Jury seated in trial of man accused of killing Aniah Blanchard
Opening statements are set to begin Monday
TUSKEGEE, Ala. (WSFA) - A jury has been selected in the capital murder trial of Ibraheem Yazeed, who is accused of kidnapping and killing Aniah Blanchard in 2019.
Jury selection entered its fifth day on Friday, with both the defense and prosecution agreeing on 16 names — 12 jurors and four alternates.
The initial jury consists of eight women and four men. Two women and two men are alternates.
The selection process started Monday with 108 potential jurors after 450 requests were initially sent, according to the circuit clerk.
YAZEED TRIAL
Yazeed spoke to the cameras outside of the courthouse for the first time Friday saying, “Good morning.”
Both Yazeed and Blanchard’s families were in the courtroom. They are not able to speak to the media about the case due to a gag order.
Yazeed is charged in the death of 19-year-old Blanchard. Blanchard was allegedly kidnapped from an Auburn gas station in October 2019. Her body was found the next month in the woods in Macon County.
Yazeed has pleaded not guilty to all three counts of capital murder.
The jury is expected to be sworn in before opening statements, which are set to begin Monday, March 9, with retired Circuit Judge Tom Young presiding. The remainder of the trial is estimated to take at least two weeks. If convicted, Yazeed faces either life in prison without parole or the death penalty.
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