A suspect in the shooting death of Alabama teen Aniah Blanchard was charged with a second capital murder count on Wednesday.
The Opelika-Auburn News reported that Ibraheem Yazeed, 30, received the additional charge during his initial hearing at Lee County. Earlier this week, Lee County District Attorney Brandon Hughes said Yazeed, who was initially jailed on first-degree kidnapping charges, is believed to have fatally shot Blanchard, 19, after abducting her from an Auburn convenience store on October 23.
Blanchard’s body was discovered on November 25 in a wooded area off Highway 80 in Macon County. Additional details surrounding her death are not immediately known due to a gag order which has prevented the media from covering specifics in this case.
Yazeed, 30, was reportedly caught on the convenience store’s surveillance cameras around the time of Blanchard’s disappearance. A witness at the store that night claimed he saw Yazeed force the teen into her car.
Fisher, who was arrested on first-degree kidnapping charges on November 22, allegedly provided Yazeed with transportation and destroyed evidence related to the criminal investigation.
A third man, David Johnson Jr., 63, was arrested on November 25 for allegedly hindering prosecution. He was accused of lying to police about his son driving Yazeed from Alabama to Florida, where Yazeed was arrested on November 7.
At the time of Blanchard’s disappearance, Yazeed was out on bail for attempted murder — despite having a lengthy criminal history which included arrests for kidnapping and robbery. Fisher has a 2005 felony murder conviction for fatally shooting a woman during a drug deal in Montgomery.
It is unclear whether Johnson or Fisher will face upgraded charges in this case. Prosecutors said they plan to seek the death penalty for Yazeed.
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[Featured image: Aniah Blanchard/Facebook; Ibraheem Yazeed/Montgomery County Detention Facility]
