “Mr. Yazeed remains innocent of any charges against him until his guilt is proven beyond a reasonable doubt.”
"This case has shaken our community to its core, and I cannot say enough about how the Auburn Police Division—and every other agency involved in this case—responded to the report of Aniah’s disappearance,'' the district attorney said. “From its first moments, law enforcement moved swiftly and methodically to find Aniah’s abductor, her murderer, and her. The process of seeing justice done on behalf of Aniah and her family will not be swift, but it will be thorough.”
"It is my intention that the response to this horrific crime serve as a warning to anyone who believes they want to come to Lee County and engage in violent criminal behavior. You will be dealt with and the consequences will be severe,” Hughes said.
The two others charged in connection to the case are Antwain “Squirmy” Fisher, 35, and David Lee Johnson Sr., 63.
Fisher is also charged with first-degree kidnapping and remains held on $50,000 bond. Authorities said Fisher “provided material assistance to Yazeed by providing transportation to Yazeed, and disposing of evidence,’’ according to court records.
Johnson is charged with hindering prosecution. Authorities say he knew his son allegedly drove Yazeed to Florida, but instead told investigators Yazeed left his home with an unidentified woman. Johnson has been released on bond.
Hughes did not say whether charges against Fisher or Johnson could later be upgraded as well.
The announcement came one week after Blanchard’s remains were discovered and police officially declared her death a homicide investigation.
Source: AI.com
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