Alabama officials announced Thursday that the suspect in Aniah Blanchard’s murder was formally charged with killing a homeless man in December 2018.
Ibraheem Yazeed, 30, was charged with fatally shooting Stephen Hamby, 29, in a wooded area surrounding a Salvation Army in Montgomery. A second victim, Geraldine Talley, 54, survived being shot in the face but later died of natural causes, according to WFSA.
Both shooting victims were reportedly homeless. In addition to Hamby’s murder, Yazeed’s also facing attempted murder charges for shooting Talley, according to the Montgomery Advertiser.
Ten months after Hamby’s murder, Yazeed was reportedly seen at an Auburn convenience store forcing Blanchard, 19, into her car. A month later, Blanchard’s body was discovered in a wooded area off Highway 80 in Macon County. Authorities said she was fatally shot.
At the time of Blanchard’s disappearance, Yazeed was out on bail on attempted murder charges — despite having a lengthy criminal history which includes arrests for kidnapping and robbery. In that case, which occurred in January 2019 (a month after Hamby’s murder), Yazeed reportedly nearly beat one of the victims to death.
Yazeed was charged with capital murder and kidnapping in connection with Blanchard’s death. Defense attorney William Whatley Jr. argued at a June hearing that Blanchard left willingly with Yazeed and that there was no evidence the teen was under duress, according to the Advertiser.
Prosecutors said they’re seeking the death penalty in Blanchard’s case.
See more from CrimeOnline about the Blanchard case.
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[Featured image: Aniah Blanchard/Facebook; Ibraheem Yazeed/Montgomery County Detention Facility]
