Witnesses recount day after Aniah Blanchard’s disappearance as capital murder trial continues

TUSKEGEE, Ala. (WSFA) - Three more witnesses took the stand Tuesday as the second day of the trial of Ibraheem Yazeed, the man accused of kidnapping and murdering Aniah Blanchard in 2019, got underway.

The three witnesses included a former Montgomery crime scene investigator who gathered evidence from Aniah’s damaged vehicle after it was recovered following her disappearance, and two family members of Antwon “Squirmy” Fisher, the man who ultimately led authorities to Aniah’s remains.

Fisher’s family members testified about their encounter with Yazeed the morning after Aniah was last seen alive.

Witness testimony: MPD investigator

The state’s first witness was a former corporal with the Montgomery Police Department’s crime scene bureau.

The investigator, who had photographed and processed Aniah’s vehicle for evidence, detailed her findings to the state which included a fired shell casing, a backpack, a glass pipe, possible blood pools in the carpet and a possible cleaning agent dripping down the glovebox.

• Fired shell casing were submitted to the state’s Department of Forensic Science, but the investigator said they were not aware of any evidence linking the casings to Yazeed.
• The witness testified that they did not investigate the damage to vehicle’s exterior and could not say what had caused it.
• When asked by the defense if it was possible that a struggle had taken place in the back seat of the car leading to shots being fired, they testified that it was.
• The investigator added that there were no fingerprints ever found belonging to Yazeed, and that they had never checked for Aniah’s fingerprints.
• The investigator testified that the car was never tested for cleaning products, noting that they did not believe it was something the forensics lab could do.

The witness emphasized that because the Auburn Police Department was the lead agency in the investigation, their involvement was limited to the tasks APD requested.

Witness testimony: Daughter of Antwon “Squirmy” Fisher

Antwon “Squirmy” Fisher’s daughter, who was living in Montgomery with her grandfather at the time, took the stand and spoke at length about her encounter with Yazeed on the morning of Oct. 24, when he appeared at their house between 3 and 4 a.m. asking for a ride.

She notably recalled that Yazeed was barefoot and visibly dirty when he showed up at their front door. She said Yazeed would not tell her why he needed a ride or what had happened before he had arrived at her home.

She testified that her father, “Squirmy” had woken up to use the bathroom and her grandfather - David Johnson Jr., - asked him to drive Yazeed instead.

She then recalled noticing a black vehicle near the neighbor’s yard from her bedroom window a short time before she left for school.

By the time she went out to the bus stop, the vehicle was gone.

Witness testimony: David Johnson Jr. “Big Dave” (Grandfather)

Johnson, who said he knew of Yazeed through his son, recounted the hours after Yazeed left with “Squirmy.”

Johnson testified that he had initially refused to give Yazeed a ride, stating that he had to drive his grandchild to school, but said he eventually allowed “Squirmy” to take his truck to transport Yazeed.

Johnson said that he heard his tailgate close and saw Yazeed on the side of the truck.

He then said that he noticed a black SUV with its taillights on around the same time and was confused as to why Yazeed was asking for a ride if he already had a vehicle.

He noted that he was later forced to call his stepdaughter to help get his grandchild to school because his vehicle had not been returned.

Johnson said that he later called “Squirmy” to check up on them and that Yazeed answered the phone stating that they were on their way back.

Johnson testified that he fell asleep around that time and woke up around 3 p.m., at which point, “Squirmy” had returned with his truck.

Court recessed after Johnson’s testimony concluded at around 11:20 a.m.

The trial continues Wednesday

The remainder of the trial is expected to last through at least March 20.

If convicted, Yazeed faces either life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty.

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