Charges Upgraded To Capital Murder For Suspect in Aniah Blanchard Case

One week after human remains were found in Alabama, which were later confirmed to be Aniah Blanchard, charges for one of the suspects in the student’s death have been upgraded from kidnapping to capital murder. And as a result of the upgrade, the District Attorney’s Office is looking to seek the death penalty.

The new charges stem from the kidnapping and subsequent murder of 19-year-old Blanchard, who was the stepdaughter of UFC heavyweight, Walt Harris. The college student went missing in late October in Auburn, but her remains were discovered last week in Macon County.

According to ABC 7, autopsy results revealed Blanchard died from a gunshot wound, and on Monday, a medical examiner ruled her death a homicide at the hands of Ibraheem Yazeed.

“We have determined that Mr. Yazeed was the lone person responsible in this case for abducting Aniah Blanchard,” DA Brandon Hughes said, adding that she was taken from a Chevron gas station on College Street. “He is the only person responsible for Aniah’s murder.”

Yazeed has been in custody since November 7 and is said to be one of three suspects in the case. However, the charges against the other two men remain unclear.