TUSKEGEE, Ala. (WSFA) – After nearly 7 years of waiting and six days of witness testimony, the fate of the man accused of kidnapping and killing Aniah Blanchard in 2019 now rests in the hands of the jury.
Jury deliberation began Wednesday morning at around 9:30 a.m. As of 4:30 p.m., no verdict has been reached, meaning deliberation will continue Thursday morning when the jury reconvenes.
After about 2 hours of initial discussion Wednesday morning, the panel briefly reconvened to seek legal clarification from the judge on the distinction between first-degree kidnapping and capital murder committed during a kidnapping.
The judge provided a formal reading of the definitions for both charges before the panel returned to continue their deliberations.
The jury then sought further clarification early Wednesday afternoon on the lesser charges of felony murder and murder. The judge provided the panel with the definition for both charges.
The judge specified that for Yazeed to be convicted of intentional murder, the state must have proven the following elements beyond reasonable doubt:
- Aniah Blanchard is dead.
- Ibraheem Yazeed shot her, resulting in her death.
- Yazeed intended to kill her.
Felony murder is a charge that carries the same weight as first-degree murder, but it does not require the defendant to have committed the murder directly. To convict Yazeed of felony murder, the state must have proven the following elements beyond reasonable doubt:
- One or more of the following charges: kidnapping of the first degree, robbery of any degree, or that Yazeed committed a felony that is dangerous to human life.
- Aniah Blanchard was killed in the process of this crime being committed.
Across six days, the state called a total of 32 witnesses to the stand who aimed to provide a timeline of the final hours of Blanchard’s life, as well as the ensuing months after her remains were discovered and a murder investigation was launched.
The defense filed a motion Monday afternoon that the state had not met their burden of proof in order to move on, a motion the judge denied.
Ibraheem Yazeed trial(WSFA 12 News)
The last three witnesses called to the stand Monday were a forensic anthropologist, the Chief Medical Officer for the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences, and an FBI Agent.
Forensic Anthropologist
The first testimony the court heard from on Monday was that of a forensic anthropologist who helped recover and examine the remains of Aniah Blanchard when they were discovered around a month after Blanchard went missing.
Accompanying the specialist was a giant map – about the height of the courtroom – that mapped out the scene where Aniah’s body was found. Each piece of evidence was marked as to where it was found on the map.
The expert said that by the time they got to the scene, much of the remains were scattered and damaged due to scavenging from animals.
Notably, the anthropologist demonstrated that where Aniah’s body likely began to decompose (due to the color of the soil) was also near where a projectile was found in the soil.
They then showed the jury a layout of what investigators could recover in their exact anatomical position, stressing that due to scavenging and other factors, much of what they found was damaged.
When the defense cross-examined the expert, they estimated that Aniah’s remains were found “maybe 1000 meters” from the rear corner of the nearby church and around 700 meters from County Road 2.
The expert added that based on their examination, they could not say for certain if a shot was fired at that location.
According to the expert, there are “absolutely” still bones missing on County Road 2 near where Aniah’s body was found.
Dr. Edward Reedy
Dr. Reedy, the Chief Medical Officer for the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences, was on the scene of Aniah’s remains as well.
He testified that it appeared the majority of decomposition occurred 20 to 30 yards into the tree line.
Dr. Reedy told prosecutors that he used Aniah’s dental records to identify her at the site where her remains where found.
He determined Aniah’s cause of death to be a gunshot wound to the head.
Dr. Reedy said he was present when the projectile was found and that evidence suggested it had passed through Aniah’s head while she was on the ground.
While he said he was aware there was a possibility of Aniah being shot in her vehicle, Dr. Reedy testified there was not enough skeletal material to determine the pathway of a bullet if it went through her torso due to scavenging and a lack of present material.
When the defense cross-examined Dr. Reedy, he testified he could not tell how far away Aniah’s skull was from the muzzle of a gun when she was shot.
FBI special agent
The FBI special agent that testified works for their CAST (Cellular Analysis Survey) team. That team specializes in both active and historical cell phone and social media mapping and tracking.
The agent testified they looked at three cell phone records in connection to this case: that of Aniah Blanchard, Ibraheem Yazeed, and Antwon “Squirmy” Fisher.
They tracked Aniah’s phone from 11:14 to 11:47 p.m. on Oct 23.
- 11:14- moving towards Chevron on S College St.
- 11:18-11:22- Aniah’s device is in the vicinity of the Chevron.
- 11:22-11:36- Aniah is tracked heading south on S College st.
- 11:32-11:35 – By this point, Aniah is located on Cox Rd. headed northwest to Wire Rd., from there then went south onto Shug Jordan Pkwy, and then gets back on S. College St.
11:47 is the last activity Aniah’s phone transmitted.
From there, she was tracked heading towards I-85 just north of the Chevron station when her phone stops transmitting at 11:47.
They tracked Yazeed’s phone from around 9 p.m. on the 23rd to 9 a.m. on the 24th.
The last user activity on the night of the 23rd was at 11:04 p.m. and after that, several incoming calls went to voicemail.
The agent testified that the defendant’s phone being left in Auburn overnight was consistent with their findings.
The agent said Antwon “Squirmy” Fisher’s phone records indicated his device consistently used cell phone towers that provide coverage to the location he worked until just before 5 a.m. on the 24th.
- 5:19- 6:08 a.m. that same morning: Fisher’s device showed up near his home.
- 6:08 to 6:20 – Heads toward Shell gas station on Montgomery’s Wares Ferry Rd.
- 6:24- The device moves closer to Fisher’s home.
- 6:31- back in the area of the Shell gas station
- 6:39- back near Fisher’s home
- 6:48-6:53- near area where Aniah’s vehicle was recovered.
- 7:02- likely along I-85.
- 7:18- outgoing call
The agent testified there was no way to know who was using the phone, although they could find out who was on the other end but did not specify who.
Between 8 and 9 a.m. it was difficult for those in attendance that were not able to see the exhibit to show the exact location that received a signal from a cell phone tower, but was in this time period the signal was likely near the site of where Aniah’s body was found.
The jury is set to begin deliberation Wednesday, a process that could take anywhere from a few hours to several days.
If found guilty, Yazeed faces either life in prison or the death penalty.
Not reading this story on the WSFA News App? Get news alerts FASTER and FREE in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store!
Copyright 2026 WSFA. All rights reserved.
