Speedy Trial Act invoked in 2019 Aniah Blanchard murder case

Alabama’s new Speedy Trial Act is being used for the first time to accelerate legal proceedings in the capital murder case of Ibraheem Yazeed, the man accused of kidnapping and killing 19-year-old college student Aniah Blanchard in 2019.

Chief Justice Sarah Stewart of the Alabama Supreme Court appointed retired Macon County Circuit Judge Tom F. Young Jr. to preside over the case. The move follows a formal request from Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall and comes just days after the Speedy Trial Act went into effect on June 1.

The law, signed by Governor Kay Ivey in May, gives the state’s chief justice authority to assign a sitting or retired judge to a criminal case involving a violent offense. Under the law, either the attorney general or a district attorney must request the appointment. The goal is to prevent prolonged delays in serious criminal proceedings by supplementing judicial capacity.

According to AL.com, Stewart emphasized that previous delays in the case were not the fault of the local judiciary but were due to factors outside their control. A status hearing is scheduled for September, but no trial date has been set.

The case against Yazeed has drawn national attention since Blanchard was reported missing in October 2019. Surveillance footage showed her at a gas station in Auburn, Alabama, late on the night of October 23, where she encountered Yazeed. Her black 2017 Honda CR-V was found abandoned in Montgomery the next evening, and blood in the vehicle was later confirmed to be hers. A month later, Blanchard’s remains were discovered in a wooded area off County Road 2 in Macon County. A medical examiner determined she died from a gunshot wound.

Yazeed, now 35, is charged with three counts of capital murder: during a kidnapping, during a robbery, and involving a victim in a vehicle. He was initially arrested on a kidnapping charge and held without bond. Prosecutors later announced their intent to seek the death penalty following confirmation of Blanchard’s death.

At the time of his arrest, Yazeed had a lengthy criminal history. In January 2019, he was accused of attempting to kill and rob two men—one of them 77 years old—after holding them in a Montgomery hotel room. He had also previously been arrested in Missouri for aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer, pleaded guilty to felony drug possession in 2015, and faced attempted murder and robbery charges in earlier years that were ultimately not indicted by grand juries.

In the aftermath of the case, Alabama lawmakers passed “Aniah’s Law,” a constitutional amendment empowering judges to deny bail to individuals charged with violent crimes, including murder, rape, and kidnapping. The law was approved by voters statewide in 2022 and is named in Blanchard’s memory.

Sherri Blevins is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You may contact her at [email protected].