New testimony presented in capital murder trial of Ibraheem Yazeed in Macon County
New testimony has been presented today in the capital murder trial of Ibraheem Yazeed. He’s the Montgomery man charged with kidnapping 19-year-old Aniah Blanchard from a gas station in Auburn and killing her in 2019.
Three witnesses for the prosecution took the stand, including a former crime scene investigator with the Montgomery Police Department.
Crime scene investigator Blythe Reed walked the jury through more than 50 photographs of Blanchard’s black Honda CR-V and a red Dodge Caravan linked to Yazeed. Her SUV was found at a Montgomery apartment complex after she disappeared from an Auburn gas station in October of 2019.
Reed testified investigators found several items inside Blanchard’s vehicle, including a backpack, sunglasses, a water bottle, a shell casing and an unfired round. She also recovered a bullet from the vehicle’s door and said the trajectory suggested a possible struggle involving a gun.
Reed told jurors there were pools of blood in multiple places inside the SUV.
During cross-examination, defense attorneys questioned Reed about additional items that were sent to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences for testing, including two condoms and a Dollar Tree receipt. The defense also asked about a photograph of underwear that appeared to have a gray pubic hair on it.
Jurors also heard from a grandfather and granddaughter who testified Yazeed showed up at their home early the morning after Blanchard was last seen, without shoes or socks and looking “dirty.” The man said Yazeed asked for a ride despite arriving in an SUV. The grandfather testified that his son-in-law borrowed his truck to drive Yazeed somewhere. As they were leaving, the man said he heard the truck’s tailgate click shut.
So far, 13 witnesses have testified for the prosecution. The trial is expected to last about two weeks.
Yazeed was out on bail at the time of Blanchard’s death. That led the Legislature to pass, and Alabama voters to approve, “Aniah’s Law,” which limits the granting of bail for certain offenses.
If convicted, Yazeed could face the death penalty.
