Ibraheem Yazeed pleads not guilty in murder of Aniah Blanchard

Ibraheem Yazeed, the suspect accused of the kidnapping and killing of Aniah Blanchard in 2019, pleaded not guilty to all murder charges at his arraignment on Monday, court documents show.

A Macon County grand jury indicted Yazeed on three counts of capital murder in November. The charges are capital murder during a kidnapping, capital murder during a robbery and capital murder of a victim in a vehicle.

Yazeed, 33, is in custody at the Lee County Detention Center where he has been held without bond since November 2019.

Blanchard, who was a student at Southern Union State Community College, was last seen alive on Oct. 23, 2019, in Auburn. Court documents show a witness saw Yazeed force Blanchard into her car outside an Auburn convenience store.

More:Alabama House approves laws named for Aniah Blanchard

Blanchard’s car was found at a Montgomery apartment complex days later scraped, dented and containing evidence of blood. Blanchard’s remains were discovered in Macon County about a month after she was reported missing.

Yazeed was arrested in Escambia County on Dec. 4, 2019.

Yazeed was initially to be tried in Lee County before the case was moved to Macon County, Yazeed’s attorney William Whatley said.

At the time of Blanchard's murder, Yazeed was free on charges of attempted murder, kidnapping, robbery and assault in an unrelated case. Alabama voters in November approved Aniah's Law, which makes it easier for judges to deny bail to those accused of violent crimes.

Evan Mealins is the justice reporter for the Montgomery Advertiser. Contact him at emealins@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanMealins.

Your subscription makes our journalism possible. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Ibraheem Yazeed pleads not guilty in murder of Aniah Blanchard